Carpenter ants found in attic


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Old 09-20-16, 08:49 AM
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Carpenter ants found in attic

Hello everybody!
So i was removing attic insulation and found some carpenter ants just hanging out under the insulation (blown in cellulose). There was a pretty good amount and some were huge! I hit them with some Raid ant killer and got alot of them but alot them fled the scene. Later that evening some ants were falling through a ceiling fan while we were in the living room.

every night I see a long line of them coming from my shed using our hose as a road out to the vast sea of our yard. I didnt give it much thought, I thought it was neat, but not anymore!

Ive have have done some research on carpenter ant control. What are your guy's tried and true methods??

thanks
 
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Old 09-20-16, 10:25 AM
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They love damp wood. If they seem to be congregating in the shed check for damp wood. If they're marching in a straight line lay down a line of peppermint (double check this on the internet) which they won't want to cross. Is there any damp wood in the attic? Soffits, rake boards? You can spray to kill them and also spray your house foundation, etc. But find out where the nest is. Rotted wood in the yard? Also, fwiw, pressure treated wood is no guarantee against carpenter ants.....they may not eat it but they will tunnel in it.
 
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Old 09-20-16, 11:18 AM
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yes there could be some moisture up there. its an old house and attic is not very well ventilated. Ill check it out more thoroughly. thanks!
 
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Old 09-20-16, 11:28 AM
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Ive used terro liquid ant bait in the past very successfully. Been fighting small concrete ants this year with it. It seems they've burrowed through where our cinderblocks meet the poured footing and are coming up in a couple places in our lower level.
Stuff works great as a combo with other perimeter sprays
 
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Old 09-20-16, 11:57 AM
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First and foremost, don't spray any further as an initial step. A mature carpenter ant colony can have 10,000 ants so random spraying will be ineffective. Beyond that, only 10-15% of the colony is foraging at one time.

What you must do is find the nest and eliminate it. However, carpenter ants maintain a system with a main nest and satellite colonies. The queen is located at the main nest and is supported by the satellites. The main nest is therefore the objective.

I believe the most effective way to eliminate carpenter ants is a combination program focused primarily on baiting. Baiting has two benefits. First, foragers carry the bait back to the nests and share the food. In this way bait can kill foragers and other worker ants. BTW, the remaining ants will eat the dead ones adding to the kill.

Bait has a second and more important benefit. Follow the foragers carrying the bait to find the nest. Then you can destroy the nest with insecticide.

Two more points. There are two types of bait: sweet and protein. Ants prefer one at a time so you'll need both.

Lastly, If the ants are inside the walls you may need professional help.
 
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Old 09-20-16, 08:26 PM
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Ya, I'm pretty sure there is couple of nests somewhere in our shed. I see them every night March out. I will have to source some bait.
 
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Old 09-21-16, 02:24 AM
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Carpenter ants can travel 100 yards from their nest. You thought seeing the ants was neat so I think you'll find following them with the bait very interesting.

Do some research on finding the nest to help. Also, if you have some logs around get rid of them.
 
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Old 09-21-16, 03:46 AM
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Not meaning to hijack this thread but since it's related .....

I didn't realize carpenter ants travel that far. A few weeks ago over a 4-5 day period I killed around 6 or so of them in my kitchen and 1 in the living rm, none since. I know carpenter ants like wet wood but my crawlspace is bone dry, no wet wood or plumbing leaks anywhere in the house. I am surrounded by woods and have stacks of firewood. Would a handful of carpenter ants go out looking for new territory?
 
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Old 09-21-16, 05:03 AM
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It's correct to be concerned but a few carpenter ants don't necessarily mean you have a problem. Keep an eye out for more ants. Also, ants can get into the house from any openings, such as around pipes.
 
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Old 09-23-16, 07:24 AM
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Carpenter ants do like wet wood; they also like wood that was wet chronically, but is dry now so look at areas of previous leaks. Beyond that, they will live pretty much anywhere so wet wood history doesn’t always help. Oftentimes I’d find them simply living between rafters, joists, studs, behind insulation and not even chewing the wood.

Some have good luck with bait. We didn’t but maybe we didn’t give it a fair shot as Termidor, Taurus, Fuse (active ingredient: fipronil) works so well on them that this became our “go to”.

The concentrate can be bought on-line provided your state allows it. Mix with water according to labeled direction with a compressed air sprayer. Spray exterior foundation where soil meets foundation. Spray as high as you can to soffits and such. Treat the base of nearby mature trees as they will travel from and to them. The ants that are nesting in the attic have to leave periodically, probably at night. Technically we are not supposed to spray it indoors. They will cross the residual and eventually get it back to the nest where it will slowly transfer to the colony. Not like a bait, where the foragers actually feed the nesting colony but through a transfer effect. Could take two weeks until you see results.

Don’t use any other sprays, especially if you are baiting. Fipronil is a non-repellent. Using others sprays that may be repellent will ruin a baiting program as well as the transfer effect of fipronil.

Keep us updated.
 
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Old 09-30-16, 09:48 AM
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Update on my ant extermination:

I set out 4 Terro ant bait cartridges and they gobbled it up. I set this set of bait out by my shed where I see their marching line every night. I havent really seen any results yet but it has only been a few days so I shall wait and see.

The ones i found in attic have not come back. Atleast in that area.
I set some bait up there also but I havent seen any ants there anymore.

Almost everynight though, we will get a single ant walking across the living room or kitchen so they are getting in somewhere. Or they are living inside already?

Im thinking that maybe the single ants we find inside are coming from the colony from the shed as there marching line passes pretty close to our door. So I am hoping once that colony is terminated we wont see anymore ants inside.
We shall wait and see.
 
 

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