Please tell me how to get rid of those pesky carpenter ants.?
Question:Need the best advice to get rid of carpenter ants, big ones. I have sprayed, put out cups, sprayed outside around the house, put out cinnamon, bleach , to no avail. They just keep coming. I now put out some coffee grounds which I just heard would work. Any suggestions other than an exterminator.
Answers:
I agree with Mike J, we bought our home last year and we were told by the previous owners they had that problem for a couple years too, we bought the ortho brand spray & didn't see them again! It truly works... Best of luck they are definetly a nusciance.
you can spray all you want but if you don't spray with the right stuff, they'll never go away. You need to use spray just for carpenter ants. Ortho makes a good one. IT IS EXPENSIVE! I think I paid $24 for a small bottle. I got it at Wal-Mart, but i've seen it in most of the hardware stores. Good Luck!!
we had them in a huge oak tree...they had made nests in a hole from a lightening strike...my husband filled the hole (best he could) with the cheapest wasp and hornet foaming spray from walmart...this year we have baby squirrels...a nice replacemant!
The problem with ants and why it is always difficult to get rid of them is as follows.
Ants fall into 2 categories regarding the type of food they like:
a. carbohydrate feeders
b. protein feeders
So the problem with using any product which either kills on contact or remains as a barrier to their movement does not kill the entire colony, only those you see.
To solve your problem means that you must eliminate the entire colony and the queen.
So here is your solution.you should purchase a biological control bait which addresses both "a", and "b" as mentioned earlier.
The company which will sell you the necessary baits is listed in the source below. I've used the product and is simply fantastic, not cheap, but it does the job once and for all.
Good luck
We get them after heavy rains. First step is to find their path into the area. It's like a parade! This is POISON so do not leave where a pet or child can get into it. Mix boric acid powder with enough Coca Cola or sugar water to make a slurry. Place in soda caps or anything that is very shallow. Put a few drops outside the container and leave it in their path. They might feed on it there until they die or will take it back to their nest. Carpenter ants are cannibals. Those that eat and return to the nest and die are eaten by the others. The whole idea is to get them to go back to their nest with the poison. It takes a few days to get rid of them. If it doesn't work buy some dry hummingbird feeder mix (which is only sugar and coloring) and add some water to that along with the boric acid. I've used thin plastic peanut can lids successfully as well as bottle caps. I protected the area from our cat. Remember it's POISON.
I just thought I would mention that I used the Ortho Defense Spray and it helped briefly. My infestation is extremely large and not more than two days after I used the spray, they were back full force. They are worse than ever right now. I don't really have any solutions, as I have asked the same question on FindHomeAnswers. I do, however, wish you luck!
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