Subject: Re: Wood ants in the house

From: Don Martinson <[email-masked]>
Date: 29 Mar 1995 20:55:20 GMT

[email-masked] (Djamschid Mehrpuyan) wrote:
>
> How can I exterminate these damn carpenter ants (big black ants) ...

First, I would advise you to try to identify where the ants are coming from,
as their presence suggests that they may be doing some serious damage 
somewhere in your house.  I have always used diazanon (sprinkled or sprayed
around the foundation of the house for ant control, although if there
is something newer and/or safer on the market, I would be anxious to 
hear aabout it.
Don Martinson
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 30 Mar 95 06:52:49 -0600

> is something newer and/or safer on the market, I would be anxious to 

I concur.  Identify the ant species first.  There are lots of big black
ants that are not carpenter ants.  Capture a few and send them to your
county extension service and/or entomology extension service for
identification.  You may have a totally harmless species.

Entomology Extension offices are generally part of the ag school in 
your state: general the XYZ *State University*.  You may also have
an entomologist at your own school who can help with the identification.

Kay Klier  [email-masked]

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From: Don Martinson <[email-masked]>
Date: 29 Mar 1995 20:55:20 GMT

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 30 Mar 95 06:52:49 -0600

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From: [email-masked] (CT)
Date: 31 Mar 1995 16:32:48 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Djamschid Mehrpuyan) says:
>
>How can I exterminate these damn carpenter ants (big black ants) ?  In the past couple of
>months I have been invaded by lots of them in the living room next to our kitchen.  They
>tend to increase in numbers when the weather turns warm and damp.  I would like to try out
>different products but am not sure which ones are good.  Hopefully some of you can give me
>some ideas.  Thanks in advance
>
>      -DJ
>
Hi DJ,
I know about this. First year we lived here, had the little stinkers in 
*bed* with me.  (Wood ticks on my pillow bad enough.) Our hse was new, BUT
what was happening was that the ants, which are in the surrounding wooded
area, were coming in to reconnoiter because there was some *wet wood*
attracting them.  The fascia board on the cellar door was soaking up water, 
getting punky, and the ants saw this as an invitation to (hope hope) get
a new place to live.  The Carpenter ants don't eat wood, but they tunnel
through it and make galleys.  

When I phoned the state extension service, and various exterminators, they
said I had to find the *source*.  The exterminators all said that they 
should come out and apply "stuff".  I didn't want to 'cides or the Bill.
What we did was to figure out where they were finding the (attractive)
wet wood, then correct the drainage.  A friend of mine had them in her 
house from ?overhanging tree brances or some wet area.  You want to find 
where you think they are entering. Then be sure there is no rotting or
wet wood.  Sometimes the C ants will get in the house just to explore for
new places to set up housekeeping.  My sister had them in her house from 
some firewood that was stored in her cellar.  We store wood in our cellar,
but we look it over first.  Fun aren't they?  Good luck.  CT

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From: [email-masked] (Katrina Meyers)
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 12:38:13 EDT

>identification.  You may have a totally harmless species.

We had ants in our brand new house and finally figured out that when the cable 
guy had installed our cable, he had made  a hole much bigger than the cable 
and the ants came marching on in (so to speak :).  We closed up the hole and 
used ant traps for the ones already inside.

	Katrina

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From: [email-masked] (Katrina Meyers)
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 12:38:13 EDT

Katrina

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From: [email-masked] (Katrina Meyers)
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 12:38:13 EDT

Katrina