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Old 05-23-2015, 09:30 PM
 
376 posts, read 594,261 times
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We sometimes see these ants upstairs, not everyday but from time to time. They look like carpenter ants to me.
https://flic.kr/p/tb9Y6y

Anyone with experience on how to get rid of them? Any DIY solutions or should I call exterminators?
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Old 05-23-2015, 09:32 PM
 
Location: Lost in Montana *recalculating*...
19,446 posts, read 22,362,251 times
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Can't see the pic. If large and black- chances yes- carpenter ant. Check outside and other areas in your home. If they are around in numbers, you have them. We had some serious damage from them on our front porch of our first home in WV. Had to replace all the supports in the front porch.
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Old 05-23-2015, 09:36 PM
 
376 posts, read 594,261 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Threerun View Post
Can't see the pic. If large and black- chances yes- carpenter ant. Check outside and other areas in your home. If they are around in numbers, you have them. We had some serious damage from them on our front porch of our first home in WV. Had to replace all the supports in the front porch.
Hot linking image doesn't seem to work. I replaced it with a URL, clicking it should take you to the pic.

We have been seeing these ants since we moved in a year ago, I actually saw them on the day of my engineering inspection, I didn't know about carpenter ants back then. I wasn't too concerned until I saw one a few days ago that was almost an inch long. We don't see too many of them in the house, usually just 1 at a time. There are ants outside, I'm not sure if they are of the same type as the ants we see indoors, but they probably are. How did you get rid of your carpenter ants?
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Old 05-23-2015, 09:47 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,201 posts, read 86,043,522 times
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I can see the picture just fine, and it looks like a red carpenter ant.
Kill one gently and see if it has a hairy tail. Those ants are pretty large. Carpenter ants do not eat wood, but they will feed on a variety of food people eat—particularly sweets and meats. They will also feed on other insects.
If treated early, carpenter ants are seldom responsible for serious structural damage to houses and buildings. However, these ants could cause extreme damage if they continue undiscovered for an extended period.

Read more here:
http://www.orkin.com/ants/carpenter-...ter-ant-nests/
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Old 05-23-2015, 09:52 PM
 
376 posts, read 594,261 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina View Post
I can see the picture just fine, and it looks like a red carpenter ant.
Kill one gently and see if it has a hairy tail.
Yeah, looks like it to me too. What do you mean by hairy tail?
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Old 05-23-2015, 09:57 PM
 
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Looks like a carpenter ant. If they're nesting in your house you've probably got bad wood already; they prefer to dig in wood that's already starting to get soft. Best solution is to get rid of the bad wood where the nests are, and fix whatever was making the wood get soft (usually water)
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Old 05-23-2015, 10:05 PM
 
376 posts, read 594,261 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nybbler View Post
Looks like a carpenter ant. If they're nesting in your house you've probably got bad wood already; they prefer to dig in wood that's already starting to get soft. Best solution is to get rid of the bad wood where the nests are, and fix whatever was making the wood get soft (usually water)
Yeah, next step is to determine if they are nesting inside the house. We only see them 1 at a time, a few weeks apart, and we live in a heavily wooded area with trees close to the house. I think they probably nest outside the house, but may have satellite colony or forage for food inside the house. I should walk around the house with flashlight after dark to see if there are ants coming into the house. Or perhaps set up baits and observe to see where they are coming from.
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Old 05-23-2015, 10:07 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,201 posts, read 86,043,522 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yiplong View Post
Yeah, looks like it to me too. What do you mean by hairy tail?
This:
http://cdn4.sportngin.com/attachment...nter_Ant_2.jpg

Go around your house and look for this:
https://goo.gl/4dQLf3

And look for small holes in the wooden structures in your home. These are the openings where the ants go into their nest. There is often a small pile of sawdust below the openings.
To prevent a carpenter ant infestation, make sure all food sources are eliminated. Store all leftovers in tightly sealed plastic containers and immediately clean any spills or messes.
Getting rid of carpenter ants is extremely difficult. Get a professional help.

You might want to try this first:
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Carpenter-Ants
http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/carp.htm

Or read more here:
https://goo.gl/dNrpb4

Good luck!!

Last edited by elnina; 05-23-2015 at 10:18 PM..
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Old 05-23-2015, 11:04 PM
 
Location: Out there somewhere...a traveling man.
44,550 posts, read 61,264,205 times
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Yes OP the carpenter ant info elnina has given is correct. The ones I'm usually worried about are those with a tool belt carrying a hammer and saw.
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Old 05-24-2015, 09:22 AM
 
671 posts, read 894,845 times
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Spread a mixture of borax and sugar around the perimeter of your house. We had an ant problem at rental house and that fixed it. As long as you don't have any pets that would eat it...
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