 sj |
||
|
||
BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants?
|
|
|
Subject: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Little Hawk Date: 03 Apr 10 - 04:52 PM There are carpenter ants living in this house. We see them mostly in the kitchen (central) and a few in the west end. They appear to be after food and water, and they mostly find both in the kitchen, but they've been drowning themselves in a humidifier reservoir too and it's in the room at the west end. How does one get rid of them? Anyone got experience with this? It's a brick house, by the way, but the garage part at the west end is built of wood. They might be there or they might be in the floor or something. It's hard to say. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: pdq Date: 03 Apr 10 - 05:06 PM You can't ever get rid of them if they are in the carpenter's union. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Alice Date: 03 Apr 10 - 05:15 PM site in Canada, Getting Rid Of Carpenter Ants |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Sawzaw Date: 03 Apr 10 - 05:16 PM Talstar |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: GUEST,Chongo Chimp Date: 03 Apr 10 - 05:16 PM A tommy gun will discourage them some, but it will never eliminate them entirely unless you can kill the queen...and there's no tellin' where she is. So I don't recommend it. I tried that method once, and you shoulda seen the place afterward.... - Chongo |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: pdq Date: 03 Apr 10 - 05:18 PM First, identify them...note "elbowed antennae": carpenter ant |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 03 Apr 10 - 05:22 PM Pest Control Canada has advice: Carpenter Ants The article links some other articles with advice. We had them in a couple of old ruined sheds on a little farm we had. When we put up a barn, we used a steel structure on a concrete slab. Wood used near the foundation was pre-treated, also we had some green pesticide which we painted around the base (Copper compound? Forgotten the name but no longer available to unlicensed individuals in Canada). |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Little Hawk Date: 03 Apr 10 - 05:23 PM Oh, don't worry about that....I KNOW carpenter ants when I see them, and these are most definitely carpenter ants. Yes, they do have the elbowed antennae. I read that page, Alice. It does not look like this will be an easy campaign. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 03 Apr 10 - 05:26 PM I linked the same Canadian site as Alice. I wish you success! Brick house- solid or facing? If the latter, it will be quite a job finding the nests. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Richard Bridge Date: 03 Apr 10 - 06:05 PM Check your buildings insurance. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Jack Campin Date: 03 Apr 10 - 06:20 PM Tell them they're disgustingly overweight and watch them die of anorexia. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: pdq Date: 03 Apr 10 - 06:27 PM Play your recent Bob Dylan recordings real loud. As the ants leave, follow their trail back to the queen. Apply tincture of Freddie Mercury. Done. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Little Hawk Date: 03 Apr 10 - 07:33 PM LOL! Okay, I'll try it. But I haven't got Bob's Christmas album yet... |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Stilly River Sage Date: 03 Apr 10 - 08:19 PM LH, Down here in Texas there is a fellow named Howard Garrett who is "The Dirt Doctor," and specializes in organic gardening and pest control. There are a number of things that can work, but it depends on getting access to the timber they're in or their nests, if they're at an intersection of dirt/structure, etc. http://www.dirtdoctor.com/ will get you there. This is his most current information:
The rest is here: Carpenter Ants page in the Dirt Doctor library. Personally, after you find the various population centers and the queens, I would look into spraying around the house with beneficial nematodes, and spray the actual nests with the strengths he recommends of orange oil. Diatomaceous earth in a gardeners store (he has been recommending one that comes in a bottle that you can puff into cracks and crevices or over plants, etc. It treats a lot of pests) will stick around for a while. Don't get the kind that is used for pool filters. That isn't the same and it can have some toxic impurities mixed in. Good diatomaceous earth can be used in human and animal diets, and it's okay to have a little dust of it around the house in places. No harm to other living creatures like dachshunds. Boric acid is a great treatment if new wood is going in, just soak it and they will leave it alone. As will