Black Carpenter Ants

hilltopper · 07-27-2009, 02:33 PM

I was dumb enough to put some fire wood in my barn last fall. I started noticing the little piles of wood dust last week. I assume it's the fire wood and not the rain, but who knows. The problem is, judging from the wood dust locations, the ants are on the underside of the roof...about 40 feet up. Not sure what to do in this case except seek a professional's help (anyone know of an exterminator in the Meredith area?). The next problem is I have bats in the barn in the same general area and don't want to kill them. Lesson learned.

CrawfordCentury · 07-27-2009, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hilltopper

I was dumb enough to put some fire wood in my barn last fall. I started noticing the little piles of wood dust last week. I assume it's the fire wood and not the rain, but who knows. The problem is, judging from the wood dust locations, the ants are on the underside of the roof...about 40 feet up. Not sure what to do in this case except seek a professional's help (anyone know of an exterminator in the Meredith area?). The next problem is I have bats in the barn in the same general area and don't want to kill them. Lesson learned.

Hard tellin' not knowin', but I wouldn't jump to the ant conclusion. They might be powder post beetles, which leave small piles of very fine dust.

Without seeing the dust, their location, and the relation of the piles to the potentially infected source, I couldn't say for certain.

I will say that the likelihood that dust is falling 40' to form perfect little piles is unlikely.

Is it possible for you to post up a few pics?

hilltopper · 07-28-2009, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrawfordCentury

Hard tellin' not knowin', but I wouldn't jump to the ant conclusion. They might be powder post beetles, which leave small piles of very fine dust.

Without seeing the dust, their location, and the relation of the piles to the potentially infected source, I couldn't say for certain.

I will say that the likelihood that dust is falling 40' to form perfect little piles is unlikely.

Is it possible for you to post up a few pics?

I know what you're saying about perfect piles after a 40 foot fall. I only thought this because the majority of the piles are on the floor and there does not appear to be any hole underneath the piles. I'll get a picture tonight.

Slickcraft · 07-28-2009, 07:51 AM

From:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...ng/DK1015.html

"Carpenter ants feed on sources of protein and sugar. Outdoors, carpenter ants feed on living and dead insects. They are also very attracted to honeydew, a sweet liquid produced by aphids and scale insects. Aphids and scales feed on trees, shrubs, and other plants. Indoors, carpenter ants feed on meats, as well as syrup, honey, sugar, jelly, and other sweets. Carpenter ants DO NOT eat wood. They remove wood as they create galleries and tunnels.

Most foraging is done at night between sunset and midnight during spring and summer months. Sometimes workers travel up to 100 yards from a nest in search of food".

"Baits

If the nest cannot be located, baits may be an effective alternative. Baits work by combining an attractive food source with a slow-acting toxicant. A delayed toxicant is critical because it allows the ants to forage normally for days or even weeks. During that time, ants consume the bait and return to the nest to share the bait with the rest of the colony. In a process known as trophallaxis, one ant regurgitates its stomach contents to another ant. This food sharing behavior enables the bait to be spread throughout the colony before the toxicant takes effect.

There are a few baits available to nonprofessionals for carpenter ant control. Most retail products are liquid or granular formulations containing hydramethylnon, sulfluramid, abamectin, or boric acid. An inexpensive liquid bait of 1% boric acid in a 10% sugar water solution can be mixed at home, but it is very slow acting and must be constantly replenished. Baits vary a great deal in their effectiveness. Carpenter ants have complex food preferences, and some of the sugar-based baits will not be attractive to the ants long enough to be successful.

The keys to successful baiting are placement and monitoring; a bait cannot be effective if it is never encountered by ants. Place the bait only in areas where activity has been seen or is strongly suspected. After offering the bait, monitor it over 24 hours for feeding activity. Any bait that is ignored should be substituted with another, and any that is consumed should be replenished. Remember that increased ant activity around baits is a good sign. Never apply insecticides on or around baits because this will prevent feeding and render baits useless. Do not spray or dust other areas of the home, especially where carpenter ants are seen, as this can reduce the effectiveness of the bait. Be patient—baits can take weeks or months to achieve control.

Professional pest control personnel are trained in baiting techniques and have access to a wider variety of products than consumers. They are more likely to achieve positive results. Contact a licensed pest control company if you prefer the expertise and experience of a professional".

BGB2 · 07-28-2009, 08:47 AM

While the ants may be more active when it is wet or in the summer, they never really go away. By coincidence, I have a Terminex service scheduled for this morning for carpenter ants. They charge $75 per visit for four quarterly visits. There was an initial visit that cost more. Unfortunately, I don't remember that charge. The ant problem occurred last year in our garage and an area of the house that was damp. I couldn't get rid of the ants myself as they had nested in the walls. I tried multiple kinds of insecticides. While I hate to spend money on something as boring as killing bugs, I know several people who had costly repair bills caused by carpenter ants and/or termites. Also, ants/termites are a real problem if you ever want to sell your property.

Exterminators are very different when it comes to pricing and services. If you retain one, I recommend you shop around. Also, you can often get a break on their listed prices and services. If an exterminator is inflexible on price-service, you can tell them to bug off.

