carpenter ants https://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/t11242 Runboard| carpenter ants en-us Fri, 29 Mar 2024 01:57:57 +0000 Fri, 29 Mar 2024 01:57:57 +0000 https://www.runboard.com/ rssfeeds_managingeditor@runboard.com (Runboard.com RSS feeds managing editor) rssfeeds_webmaster@runboard.com (Runboard.com RSS feeds webmaster) akBBS 60 Re: carpenter antshttps://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/p221683,from=rss#post221683https://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/p221683,from=rss#post221683actually it was the guy from Orkin who said they did not normally do any structural damagenondisclosed_email@example.com (RantingHobbit)Fri, 13 Apr 2007 19:50:18 +0000 Re: carpenter antshttps://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/p221680,from=rss#post221680https://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/p221680,from=rss#post221680Er, that does sound bad Babadski. I have been wanting to get it checked out to see how much of a problem it is - but there have been SO many things to do when you buy a house. I'll move this up on my list!nondisclosed_email@example.com (TexasMadness)Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:18:50 +0000 Re: carpenter antshttps://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/p221677,from=rss#post221677https://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/p221677,from=rss#post221677TexasMadness wrote: I was told by my inspector that the carpenter ants were really destructive when I bought my home a few months ago. This kinda freaked me out since we could see some ants marching around. I did some research and it looks like they only cause structural damage in severe infestations. I only ever see the ants on the outside of the house and it looks like only one nest, so I haven't bothered to treat. If I do, I plan on following them to their nest, drilling a little hole, and spraying in boric acid powder. It apparently does no good to kill ants that you see - you must go after the nest. But if your problem is similar to mine (which is sounds like), then I don't see a big rush to treat - especially not the "full treatment" that a company would give. Those spiders are probably eating more bugs in the long run than would get killed with the chemicals! Plus, they are kinda fun to watch... You know, that's what we though. We only saw a few ants, no big deal. Turned out they were nested in the room and happily munching up there, which is why we didn't see that many in the house. When the landlord had the place exterminated, you could see them pouring out onto the roof. The whole roof was covered in them. It was really creepy looking (what can I say, I've got a thing about creepy crawlies *shudders*). There was another huge nest in a tree in the backyard. The poor thing was almost hollow and would have come down in the next strong wind, probably onto the house. When they went to cut it down, it just toppled over. The tree guy said he didn't know how it was still standing, the trunk had been so weakened. So, don't assume just because you aren't seeing a lot of ants that you don't have a big infestation. If Orkin won't do an inspection without a treatment contract, find another company that will. nondisclosed_email@example.com (Babadski)Fri, 13 Apr 2007 13:52:58 +0000 Re: carpenter antshttps://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/p221672,from=rss#post221672https://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/p221672,from=rss#post221672Ants hate chalk.... if you have to, go buy some cheap chalk, grind it up and place it around the foundation of your home. You can add some dried bay leaves crushed into the chalk mix...ants hate bay leaves as well. No harm to the ants...no harm to your home, no smelly pesticides or hazardous chemicals. nondisclosed_email@example.com (Saijen SilverWolf)Thu, 12 Apr 2007 22:19:44 +0000 Re: carpenter antshttps://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/p221667,from=rss#post221667https://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/p221667,from=rss#post221667I was told by my inspector that the carpenter ants were really destructive when I bought my home a few months ago. This kinda freaked me out since we could see some ants marching around. I did some research and it looks like they only cause structural damage in severe infestations. I only ever see the ants on the outside of the house and it looks like only one nest, so I haven't bothered to treat. If I do, I plan on following them to their nest, drilling a little hole, and spraying in boric acid powder. It apparently does no good to kill ants that you see - you must go after the nest. But if your problem is similar to mine (which is sounds like), then I don't see a big rush to treat - especially not the "full treatment" that a company would give. Those spiders are probably eating more bugs in the long run than would get killed with the chemicals! Plus, they are kinda fun to watch...nondisclosed_email@example.com (TexasMadness)Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:30:22 +0000 carpenter antshttps://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/p221666,from=rss#post221666https://bthepaganporch.runboard.com/p221666,from=rss#post221666apparently our house is over the carpenter ants' sacred burial ground. We see them here and there. We called Orkin and they wanted a long term contract before doing anything other than an inspection. My question is why should I do anything about the ants, other than avoid leaving food out for them if they do not damage the structural integrity of the wood and they are natural enemies of termites which would threaten the structural integrity of the wood. I also don't want to hurt the little tiny wolf spiders that live on our screensnondisclosed_email@example.com (RantingHobbit)Thu, 12 Apr 2007 15:15:05 +0000