They are getting out of control. I just found them nesting in a box of personal belongings. Any ideas on total elimination of these bugs?
They’re chewing up some studs as we speak! I can hear them!
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“Have you seen my baseball?”
Replies
Here in NW OH, they love blue foambd and will nest behind it. They also go to wet locations and this could be down near the ground or up in the eaves. Eliminate the wet, and they leave. Any of those conditions near their home?
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
Yeah, its wet always here. Plus we have a huge oak canopy which keeps it even more wet.
Bobl:
I believe I can isolate where they nest. Its just a matter of what you said about them moving.
I'll try to target them, but your right I can't have poison about the yard with kids/dogs/cats
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"Have you seen my baseball?"
Edited 3/29/2005 1:32 pm ET by sailfish
IIRC, look into diotamanios earth (DE) spelling bad. the stuff you use in some swimming pool filters. its naturalsuppose to cut up the ants bellies and kill them when they crawl over itbut that doesn't stop a whingged female that has just swarmmed.don't know how long you've been in that house, but with an oak canapy, you may have to be continuously vigil for these things.
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter
carpenter ants nest in hollows. if one doesn't exist they buid one, often times by hollowing out wood, hence the name.
they don't eat wood.
have u seen any swarming?
you're betweeen a rock and a hard [lace since u have a new youg one.
if you really think they are in the walls then I would suggest a pro, since they will have all the means available to them.
kinda have to find the nest(s) and eliminant them one by one or tent the house.
then you have to keep them out, which may mean putting down some barrier, but then you have the kid playing in the yard.
since you are in florida the pros may not do this, but here in NE you can buy yearly services for bug control.
ants are tough because there may be a nest(s) somewhere nearby and when they swarm and look for new places they find you.
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter
I had ants introduced to my own house during construction. I'll never forget the site of a lift of banded 2-by lumber being tipped off the back of the flatbed. The stack hit the ground, the bands snapped, the lumber spread, and this huge, huge nest of ants swarmed everywhere.
Tossed gas on the stack and lit it off, but some ants got away. Used bora-care on the framing, but still, ended up with carpenter ants in the house when it was done.
Tried a few things to get rip of them.
Some were totally inefective, some seemed to work, but only one did work completely.
A product called "Maxforce". It's a carpenter ant bait gel containing Fipronil.
The idea is you place little drops of the gel around the perimeter of the room, or on known ant trails. The ants take the bait back to the nest, it eventually gets fed to the queen and the larvae, and within a few days the whole nest is dead.
It worked for me.
The syringes I bought were about $25 per syringe. I did a google to find it, and remembered seeing it for $25 to $40 per syringe. Same product, same sized syringe. I think I bought three but only used two over the course of a couple of weeks. No ants within a week of the first application, and none since.
Did a quick google, here's the place I bought mine from, it's $22:
http://pestcontrolsupplies.com/Maxforce%20Carpenter%20Ant%20Bait%20Gel.htm
The google search also showed it for sale on eBay for $18 a syringe.
Excellent!
I went out last night with my headlamp and found their "trail" and a area of wood droppings.
I'll give that stuff a shot!!
Thanks
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"The only good ant is a dead ant"
I don't know about Maxforce, but some of those gels or syrups are sweet and dogs and cats and kids may want to lick them, so be careful. The thing another poster described but had trouble spelling is "diatomaceous earth"--has the silica skeletons of diatoms in it, hence the name. (I had to look up the spelling.)
A silicon based life form ?
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow It is easy to be friends with someone you always agree with.
Siliceous is what my dictionary said; I took it to mean that (containing silicon), but maybe it's another meaning. Then there are life forms based on silicone, but I prefer carbon-based. wink wink
Yeah, but the silicone based life forms don't nag or get a headache...
The person you offend today, may have been your best friend tomorrow It is easy to be friends with someone you always agree with.
I had them nesting in my old house. Took a month before I found them in the 1/4" of space between the baseboard and my finished flooring. Completely dry, but perfect for a nesting spot.
I used the illegal stuff that my father had saved for over 10 years (still potent, that's for sure) plus put a 5 foot band of Diazanon (now no longer legal either) around the perimiter of the house in a few applications. They were gone for good. Funny thing....my neighbor comes over about a week later & asks me if I'm having trouble with ants....they simply moved to the next convenient location.
You can go to some exterminators and they will sell you the stuff that they use. I have done that in the past as well. It just didn't work as well as stuff that's no longer on the market....at least it didn't work to my liking.