Carpenter ants: do I need an exterminator? Least toxic fix?

[Laurie4b]

Last week had a huge swarm of carpenter ants on our back deck : 100s. I tried to kill as many as possible with a hose, but shortly thereafter we started seeing them in all parts of the house.  I know they can do incredible damage and that we likely need an exterminator. 

 

Are there ANY nontoxic options? 

 

Of the toxic options, which are the least toxic. 

 

Thanks.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Buy the ant bait things.  They work well for us. 

[Bluegoat]

Not necessarily. 

 

With carpenter ants, they won't take all of the same baits as other ants.  But you can look up which ones will work, and you can also make your own from recipes.  People seem to have good luck with this.

 

TYpically, if they are going to get into your house, they won't just fly in and pick a random spot - they tend to bore into wood that is damp or rotting, especially if it is warm on the sunny side of the house.

 

Normally there is a parent colony of some kind around, and you can help keep them down by keeping debris and things like compost not up against the house.

 

If you find little sawdust piles that is a give-away, but another thing to do is to wait for night, and see what you hear.

[pinkmint]

Diatomaceous earth is so non-toxic that it is also taken as a health supplement by some. It is very effective in my experience except that as soon as it gets wet (rain etc) it is worthless and needs to be cleaned and reapplied. 

 

Other than that Terro liquid ant killer has been very good. It's minimally toxic. I think it's main ingredient is the same that is used in Borax soap. 

 

I am basically an ant control expert at this point in my life since moving to Texas. 

 

ETA: we have horrific ant problems (multiple species of ant) at this place and can't afford to hire someone, but those 2 above mentioned products have been extremely effective after I learned how to use them. I can elaborate more if you want to go the DIY route. 

Edited May 13, 2016 by pinkmint

[Happy]

Don't fool around with carpenter ants. They are at least as destructive as termites, if not more so. If I were you, I'd be on the phone with an exterminator asap. It sounds like you've got a real problem.

This. They can do significant damage.

[Janeway]

We hired someone.

[bettyandbob]

Carpenter ants are more destructive than termites. They are faster at tearing through wood. I would call an exterminator.

[Bluegoat]

The thing is that an exterminator may not be more help than doing it yourself.  We've had better luck doing it ourselves than hiring exterminators.

[pinkmint]

The thing is that an exterminator may not be more help than doing it yourself.  We've had better luck doing it ourselves than hiring exterminators.

 

We haven't ever used an exterminator but I feel like I've learned their secrets and can do what they do for 1/50 of the cost. I became a little obsessive about learning how to wage war on ants after I found what amounts to an ant-based horror movie situation in my closet when I had a young infant in the house. 

 

But obviously it's up to you. If we had the money to spend at the time, I probably would have hired someone. 

Edited May 13, 2016 by pinkmint

[chaya]

We haven't ever used an exterminator but I feel like I've learned their secrets and can do what they do for 1/50 of the cost. I became a little obsessive about learning how to wage war on ants after I found what amounts to an ant-based horror movie situation in my closet when I had a young infant in the house. 

 

But obviously it's up to you. If we had the money to spend at the time, I probably would have hired someone. 

 

this. we had a terrible time with carpenter ants. all of my neighbors too. we hired an exterminator and after paying a bazillion dollars we STILL had ants now and then. so finally my dh educated himself.

first thing...watch them. find the nest. kill the nest and if you can, the queen. as large as the ants are, the queen is obscenely huge. we found a nest in a dying apple tree in our yard. got rid of the tree and it really decreased the amount of ants around our house.

keep your gutters clear.

find and repair any leaks. they love soft wet wood.

if you learn their habits, and follow them, they will tell you where they live and how they get into your home.

then, even if you are using poison, you can use much less than an exterminator because it will be focused.

 

we actually do use pretty toxic stuff, and its one of the major disagreements in my marriage, and I've chosen to overlook it because, well, I love my husband and he is more passionate about this than I am, so please no one try to explain to me why its so bad for me. I know and am choosing to live in denial about this.

so we use an oil based powder and dust it around the perimeter of our foundation in the spring. we have pretty deep flower beds so the kids and dog do not get access to that area, nor would I plant vegetables in that bed. I think its called Delta Dust or something like that.

and then my husband also has some sort of injection type tool for getting inside the wall for when we find an indoor nest (we found one in the wall of our linen closet once, which is behind the tub..turned out there was a leak there. we followed the ants into the tub which is how we figured that out).

we did have one indoor swarm, thats really horrible, its when the babies all leave home and seek out new homes, we had literally hundreds if not thousands of them swarming around one window. turned out there was a leak under the window and the entire wall under the siding was soft and wet. we obviously repaired it and havent had a problem there since.

