Capenter Ants (Derry: how much, house, construction)

[lisa g]

We're noticing what we are pretty sure are carpenter ants here. Mostly live ones, but a bunch of dead ones in the garage (maybe the subterranean termite thingies that were inserted when we moved in killed them?). I'm betting someone in a similarly damp wooded area has experience with them and knows whether they should be eradicated or not. I know bugs come with the territory, just need to know how much damage they can do, and if they need to be stopped, how.

[lisa g]

Dang, meant to spell Carpenter correctly the first time!

[bryfry]

If they are large black ones, then yes, you have carpenter ants. Now, it may be just a displaced colony, but you should take precautions. Look in the basement around the top of the foundation. Look for dead bodies and activity. Ideal conditions for them are heat and moisture. If they get in the house, you can vacuum (HEPA equiped prefered) them up. Put some cornstarch in the vacuum bag-it helps to suffocate them. Don't forget to dispose of the bag after use!! Look around the foundation and find the opening where they move in and out and seal with caulking. Check all around the house, and seal where necessary. I took a couple of cans of expanding foam and sprayed under the skirt all around my foundation. It will seal all the holes and keep the critters out. If it expandes too much, just let it dry and trim it with a razor knife. If you have rotted wood in or around the house, replace it. It's like a gourmet meal to them. Keep wood and leaf piles away from the house. Keep the foundation clear and grass/bushes trimmed.

If they are still outside, get some ant bait traps; there are commercial ones available. What ever you do, don't use sprays or dust. They may actually divide colonies and spread. A very managable (and cheap!!) method is to pour boiling water down the hole. Use the whole pot and maybe a second to be sure. Works very well.

Good luck, Lisa!

[CometVoyager]

Originally Posted by bryfry

If they are large black ones, then yes, you have carpenter ants. Now, it may be just a displaced colony, but you should take precautions. Look in the basement around the top of the foundation. Look for dead bodies and activity. Ideal conditions for them are heat and moisture. If they get in the house, you can vacuum (HEPA equiped prefered) them up. Put some cornstarch in the vacuum bag-it helps to suffocate them. Don't forget to dispose of the bag after use!! Look around the foundation and find the opening where they move in and out and seal with caulking. Check all around the house, and seal where necessary. I took a couple of cans of expanding foam and sprayed under the skirt all around my foundation. It will seal all the holes and keep the critters out. If it expandes too much, just let it dry and trim it with a razor knife. If you have rotted wood in or around the house, replace it. It's like a gourmet meal to them. Keep wood and leaf piles away from the house. Keep the foundation clear and grass/bushes trimmed.

If they are still outside, get some ant bait traps; there are commercial ones available. What ever you do, don't use sprays or dust. They may actually divide colonies and spread. A very managable (and cheap!!) method is to pour boiling water down the hole. Use the whole pot and maybe a second to be sure. Works very well.

Good luck, Lisa!

Good Info Bryfry!!! They can be real nasty boogers! Keeping it dry does help prevent them sometimes.

[jthibodeau]

And, don't forget to solve/repair the moisture problem in the home which created the living environment for the ants in the first place.

If the ants are just local and not in the home, look for and remove any dead or decaying wood, such as firewood piles, from being located close to the house and treat the exterior foundation walls.

Another reason for carpenter ants to be so close to the home is, often times, builders use a Styrofoam type product to insulate the exterior of the foundation wall. Carpenter ants seem to enjoy this material for the building of their homes also. The exterior of the insulation looks in great shape but the interior is carved into swiss cheese by their tunneling and nest building. Even though they don't reside in the house itself, they'll enter to locate what food may be available for them.

[buck naked]

interesting about the styrofoam - that is something I used on my slider on the home in Derry and sure enough that's where we eventually had carpenter ants

my daughter was sitting at the dining table late one evening doing homework and she heard the chewing in the wall - I put up a stethoscope and sure enough, I could hear them as well - she has better ears than me...


I ended up hiring Terminex to treat the house and do a quarterly spray.


It seemed to work - I also planted chives and marigolds all around the foundation to deter insects. Not sure if that really helps, but it looked nice.

[DareToDream]

Originally Posted by lisa g

We're noticing what we are pretty sure are carpenter ants here. Mostly live ones, but a bunch of dead ones in the garage (maybe the subterranean termite thingies that were inserted when we moved in killed them?). I'm betting someone in a similarly damp wooded area has experience with them and knows whether they should be eradicated or not. I know bugs come with the territory, just need to know how much damage they can do, and if they need to be stopped, how.

Lisa - Here's a link that shows ants, including carpenter ants:
ants Photo Gallery by Pete Elbert at pbase.com (just scroll down).

I had them in the house I owned in NY years ago - we'd find little piles of sawdust around some of our inside doors. We tried to get rid of them on our own, but finally had to resort to calling Terminex to get rid of them altogether.

[JFRRACING]

Has anyone have any problem with ants that fly? i seem to have something that looks like a black ant that has wings . i checked out that site for ants but didn't see anything that looked like any of those.

[lisa g]

Thanks for all the input--If I ever hear the chewing I will lose it. Gross!!!
Dare, thanks for the link. I'm wondering whether or not my ants are carpenter ants after all, since they are dark black, not reddish like the ones in the pictures, and some of them have wings like you said, JFR.
Luckily they're only outside. I've decided to refinish our cedar deck, which was a mess ((note to my friends here: if you can afford to hire someone to refinish a deck you absolutely should avoid doing it yourself!!!)) I've found them all around the deck, although we have drainage and underneath is dry. No idea what they're eating or where, hopefully I can find their food source soon, spraying anything toxic would be an absolute last resort.

[jthibodeau]

Originally Posted by lisa g

Thanks for all the input--If I ever hear the chewing I will lose it. Gross!!!
Dare, thanks for the link. I'm wondering whether or not my ants are carpenter ants after all, since they are dark black, not reddish like the ones in the pictures, and some of them have wings like you said, JFR.
Luckily they're only outside. I've decided to refinish our cedar deck, which was a mess ((note to my friends here: if you can afford to hire someone to refinish a deck you absolutely should avoid doing it yourself!!!)) I've found them all around the deck, although we have drainage and underneath is dry. No idea what they're eating or where, hopefully I can find their food source soon, spraying anything toxic would be an absolute last resort.

Lisa G,

Most of the carpenter ants you'll find here are black. They range in size from 1/4 to 1/2 inches in length. The winged ants are females (Queens). They grow wings to leave their original colony and loose them with in a day or so after they have moved on to start a new colony. The mass exodus of winged females last from a few hours to a day or so.

Concerning your deck, Another pet peeve of mine is the construction of open decks under the drip edge of the home's roof. Dripping rain water tends to splash back against the home and, even worse, against the usual sliding glass door in these locations. Inspect around the lower areas of the door, door trim and where the deck attaches your home. These places are notorious for the infiltration of water, especially if the flashing is non-existent or poorly installed.

You can also sit back and become an observer. Undisturbed, the ants normally follow a scent trail that they produce. If you can take the time to watch their movement back towards the home, you just may find their entrance. If you do, expect to find some damaged wood in the area also.