Carpenter ants

[Justinfish]

I’ve been seeing more and more carpenter ants in my home since the spring? What’s the best way to get rid of these?

[Darth-Baiter]

go to DIY pest control and type in "Carpenter ants" in the search function.  they are a GREAT source of info.

 

i have ants as well.  our ants run out the Carpenter Ants, but they are still an annoying ant.  i cant leave out any food and i keep my kitchen surgical ready clean.  i spray a non repellant spray and bait with Avian bait.  my ants are the Odorous ants.  i keep them at bay, and that is all i can do.  i am contantly sealing cracks i find them coming out of.  bait, spray, seal.    my yard pest control guy said we dont get the winters needed to knock them back annually.  

[Bankbeater]

We’ve had them in the window and door frames before. You can spot them when it’s humid before a rain. It’s like they swarm right outside of the entrance to the nest. We keep a can of bug spray ready just in case. 

[cheezyridr]

ants were in this house before i was.  i tried all kinds of stuff. the ants loved all of it.  ate the daylights out of what ever i gave 'em, and thrived.  this year they were especially  bad, so i called an exterminator.  also because yellow jackets were living in my front railing. 

whatever that guy sprayed, there ain't no ants here anymore, for the first time since i moved in. 

[Team9nine]

I’ve used Borax/boric acid successfully. Can spray into cracks and crevices, or make a feeding solution. Not the fastest acting (which is what you actually want - slower acting), but a pretty good safety profile for people and pets vs. most commercial insecticides.

[N Florida Mike]

The key to carpenter ants is finding the nest. The more of them I see inside , the more of  a chance they’ve started a nest inside. At least half the time it will be in a bathroom . If you spray an irritant into cracks or holes around  where you are seeing them they will come pouring out and you can treat them . Perimeter treatment on the outside helps too, especially where you see a lot of them. 
Professional treatment may be needed if they have a nest inside. 
Outside, you can sometimes find the nest by overturning old wood of any kind . 

[Dwight Hottle]

Call an exterminator if you have carpenter ants. They are destructive like termites for destroying wood framing once established. 

[Captain Phil]

24 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Call an exterminator if you have carpenter ants. They are destructive like termites for destroying wood framing once established. 

 

Carpenter ants took out the supports on our deck and we had to have the entire structure rebuilt.  Call an exterminator.  Don't wait like we did.

[Jig Man]

Get food grade diatomaceous earth and sprinkle it where ants are seen.  It is safe to use around kids and pets.  Last year we were inundated with ants.  I put a barer all around our house, along the baseboards of the sun room and along the garage walls.  In a couple of days no more ants.

 

My wife has hummingbird feeders hanging from the gutters.  Last week ants were coming down by hundreds to them.  I sprinkled some on top of the feeders and within 24 hours there were no more ants.

[gim]

I have a friend who had an infestation of carpenter ants going into his boat this spring.  He parks his boat outside under a tree with the cover on it.  Apparently they were going in there for the foam.  Hired an exterminator and moved his boat in the garage.  Problem solved.

[Mobasser]

Carpenter ants are like termites. I've read that carpenter ants follow termites, and destroy wood framing. I've repaired lots of damaged wood as a carpenter. Any area that gets wet or stays damp can attract them.

[LonnieP]

I put a mix of Borax and sugar out a week ago. Not seeing many ants now

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, Mobasser said:

Carpenter ants are like termites. I've read that carpenter ants follow termites, and destroy wood framing. I've repaired lots of damaged wood as a carpenter. Any area that gets wet or stays damp can attract them.

Correct. If you have carpenter ants, especially found near windows and doors, there's a leak somewhere that's keeping the wood wet or damp enough to cause fungus or mold. Identify the leaks and fix the problem. If the insulation is wet replace it. Spray the now dry wood framing with a heavy salt solution and that will keep scouts from coming back.

[Darth-Baiter]

irony alert.  we have in invasion or Argentine ants in CA.  the odd thing, they hate carpenter ants and will jack them up.  we are seeing less and less carpenter ants.    my friend married an pro exterminator and that is what he told me.  

[detroit1]

Call TR46, he can take care of them.  Ha Ha, the movie THEM!

[MN Fisher]

[Kirtley Howe]

Did that star Joan Collins/James Arness...or Peter Graves maybe? It has been years since I saw that. May have to watch it again just for laughs.

[MN Fisher]

James Arness was in it - no Joan Collins or Peter Graves though

 

Couple other names you might recognize

 

James Whitmore

Fess Parker

 

Leonard Nimoy (Spock) had a bit part.

 

[Kirtley Howe]

I remembered Whitmore and Fess Parker. I forgot that Nimoy had a bit part. Did you know that Peter Graves and James Arness were brothers?

[MN Fisher]

Yes, actually

 

Some trivia

1: After seeing Parker's acting in 'Them' - a Disney exec decided 'That's our Davy Crockett' - and that's how Fess got the role.

2: John Wayne saw the movie and recommended Arness for the role of Matt Dillon in 'Gunsmoke'...the rest is history.

[Kirtley Howe]

I got my "Joans" mixed up. It was Joan Weldon, not Joan Collins. My bad.

[throttleplate]

3 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

James Arness was in it - no Joan Collins or Peter Graves though

 

Couple other names you might recognize

 

James Whitmore

Fess Parker

 

Leonard Nimoy (Spock) had a bit part.

 

who played the ant?

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, throttleplate said:

who played the ant?

Technicians operated the animatronic constructs under the supervision of Ralph Ayers - who won the 1952 Academy Award for Technical Achievement.

[TnRiver46]

5 hours ago, detroit1 said:

Call TR46, he can take care of them.  Ha Ha, the movie THEM!

I thank God everyday that we don’t deal with bugs 

 

people already think I can catch “all” the skunks. I can’t imagine their expectations with ants 

[throttleplate]

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

Technicians operated the animatronic constructs under the supervision of Ralph Ayers - who won the 1952 Academy Award for Technical Achievement.

I remember watching that movie as a little kid in the 60"s on a friday night and after the movie the network would go off air and play the national anthem. Bedtime with nightmares.