 

and yes, it is all out war here. my kids know whenever they see a carpenter ant, they are to do their recon and follow the thing and find the nest. when we moved into our home it was infested. the previous owners (my inlaws) had been using the bait traps for years and couldnt get rid of them that way. we havent had more than a couple a year since my dh took over the extermination.

 

good luck

[chaya]

Diatomaceous earth is so non-toxic that it is also taken as a health supplement by some. It is very effective in my experience except that as soon as it gets wet (rain etc) it is worthless and needs to be cleaned and reapplied. 

 

Other than that Terro liquid ant killer has been very good. It's minimally toxic. I think it's main ingredient is the same that is used in Borax soap. 

 

I am basically an ant control expert at this point in my life since moving to Texas. 

 

ETA: we have horrific ant problems (multiple species of ant) at this place and can't afford to hire someone, but those 2 above mentioned products have been extremely effective after I learned how to use them. I can elaborate more if you want to go the DIY route. 

 

not the OP, but I have questions...

 

do you use the food grade DE?

does the terro liquid ant killer need to be reapplied after it gets wet?

[pinkmint]

not the OP, but I have questions...

 

do you use the food grade DE?

does the terro liquid ant killer need to be reapplied after it gets wet?

I use the food grade DE but I've used the DE sold as "lawn and garden" product. I would probably even feel comfortable eating the lawn grade stuff as long as it's pure DE. They just can't legally label it as safe for consumption if it's marketed as a pest control/ lawn care item, but I feel pretty confident it's the exact same stuff. DE is very safe. It is very powdery so there is some concern about the dust kicking up and causing respiratory issues, but we've been ok and we've put it all over the inside of our house when the ants were getting really bad.

 

The Terro liquid is a sticky liquid. In outdoor applications it will wash away with rain (kind of true to it's soap type ingredients) but it works best when fresh anyway. During the warm weather bad ant season it's all about being proactive and re-apply, re-apply, re-apply. It's a pain but there's no other option. It's either that or basically have a pest control guy on the payroll.

 

Terro is a "slow kill" product in that the ants eat it and bring some back to share with all their friends. It can take a few days to up to a few weeks to get the nest saturated and killed this way. Strategy. By the way, I just buy the bottles of Terro liquid (about 4 bucks) and don't bother with the pre filled baits. I apply it straight to a surface where I know they are and clean it later or make my own bait stations with tin foil.

 

Ants are very hard to manage. I agree though, learning about their habits and behaviors is key. Research your particular ant species. Know your enemy, lol.

Edited May 13, 2016 by pinkmint

[gardenmom5]

the thing about carpenter ants- they can have mulitple nests.  unless you destroy all the nests - you have ants. (killing drones won't stop the queen laying eggs.)  get an exterminator.

[gardenmom5]

it's interesting those who said their exterminator didn't help.  did they say they attacked  teh nest?  or just "controlled" it?

 

what are some tips for finding the nests?   we have a fairly good sized piece of dirt, not sure where dh saw them, but they did make an appearance when bug guy was here.  (he said  they frequently hide when he comes.) 

[Laurie4b]

Thank you SO much for all the help. We got some bait traps tonight and will be doing recon.

 

Also, we plan to get some rec's for exterminators and interview more than one before hiring. 

[bettyandbob]

I've had carpenter ants twice, in different houses--so not an issue of "coming back" or not getting all. I used the same exterminator. I guess I had assumed any exterminator would be thorough. The guy I used explained how you look for them and get to nests, etc.

[Outdoorsy Type]

I just hired an exterminator for this issue. He sprayed all along the outside and one wall where they seemed to be entering. I wouldn't wait using other methods because they do a lot of damage.

[mamiof5]

How do you know what type of ant it is? I'm not good with bugs. We've been having any issues, last summer was bad, this spring we have already seen some. They just appear on our kitchen counters, no way to track them...I'm afraid they come from under the house? We tried the terro thing, didn't work at all! They actually loved it and kept coming for more. Dh did use some chemical stuff and they seemed to leave...but I can't get myself to let him do it this time, not with a toddler. Curious what summer will bring for us and our uninvited guests :(. Sorry OP, I'm not much help. Good luck getting rid of them!

[SparklyUnicorn]

How do you know what type of ant it is? I'm not good with bugs. We've been having any issues, last summer was bad, this spring we have already seen some. They just appear on our kitchen counters, no way to track them...I'm afraid they come from under the house? We tried the terro thing, didn't work at all! They actually loved it and kept coming for more. Dh did use some chemical stuff and they seemed to leave...but I can't get myself to let him do it this time, not with a toddler. Curious what summer will bring for us and our uninvited guests :(. Sorry OP, I'm not much help. Good luck getting rid of them!

