How can I get rid of Carpenter Ants?

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designart Schwenksville, PA(Zone 6a) Oct 04, 2005

Had a sweetgum tree removed a few years ago. Since then carpenter ants have moved in and the soil continues to drop from all the ant activity. What is the best method of getting rid of carpenter ants?

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Night_Bloom Griffin, GA(Zone 8a) Oct 09, 2005

I just let them be myself. They break down the decaying wood and aerate the soil. As long as the tree remnants aren't right up next to your house they shouldn't cause any trouble, and they'll likely help take care of any nasty caterpillars in your lawn and garden. They can be good predators.

If you really have to get rid of them, I'd try baits. This would be the least destructive to non-target insects.

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kayboyle22 Snoqualmie, WA Apr 22, 2006

They have entered my home and I am worried that they may get in the walls of our home. What do you suggest?

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Night_Bloom Griffin, GA(Zone 8a) Apr 22, 2006

As with the outside colony earlier, I suggest baits. In general, carpenter ants only "nest" in moisture damaged wood. Otherwise they are usuallly just foraging. Ocasionally they use a wall void to hatch pupae without damaging anything - they just "borrow the space" - but chewing on the wood generally only occurs when the wood is exposed to moisture.

If you think you might have a leak anywhere in your home, then you may wish to get it checked for carpenter ants, otherwise they are likely just coming in looking for something to eat or drink, and baits should be sufficient.

Also to discourage them from foraging inside your home, make sure that no tree branches or bushes touch your roof or foundation. Tree limbs touching a roof especially provide a "highway" for carpenter ants to enter a structure.

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andycdn Ottawa, ON(Zone 5a) Apr 24, 2006

My experience with carpenter ants was very serious. They moved into our summer house and began nesting in the styrofoam insulation in the roof. Every day we would find little shreds of the stuff all over the carpet. We could actually hear them chewing it. And the ants themselves were everywhere in the house, foraging.

We had to become very strict about all food and storage areas, and finally had to use a poisonous dust blown into the ceiling to get rid of them. It took two years. Our early attempts at using baits didn't seem to help.

Borax seems to be the predominant poison for ants. Certainly more benign than chlordane. I'll read other posts on ants here to understand what others have done.

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