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Carpenter Ant problem--Desperately Need Help!!!!

U

USAGECKOS

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OK, I recently moved to NH and I now live in the woods. Well, I am having a bad problem with Carpenter ants, they are getting into my mealworm containers and into my Leo bins and stealing the mealworms from there containers. I have tried buying the Ant Spray made by Ortho and spraying the foundation of my house, but they still keep coming back. I was thinking about having the house professionally sprayed but I am worried that this will hurt the geckos and other reptiles that I have, nevermind what it will do to the insect type foods.

Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, how did you get rid of them?

Thank you in advance!
 
Jeanne,

I use borax to take care of ants inside, and it can often be purchased in the laundry supply section of a grocery store.

It can be sprinkled around the outside perimeter of the cages, and it does not kill as quickly as commercial spray insecticides but is less toxic.

If you find a farm supply or feed store that carries larger quanities, you can put some around the perimeter of your house to the distance of two feet or so, if the ant problem in the area is particularly bad.

I did a search for 'ants' using the search function on the board, and there are a number of threads that mention ants and have interesting info.
 
Jeanne,

Is this a new development? If so, continued excavation in the area will continue to bring them out of the ground and into your house. The only way to get rid of them is to treat the perimeter of the house. I have had the perimeter of my house professionally treated for $100 or so and it was warranteed for 9 or 10 months. The stuff they used was not toxic to the plants or my dogs. Alternatively, using borax will work but will need to be redone more frequently.
 
lucille said:
Jeanne,

I use borax to take care of ants inside, and it can often be purchased in the laundry supply section of a grocery store.

It can be sprinkled around the outside perimeter of the cages, and it does not kill as quickly as commercial spray insecticides but is less toxic.

If you find a farm supply or feed store that carries larger quanities, you can put some around the perimeter of your house to the distance of two feet or so, if the ant problem in the area is particularly bad.

I did a search for 'ants' using the search function on the board, and there are a number of threads that mention ants and have interesting info.
Click to expand...


There is a "Feed and Grain" Store down the street from my house. I will it the borax.

I was so mad last night that I killed at least 20 ants by hand (Well, with a napkin) Squished them good...LOL
 
Jim O said:
Jeanne,

Is this a new development? If so, continued excavation in the area will continue to bring them out of the ground and into your house. The only way to get rid of them is to treat the perimeter of the house. I have had the perimeter of my house professionally treated for $100 or so and it was warranteed for 9 or 10 months. The stuff they used was not toxic to the plants or my dogs. Alternatively, using borax will work but will need to be redone more frequently.
Click to expand...

I called a local Pest Control company and they wanted $250. A little high, but I would do it if I knew that it won't hurt my animals
 
They're on a roll

Hi Jeanne. Welcome to New Hampshire! I woke up this morning to find carpenter ants running around as well. I usually buy a bag of Ortho Diazinon powder (or other brands with same ingredient) found at WalMart garden centers and sprinkle it all the way around the entire foundation. This has always taken care of them and keeps the poison outside the home. I've heard about mixing sugar and borax 1:1 ratio and sprinkling that around the foundation but I've never tried it.
Another thing is be sure to wash all of the floors after treating because the ants leave a scent behind in their trails particularly when you squish and kill them that causes other ants to follow. Unless you remove it any stragglers that are already in your home will literally keep coming out of the woodwork. Carpenter ants can cause a lot of damage and love moist rotten areas of wood so try to find where they may have built a nest or are coming in from outside and spray the area with an commercial aerosol insect killer. Ben Franklin stores just had a sale last week on them with a $2 rebate a can ends up costing $0.59. I buy the highest concentration of active ingredients which I believe is the wasp and flying insect killer. It also sprays the furthest and allows you to reach hard to get at areas. Be sure to spray downwind to avoid breathing in toxic vapors. I would not use any spray around your reptile room area if possible. Good luck.
 
My Whereabouts

Hello again Jeanne. I live in Southern NH in a town called Raymond. It is located half way between Manchester and Exeter off of RT 101. It's always nice to see other herpers coming into the area and I'd be glad to help you with any information about the area. Feel free to write me anytime about anything at [email protected].
 
We use diazinon too, I haevn't had them in the house for a few years but we use the diazinon, well generic brand, every 2-3 months all the way around the house and I spray the basement with some stuff my dad mixes up and no problems.

We had them really bd one year and I sprayed and sprayed and they still came back, found out then that you do haev to clean everything liek Greg said. Their tracks leave a scent that they follow. After we got them out that year and cleaned every square inch of the house we have been ant free with regular treatments.
 
I never have had

Carpenter Ants!! But if i did i would give them all a Hammer and make them help me finish my Snake building LOL!!! Hope you get rid of those little suckers :uzi:
 
Jim O said:
Jeanne,

Is this a new development? If so, continued excavation in the area will continue to bring them out of the ground and into your house. The only way to get rid of them is to treat the perimeter of the house. I have had the perimeter of my house professionally treated for $100 or so and it was warranteed for 9 or 10 months. The stuff they used was not toxic to the plants or my dogs. Alternatively, using borax will work but will need to be redone more frequently.
Click to expand...


When I moved here 6 years ago there was a major carpenter ant problem in one corner of the house. I didn't want to fuss with any of the DIY stuff, so I hired a company to take care of it like Jim did. They did three treatments, the first was the external perimeter of the house and then inside the house near the affected area (only two rooms) the last two treatments were both external perimeters again. I haven't seen a single carpenter ant since. I honestly can't remember what it cost, but they did tell me that once the chemicals dried, they would not be toxic to any of my animals (herps, fish, dog, hedgie).

If you have a lot of them inside frequenting a particular area, you might want to try putting down a mouse/rat glue board with some type of bait. (that's how I catch the loose crickets). Just a thought.

Good luck.
 
Jeanne,

I had ants make it into one of my roach bins, but I was able to stop the infestation by sprinkling cinnamon powder around the cages. The ants are repelled by the strong scent, plus they lose their traction trying to climb on the powder. I also broke the ant trail leading into the bin by wiping it down with soapy water.

Ants usually start coming into the house at this time of the year looking for food and water because they all have to make a living somehow. The first few days prior to an invasion when you see a few wandering ants is what determines whether or not you'll have an invasion, so that's the time to act. You'll want to deter the scouts. You don't want to kill all of them because more will just keep coming. Usually just killing one or two scouts and then letting the others discover the bodies does the trick because ants secrete hormones that specifically warn others of danger. You can let them communicate to each other that your house isn't a good place to set up a colony, and then they'll move on.

One year, I had an ant invasion stopped by a band of baby spiders that set up webs right near the area ants normally come in though. I thought that was pretty cool. :cool:
 
One year, I had an ant invasion stopped by a band of baby spiders that set up webs right near the area ants normally come in though. I thought that was pretty cool.
Click to expand...


Uggg!! I don't know what is worse, the ants or SPIDERS!!! I am petrified of Spiders! I have them, all sizes and shapes, creeps me out!

Well, I went to Sears Hardware last night and got this granular stuff (I forget what it is called) and sprinkled it on the perimeter of the house, and I sprayed some of th Ortho Home defense inside. I also saw a few ants in the room where my cages are and sprayed the ants, they died in seconds. I left them there hoping, like you said, that they will serve as a warning for others. Well, I checked throughout the night and this morning, NO ANTS!!! (So far). I am going to clean the carpets in the reptile room this weekend, hopefully that will remove the scent trail. I will also wipe down all the racks with soapy water.

Wish Me Luck!
 
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