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Bingo! We're replacing the lame gutter over the french doors that lead to the deck. It's always clogged w/pine needles and we keep clearing it. The flashing is just as you said as well and needs to be replaced correctly. There is some punky fascia board up there, which will also be replaced.
I don't see/hear ants up there though, and like the deck, the house is covered w/cedar. Should I assume the ants won't eat the cedar? and should I assume they're eating the insides of the walls around the french doors & windows under the faulty gutter/flashing & punky boards? They are not getting inside the house and I haven't heard any chewing...and last August this was all intact at inspection. Maybe I should call terminex before my deck refinishing & existing repairs become much more?
Calling a qualified contractor, such as terminex, prior to repairs would be my advice. They may locate more infested areas that your not aware of. And, it may prevent you from having to repair/replace siding or trim you've already refinished.
And, if your going to replace that "lame" gutter, try and avoid the gutter being directly applied to the fascia board. Gutter stand-offs will help to allow the facia board to dry instead of constant dampness behind it. Heck, I've seen gutters applied to new homes that weren't even painted yet. The home ended up having a 4 inch swath of unpainted/unprotected fascia board across the entire building.
I can say if the ants will eat cedar or not. I know they'll carve through it if it's in their way. However, they do love those damp dark warm places to live such as behind the kick board of the door or even deeper into the sheathing and framing of the building.
So, get rid of the ants, repair damaged wood, prevent any water infiltration and, then apply your fresh paint or finish. Good luck....
as pointed out by someone else - they come in both brown, and black and the ants have wings at mating time - both the male and the female will sport wings during mating and the queens always have wings
when the group is traveling and looking for new sites, you will see a lot of the winged ants
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