termites. If you have to replace damaged lumber, spray the wood before it is put in, or before the wall is finished. That'll keep them away. Good luck! SRS |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: JohnInKansas Date: 03 Apr 10 - 09:11 PM While some may be quite certain of their ability to identify carpenter ants unambiguously, for most of us they're not common enough to be distinguished from other pests that produce similar evidences. The step child who spent much time as a framer offered some advice on the unequivocally certain identification. The "frass" and/or sawdust found in an area is a reasonable indication that one has found places where the suspect pests congregate, but the sure-fire method of distinguishing when the pests actually are carpenter ants is that the area will be heavily littered with little tiny beer cans. John |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Charley Noble Date: 03 Apr 10 - 09:49 PM LH- We found back in the Pleistocene when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia that ants hated Eucalyptus leaves. Maybe some Eucalyptus oil would do the trick. Alternatively, I understand that carpenter ants are quite tasty when stir-fried with rice, a bit aromatic as well. I recommend a dry unoaked chardonnay as an accompaniment. Cheerily, Charley Noble |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Little Hawk Date: 03 Apr 10 - 10:50 PM I was fascinated by ants in my childhood, John, and I know carpenter ants very well. They were one of the most interesting types of ant around. I've often seen the sawdust-like debris they leave from their wood-tunneling activities and have dismantled the odd nest from time to time when removing rotten old stumps. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Ebbie Date: 04 Apr 10 - 03:35 AM Funny, funny JohninKansas! I found it by accident. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: JohnInKansas Date: 04 Apr 10 - 05:26 AM Ebbie - I figured the old-timers would be the only ones to remember the former "hidden message" (now gone) from Max a few years back. John |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: VirginiaTam Date: 04 Apr 10 - 05:48 AM My mom planted a mint border under the kitchen window to keep the black ants out. Some sites suggest a 1/2 and 1/2 borax and sugar or grits mix poured on or near mounds. The ants carry the borax laced sugar/grits back to queens and nymphs and this kills the colony. Don't know if it is true for carpenter ants though. They say to put the mixture in indoor and outdoor potted plants as well. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: melodeonboy Date: 04 Apr 10 - 07:46 AM "We see them mostly in the kitchen (central) and a few in the west end." Ah, they'd be the Sloane Ranger ants, then. They look superficially similar to the carpenter ants, but they're usually more refined and are very particular about what kind of wood they have in their muesli! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Charley Noble Date: 04 Apr 10 - 09:48 AM "beer cans"! Now I get it. Charley Noble |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Naemanson Date: 04 Apr 10 - 11:16 AM So, if you have carpenter ants in the wooden part of the house do you think you have mason ants in the other part, the brick part? My brother-in-law swears by Equal sweetener. When he sees ant he sprinkles a little on the ant trail and then they seem to go away. I'm not making this up... |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: gnu Date: 04 Apr 10 - 12:08 PM I used to used a stethescope to locate them. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: gnu Date: 04 Apr 10 - 12:12 PM Oh, BTW, they like access to water.. sweaty pipes such as cold water pipes and soil stacks in unheated areas, washroom walls with windows above showers (any leaky window). |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Riginslinger Date: 04 Apr 10 - 02:02 PM I've seen a lot of housekeeper aunts, but no carpenter aunts. Of course, Title 9 might change that. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 04 Apr 10 - 04:02 PM An amazon add chasing this thread touts Hansen and Klotz, "Carpenter Ants of the United Statesa and Canada. Looks comprehensive. A section on control, both old and new structures. Costs $30 bucks, though. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: GUEST,Richard Bridge on the other browser Date: 04 Apr 10 - 06:49 PM Have you tried undercutting them with non-union immigrant worker ants? They might be Polish in the UK or wetbacks in the USA. