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How-to Control Carpenter Ants
CARPENTER ANT CONTROL
This article is about carpenter ant control. It will explain why they are a pest and what needs to be done for controlling infestations. Most of your questions will be answered in this article. Be sure to read all of it before you call in for technical support.
There are many insects which are drawn to wood structures. Wood (cellulose) and wood by products are used many ways. And man continues to create new uses for cellulose in our day to day living experiences. As more wood is used in our environments, we must prepare ourselves for more insects. This article is about a large black ant which loves wood too. Although it does not eat cellulose, it can chew and destroy wood faster than termites. This large black ant is known as the Carpenter Ant. Carpenter Ants are one of the largest ants we have in the United States. Their range is throughout our country. In addition to the traditional large Black Carpenter Ant, there is the Florida Carpenter Ant. These ants are smaller, travel less than their cousins, and have a wide range of colors including yellow, red, light to dark brown and black. Carpenter Ants are unique. Their characteristics include:
1) Scent trails which may be hundreds of feet in length. (Expect to see only a few ants on this trail at any given moment.)
2) Nocturnal activity.
3) Chewing on wood structures and in voids for nesting.
4) An ability to identify leaky, damp wood and voids.
5) An ability to avoid chemically treated areas and find new ways into a structure. The best time to search for a nest is in the evening just before sunset.
Carpenter Ants are a problem when they forage into your home. You may see only one or two an evening, but even this small amount means you have a nest or infestation that needs attention. Carpenter Ants may cause cosmetic well as structural damage if left untreated. Once identified as Carpenter Ants, try to determine the magnitude of the problem. Get answers to these questions: Are they in one room or more? Are they originating from a nest in the building or from a wooded lot alongside the structure? Does your regular pest control program include perimeter treatment of the ground and/or foundation of your buildings? With answers to these questions, you may address your problem using a three step approach.
1) Treat the inside. Although you are compelled to spray, don't. Spraying will only work if you are certain where the nest is located. Common nest sights include the dishwasher, under cabinets, around pipes, attics, leaky windows, leaky roofs, leaky doors, wall voids and garage door jambs. If you are not sure where the nest is, baiting the inside is much more effective. When baiting, make sure all food stuff is removed so foraging ants have no choice of food except the bait.
2) Perimeter treatment. This is the area immediately adjacent to the structure. If you are not treating this area on a regular basis, reconsider. Monthly or quarterly treatments on the outside of your building will stop new infestations. In fact, most structures develop invading pest problems because the outside is neglected. A liquid material should be sprayed three to five feet up and out from the ground/building juncture. This barrier will stop current and future activity.
3) Common ground or yard treatment. This area may be the reason your building is having a problem. If pests are ignored and allowed to exist on common ground, they will find their way into your buildings.
This is true with Carpenter Ants because they forage further than most insects. Inspect trees, pine islands, old wood piles, decks, stumps, wooded lots, fences and adjacent buildings. I have, on more than one occasion, identified Carpenter Ant colonies in one building that were foraging to an adjoining building. Control was obtained because we were able to treat both buildings properly. If activity is identified and nest sights located, treat them directly. If some activity is noted but the source is hard to determine, baiting is recommended. By keeping the population of Carpenter Ants down around your buildings, you will keep them from foraging inside. As stated above, the only time you should treat a nest directly is when you are sure where the nest is. You may be able to locate it by watching the ants and seeing where they go. I have spent long periods of time watching ants to learn the wall or void they were nesting in. Such information is helpful in killing off the nest quickly and completely. If you are able to see "frass" or wood shavings, it is a good indication of activity. Since these ants do not travel in large numbers, do not expect to see a big trail of them. You may get lucky and see a spot around a window frame or door where many are going. This is almost certain to be a nest site and should be treated with Advance Carpenter Ant Bait.
One by one you are able to locate hard to find nests by the process of elimination. If you are unsure there is a nest or if you suspect that foraging workers are finding their way into your home, use bait to stop them. By killing these worker and scout ants, you are intercepting a possible nest from being started. Carpenter ants love to establish "satellite" colonies away from their main nest but close to food or water. Many times these secondary nests are formed in homes. The use of baits in the home will deter this from happening. Advance Carpenter Ant Bait is a good choice. Advance Carpenter Ant Bait. is easy to apply and carpenter ants like to eat it year round. Since it comes in a granule, it is best to place it in an area where it will remain and not be wind blown as well as apply in a barrier band around the home. When an entry point into the wall, under a roof construction member or crack where ants can be seen entering or emerging, then the product of choice is Maxforce Carpenter Ant Gel.
Apply a perimeter spray application of Suspend SC from the ground up the side of your structure to 4 feet away from the structure on the ground. Before you spend time doing this, make certain that all of the tree limbs and shrubbery are at least 6 - 8 foot away from your structure you are protecting.
Once the carpenter ant infestation is found, the infested wood can be removed or treated chemically, (I suggest to use Timbor or Armourguard wood preservative) and causes of moisture damage to the wood can be corrected. The best procedure is to inspect all possible locations-and to select these locations on the basis of potential water exposure. Once the nest is located, control can be achieved by the use of an application of Suspend SC insecticide labeled for the purpose.
Pest King Carpenter ant concentrate
Maxforce Carpenter Ant Gel
Advance Carpenter Ant Bait
Pest King Carpenter Ant Kit (For use on very slight or small infestations only)
Timbor
Armourguard
Suspend SC
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