 

http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2014/02/10/how-to-pay-for-cancer-treatment-when-youre-broke

 

That's what we use.  They are safe with toddlers.  The holes are tiny so you can't really stick your fingers in there.

 

In terms of type of ants, I wasn't sure either, but after looking at pictures of carpenter ants on-line, I'm sure they aren't those.  So maybe look at some pictures. 

[heartlikealion]

I don't feel confident that it's the same stuff. I would only touch the food-grade one. What I've found so far on the differences is that food-grade DE has to meet a certain standard for arsenic and lead content. If you look at the packages of DE you should see a difference in the crystalline silica percentage. I think it even varies from brand to brand of the food-grade variety. We ordered ours on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Natures-Wisdom-Grade-Diatomaceous-Earth/dp/B003RDKKV6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00. I don't have the link handy but I read a lot about it in the past and one site said which percentage to look for.

 

You may want one of these and a dust mask.

http://www.amazon.com/Pest-Pistol-PESTPISTOLRED-Mini-Duster/dp/B002SW52CE?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

 

I actually need to put some out for ants but have been lazy. We have used this product in the past to deal with fleas, though.

[Bluegoat]

this. we had a terrible time with carpenter ants. all of my neighbors too. we hired an exterminator and after paying a bazillion dollars we STILL had ants now and then. so finally my dh educated himself.

first thing...watch them. find the nest. kill the nest and if you can, the queen. as large as the ants are, the queen is obscenely huge. we found a nest in a dying apple tree in our yard. got rid of the tree and it really decreased the amount of ants around our house.

keep your gutters clear.

find and repair any leaks. they love soft wet wood.

if you learn their habits, and follow them, they will tell you where they live and how they get into your home.

then, even if you are using poison, you can use much less than an exterminator because it will be focused.

 

we actually do use pretty toxic stuff, and its one of the major disagreements in my marriage, and I've chosen to overlook it because, well, I love my husband and he is more passionate about this than I am, so please no one try to explain to me why its so bad for me. I know and am choosing to live in denial about this.

so we use an oil based powder and dust it around the perimeter of our foundation in the spring. we have pretty deep flower beds so the kids and dog do not get access to that area, nor would I plant vegetables in that bed. I think its called Delta Dust or something like that.

and then my husband also has some sort of injection type tool for getting inside the wall for when we find an indoor nest (we found one in the wall of our linen closet once, which is behind the tub..turned out there was a leak there. we followed the ants into the tub which is how we figured that out).

we did have one indoor swarm, thats really horrible, its when the babies all leave home and seek out new homes, we had literally hundreds if not thousands of them swarming around one window. turned out there was a leak under the window and the entire wall under the siding was soft and wet. we obviously repaired it and havent had a problem there since.

 

and yes, it is all out war here. my kids know whenever they see a carpenter ant, they are to do their recon and follow the thing and find the nest. when we moved into our home it was infested. the previous owners (my inlaws) had been using the bait traps for years and couldnt get rid of them that way. we havent had more than a couple a year since my dh took over the extermination.

 

good luck

 

Yes, this is just what we found - we had the exterminator three times but it made no difference.

 

We've never managed to find the main nest, we think it may not be on our property.  But getting rid of it is the real secret.

 

My FIL had really good luck with mixing up an internet recipe specifically for carpenter ants _ I don't remember what was in it, but unlike regular ant bait they took it and it destroyed the colony.

[Bluegoat]

it's interesting those who said their exterminator didn't help.  did they say they attacked  teh nest?  or just "controlled" it?

 

what are some tips for finding the nests?   we have a fairly good sized piece of dirt, not sure where dh saw them, but they did make an appearance when bug guy was here.  (he said  they frequently hide when he comes.) 

 

They like damp wood, so anything like an old stump or rotting tree.  If it is really undrground it can be hard to find them.  If you see one, you can follow it back to the nest.  Sometimes you see little piles of what looks like fine sawdust.

 

Debris like leaves can mask them outside and provide habitat.

 

Inside it is often easiest to find them at night because they make a chewing sound.

 

I think part of the reason exterminators can fail is that they put in the poison, but either the ants run away and hide or move their colony (apparently this really happens) or they are killed, but the main colony recolonizes the area once the poison disperses.  This is why it is so important to find the main colony, and also to figure out why they created the satellite colony.  Usually they do not colonize dry, solid wood.  They like to start on damp wood, especially if it is on the sunny side of your house.  So around doors and such where moisture can get in is a typical spot.