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Little Hawk Date: 04 Apr 10 - 07:20 PM Maybe I could hire a Red Ant colony to serve as mercenaries against these Black Carpenter Ants. Only trouble is, the Carpenter Ants are bigger and have heavier jaws, so I think the Red Ants would hesitate to take on the job. Also, I don't know what they'd want in payment. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Ebbie Date: 04 Apr 10 - 07:30 PM Not being American, Ribhard Bridge, you may not know that that statement is offensive to many. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Stilly River Sage Date: 04 Apr 10 - 09:06 PM Undocumented ants is better. Are better. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Riginslinger Date: 04 Apr 10 - 09:09 PM Undocumented ants is what we got pouring over the border. We need some Raid! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Ebbie Date: 04 Apr 10 - 10:16 PM BTW, 'Ribhard' is a typo. My ex's name is Richard; I do know how to spell it. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 05 Apr 10 - 03:40 AM How to get rid of carpenter ants? Let 'em join a Trade Union? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: MAG Date: 05 Apr 10 - 10:30 PM The diatomaceous earth worked great to get rid of mine. One heavy app over the offending wood. If they're inside the wall I am clueless. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Sawzaw Date: 06 Apr 10 - 12:21 AM Introduce some plumber ants into the hive and they spend all their time arguing while getting nothing built. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity Date: 06 Apr 10 - 02:16 AM Get them some tools, and hope they're lazy. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Cuilionn Date: 06 Apr 10 - 08:49 AM Along with VirginiaTam's suggestion, I'd add plantings of wormwood (Artemisia) around the edges of your house. As the plant's common name indicates, it was used in a range of insect-control applications. It was a common practice, in Colonial America, to plant artemisia around the foundation of wooden buildings to deter or prevent insect infestation. Pennyroyal might help too--I know it repels fleas and some other insect pests. Both plants contain bug repellant compounds. Just be aware that pennyroyal should be used with caution--I've heard it should not be handled by children or pregnant women. Artemisia can, as far as I know, be safely handled by anyone. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Becca72 Date: 06 Apr 10 - 10:22 AM Aardvarks? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Riginslinger Date: 06 Apr 10 - 11:05 AM In the end, it's the maiden aunts who will get you! |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: MAG Date: 06 Apr 10 - 12:23 PM artemisia actually can be poisonous in some circumstances. also I've got 3 varieties planted around my yard and it does diddly on ants. (I have it just for pretty, and it suits the climate.) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Little Hawk Date: 06 Apr 10 - 12:29 PM I'm now looking into acquiring some small tactical nuclear devices... |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Sawzaw Date: 07 Apr 10 - 01:16 AM LH: Talstar will get'em. It gets spiders ticks, any insect. Critters only have to come in contact with it, they take it back to the nest and it wipes them all out. They do not have to eat it. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Dave the Gnome Date: 07 Apr 10 - 07:29 AM You could try Rennies or Tums but I find Bisodol is the best ant-acid... :D (eG) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Riginslinger Date: 07 Apr 10 - 08:14 AM If you end up with a crazy ant in the attick you have a problem, but... |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Little Hawk Date: 07 Apr 10 - 04:38 PM Talstar? Where does one get it? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: pdq Date: 07 Apr 10 - 05:05 PM Talstar seems to have an LD50 of 2000 mg/kg which is rather benign. Table salt has an LD50 of 3000 mg/kg and we eat it every day. Talstar is made in the US By FMC (=Food Machinery) so it should be widely distributed. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Little Hawk Date: 08 Apr 10 - 12:05 PM What is an LD50? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: The Fooles Troupe Date: 09 Apr 10 - 05:49 AM Roughly The LD50 is usually expressed as the mass of substance administered per unit mass of test subject, such as grams of substance per kilogram of body mass. Stating it this way allows the relative toxicity of different substances to be compared, and normalizes for the variation in the size of the animals exposed (although toxicity does not always scale simply with body mass). Typically, the LD50 of a substance is given in milligrams per kilogram of body weight. In the case of some neurotoxins such as batrachotoxin, one of the most deadly toxins known, the LD50 may be more conveniently expressed as micrograms per kilogram (µg/kg)of body mass. The choice of 50% lethality as a benchmark avoids the potential for ambiguity of making measurements in the extremes, and reduces the amount of testing required. However, this also means that LD50 is not the lethal dose for all subjects; some may be killed by much less, while others survive doses far higher than the LD50. Measures such as 'LD1' and 'LD99' (dosage required to kill 1% or 99% respectively of the test population) are occasionally used for specific purposes.