Good luck.

Lakesrider · 07-28-2009, 08:06 PM

Well now. Good timing on this thread. I just started a new deck project on my house. The old deck was too small and we needed a screen room. So I proceeded to take down the old deck. I removed the ledger board, which was simply nailed to the siding. No flashing, no bolts, nothing to stop water penetration into the sill. The siding basically was mush. I could almost wring water out of it if I tried. So, anyway, this is what I found. I now have to cut back the siding and sheathing, cut out the band joist and replace the sill. Oh yah!

Get someone out there to get rid of those little B--t-r-s......

07-28-2009, 07:51 AM	#4
Slickcraft Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Welch Island and The Taylor Community Posts: 3,301 Thanks: 1,222 Thanked 2,088 Times in 955 Posts	What they eat From: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...ng/DK1015.html "Carpenter ants feed on sources of protein and sugar. Outdoors, carpenter ants feed on living and dead insects. They are also very attracted to honeydew, a sweet liquid produced by aphids and scale insects. Aphids and scales feed on trees, shrubs, and other plants. Indoors, carpenter ants feed on meats, as well as syrup, honey, sugar, jelly, and other sweets. Carpenter ants DO NOT eat wood. They remove wood as they create galleries and tunnels. Most foraging is done at night between sunset and midnight during spring and summer months. Sometimes workers travel up to 100 yards from a nest in search of food". "Baits If the nest cannot be located, baits may be an effective alternative. Baits work by combining an attractive food source with a slow-acting toxicant. A delayed toxicant is critical because it allows the ants to forage normally for days or even weeks. During that time, ants consume the bait and return to the nest to share the bait with the rest of the colony. In a process known as trophallaxis, one ant regurgitates its stomach contents to another ant. This food sharing behavior enables the bait to be spread throughout the colony before the toxicant takes effect. There are a few baits available to nonprofessionals for carpenter ant control. Most retail products are liquid or granular formulations containing hydramethylnon, sulfluramid, abamectin, or boric acid. An inexpensive liquid bait of 1% boric acid in a 10% sugar water solution can be mixed at home, but it is very slow acting and must be constantly replenished. Baits vary a great deal in their effectiveness. Carpenter ants have complex food preferences, and some of the sugar-based baits will not be attractive to the ants long enough to be successful. The keys to successful baiting are placement and monitoring; a bait cannot be effective if it is never encountered by ants. Place the bait only in areas where activity has been seen or is strongly suspected. After offering the bait, monitor it over 24 hours for feeding activity. Any bait that is ignored should be substituted with another, and any that is consumed should be replenished. Remember that increased ant activity around baits is a good sign. Never apply insecticides on or around baits because this will prevent feeding and render baits useless. Do not spray or dust other areas of the home, especially where carpenter ants are seen, as this can reduce the effectiveness of the bait. Be patient—baits can take weeks or months to achieve control. Professional pest control personnel are trained in baiting techniques and have access to a wider variety of products than consumers. They are more likely to achieve positive results. Contact a licensed pest control company if you prefer the expertise and experience of a professional".

07-28-2009, 08:47 AM	#5
BGB2 Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 28 Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Exterminator Service While the ants may be more active when it is wet or in the summer, they never really go away. By coincidence, I have a Terminex service scheduled for this morning for carpenter ants. They charge $75 per visit for four quarterly visits. There was an initial visit that cost more. Unfortunately, I don't remember that charge. The ant problem occurred last year in our garage and an area of the house that was damp. I couldn't get rid of the ants myself as they had nested in the walls. I tried multiple kinds of insecticides. While I hate to spend money on something as boring as killing bugs, I know several people who had costly repair bills caused by carpenter ants and/or termites. Also, ants/termites are a real problem if you ever want to sell your property. Exterminators are very different when it comes to pricing and services. If you retain one, I recommend you shop around. Also, you can often get a break on their listed prices and services. If an exterminator is inflexible on price-service, you can tell them to bug off. Good luck.

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07-27-2009, 02:33 PM	#1
hilltopper Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Meredith Posts: 727 Thanks: 25 Thanked 109 Times in 70 Posts	I was dumb enough to put some fire wood in my barn last fall. I started noticing the little piles of wood dust last week. I assume it's the fire wood and not the rain, but who knows. The problem is, judging from the wood dust locations, the ants are on the underside of the roof...about 40 feet up. Not sure what to do in this case except seek a professional's help (anyone know of an exterminator in the Meredith area?). The next problem is I have bats in the barn in the same general area and don't want to kill them. Lesson learned.

07-28-2009, 08:06 PM	#6
Lakesrider Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,129 Thanks: 380 Thanked 1,016 Times in 345 Posts	Well now. Good timing on this thread. I just started a new deck project on my house. The old deck was too small and we needed a screen room. So I proceeded to take down the old deck. I removed the ledger board, which was simply nailed to the siding. No flashing, no bolts, nothing to stop water penetration into the sill. The siding basically was mush. I could almost wring water out of it if I tried. So, anyway, this is what I found. I now have to cut back the siding and sheathing, cut out the band joist and replace the sill. Oh yah! Get someone out there to get rid of those little B--t-r-s......