[4] Lethal dosage often varies depending on the method of administration; for instance, many substances are less toxic when administered orally than when intravenously administered. For this reason, LD50 figures are often qualified with the mode of administration, e.g. "LD50 i.v." More at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_lethal_dose |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Charley Noble Date: 09 Apr 10 - 08:16 PM LH- Don't be an idiot (LD50 and Nukes). Try the eucalyptus oil. Ants hate it and it is relatively benign to other creatures. Charley Noble |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Sawzaw Date: 09 Apr 10 - 09:02 PM Talstar? Where does one get it? and here |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Little Hawk Date: 09 Apr 10 - 09:21 PM But, Charley....we all long to try out at least one tactical nuke to cure a pesky ant infestation. Just admit it. ;-) |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: gnu Date: 30 May 10 - 01:34 PM Well SOB! Last night, as I was walking in the hallway, I could feel it's beady little eyes staring at me. I spied it on the bathroom lightswitch (black). Sneaky large female worker. Now, I KNOW I shouldn't have, but I was so pissed off I terminated her wothout predjudice. Dumb, yes. But I did. I went to my home inspection gear and pulled out my stethoscope and knew I would locate any nests near or below the ceiling line in jig time. I went immediately to the cellar and "listened" to the walls which contain water pipes. In the washroom, I thought, "I must check the toilet that never gets used for water level and gunk and put some bleach in." It needed to be done and I flushed it, whence I discovered the leak from the tank... shut the valve off... what f***ing valvle!! NO valve! I was relly pissed off. No gnawing could be heard. I looked in the few open ceiling spaces and found no visible evidence. I repeated this all over the house without evidence. So, now I am trple pissed off. Well, Fouple if you count the fact that I squashed the only clue I had. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: gnu Date: 30 May 10 - 01:49 PM Gosh... I'll fix a couple... So, now I am triple pissed off. Well, fourple... |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Ed T Date: 30 May 10 - 02:09 PM I had luck with Borax laundry powder and icing sugar with regular ants...not sure of the more talented trades type:) They like the sweetness, and take it into their nests, share it and die.. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: gnu Date: 30 May 10 - 02:27 PM Carpenter ants do their laundry with borax. I had never heard of Talstar. Only thing I ever heard of was to find any nests with queens and remove the nests. Those nests require wet wood. Satallite nests do not as they only house workers and young. Due to the requirement for wet wood, queen nests are not found in houses most of the time. Which again puzzles me. I don't have any wet wood in the house that I know of and there is no wet wood or stumps near the house. Perhaps this really was an old maid ant... a scout? on vacation? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Bert Date: 30 May 10 - 04:11 PM Get a Horny Toad. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Ed T Date: 30 May 10 - 04:25 PM Maybe it's morning wood, GNU....escapes you when your sleeping? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Ed T Date: 30 May 10 - 04:34 PM Maybe some help? http://annarborcarpenter.info/carpenter-latest-carpenter-news-photos-the-divine-carpenter-queerty |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Ed T Date: 30 May 10 - 04:49 PM Understand them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWW3OE3gzJs&NR=1 Fight them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIdnVuNtqtc&NR=1&feature=fvwp Or, enjoy them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CRRdxYhFvc&feature=youtube_gdata |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Ed T Date: 30 May 10 - 04:58 PM Did someone just call Gnu a horny toad? Or, am I just dreaming one of those dreams? |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: gnu Date: 30 May 10 - 05:11 PM Yer dreaming. Nobody called me a toad. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Don Firth Date: 30 May 10 - 10:34 PM You think you have a plague of aunts! My mother had seven sisters and my father had three! (But nary a carpenter in the bunch. . . .) Don Firth |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: gnu Date: 09 Jul 10 - 01:59 PM I was cleaning up the garage yesterday morn and spotted one. I tracked him for over a half hour. He was on the top plate near the door and it was hard to see him because of the sun. I moved closer and shaded my eyes. He stopped. He seemed to be working at sommat and I thought he might be making a hole. I waited ten minutes. I moved closer. He was up on his hind four legs and "putting up his dukes". I went in the house, checked the office phone answering machine, had a slug of cold water and returned... gone maybe 3 minutes. He went ninja. I even went in the garage attic with a flash but nada. Tracking and bringing down big game can be tedious. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Riginslinger Date: 09 Jul 10 - 05:27 PM "How to get rid of carpenter ants?" Organize a bunch of plumber ants and go after them. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: gnu Date: 09 Jul 10 - 06:40 PM So, I was at a corner store this afternoon and a pest control guy was there. I asked $, ballpark, "depending", tho I know it's not possible to estimate. He said $200 min and that is just to SPRAY everything. Not sommat I would consider and I told him that along with the fact that I couldn't afford a big price tag right now. Then he said... I hate ant jobs... get rid of all rotten wood. Seal all access/egress. Put bait where you can watch it comfortably and kill the first one you see "gently" so that his body lies upon the end of his trail and then watch. His buddies will come within a couple of hours and take him DIRECTLY back to his nest. That's when you get to set bait and lay down an "ant powder" on their trail. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Charley Noble Date: 09 Jul 10 - 10:17 PM EUCALYPTUS OIL EUCALYPTUS OIL EUCALYPTUS OIL EUCALYPTUS OIL EUCALYPTUS OIL EUCALYPTUS OIL Is there an echo in here? Or try singing one of those long traditional ballads. I'm reminded of the Great Western Motel Judy and I once resided in after a weekend at the Mystic Sea Music Festival. It was a dark and stormy night and there was no way we were going to make it home to Maine in one piece so we began looking for motel signs (this was before GPS) and finally we spotted one and targeted the next exit, which after several winding foggy miles ended up at said motel. Well, they did have one vacant room and we were very appreciative. We settled in. There was no evidence of a recent ax murder. Then Judy paid a visit to the bathroom and screamed! Screaming is very distracting when one is trying to get to sleep after a long drive but as the screaming continued I thought it prudent (for our continuing marriage) to investigate. Once inside the bathroom I began to scream as well! The ants were marching along the top of the shower stall and then down to the faucet, getting a drink and then marching up again. There most have been several dozen million of them. It was late at night and we knew there was no other room available at the inn. So we barricaded the bathroom with towels and went to sleep. If we only had had some eucalyptus leaves or oil! Charley Noble |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: open mike Date: 10 Jul 10 - 01:38 PM get a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pileated_Woodpecker |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: gnu Date: 10 Jul 10 - 01:50 PM Not likely see a Cock Of The North in town unless it has a lunch pail with it. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: gnu Date: 03 Aug 10 - 02:32 PM Right. I haven't seen any more carpenter ants in my house or garage. I used some insectigone at a couple of spots at the garage perimeter and I got rid of a couple of heavy duty saw horses I made twenty years ago. So, anyone got any cool tricks for earwigs? I have set out a low can (salmon tin) with a half inch of cooking oil and a piece of a peach in it. I hope there are not a lot of earwigs in it in the morning because this is at Mum's and she really doesn't like bugs. |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: mayomick Date: 03 Aug 10 - 03:12 PM hit them on the head with a hammer . |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: Charley Noble Date: 03 Aug 10 - 05:45 PM Earmuffs? Charley Noble |
|
Subject: RE: BS: How to get rid of carpenter ants? From: gnu Date: 03 Aug 10 - 06:26 PM They ain't singin, Charley. They're just crawlin around buggin Mum. |
