Carpenter ants!?

Question

What can I do to get rid of carpenter ants, any safe home remedy other than glue boards. I really don't have the $ to have Orkin come and drill holes in my walls. Please help!

Answer 1

I know of 3 good solutions but the link posted below has more detailed helpful information. It explains how ants leave a scent trail for their buddies when they find food. The hardest part is to not kill them and leave the bait and watch them all come to get food to feed the queen.

The best one is to mix some diluted honey or sugary water with boric acid (Borax found in detergent section of grocery store). If the insect is a carnivorous (meat eater) you mix the borax with cat food. You can also sprinkle boric acid along baseboards etc.

Another cool solution I've heard of for most insects is to mix a half and half of baking soda and icing sugar. Place small amounts of it in areas you know they hang out. They will eat it. An interesting fact is that insects can't fart so they 'pop' instead.

Another product you can use is called diatomaceous earth (fossilized microscopic sea creatures that look like spurs). It's a white power sold at most garden centres called fossil flour or Insectigone. This can be sprinkled along baseboards and around the house foundation. When they walk on it it pierces their bodies and they dry up and die.

Answer 2

Your pest pro. should have watched those ants and seen where the nest/s are. You should do the same. Then trurely look at gaining access to those areas. Home depot has a spray that lasts " up to a year" red 1 gallon jug. You'll need more then you think and modify a large pressure sprayer so you can spray the chemicals into the walls and there fore the wood. Yeah you'll drill small holes in the drywall to make this happen. Smell? more then likly. So think about it, prepare ahead of time--- pets? birds etc. get'm out of there and your self for a weekend.

Answer 3

No safe remedy- but do you want to lose your house??
If you can't afford Orkin get some Carpenter ant killer fom the hardware store. (Protect pets if there are any )but you have 2 be agressive, because they are literally eating you out of your home!!

Answer 4

Just want to make a point before you start popping ants :), I had carpenter ants, If you go after them you must be aggressive. We called a professional to rid ours. He told us our problem. We were attacking where we could find them, which caused them to relocate. We chased them to three locations before we found out that the three nests we thought we had was one nest that kept moving.

( smart *** humor coming up) I know that insects war on other insects, lady bugs eat aphids, ants attack lady bugs, but not aphids, etc. (here is the smart *ss humor) why dont you introduce some termites? I hear ant and termites are mortal enemies.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Make a bait by mixing peanut butter with boric acid.
about 20 to 25 % boric acid to 75-80 percent peanut butter.
Place the mixture in small containers where they will be attracted to it and wait. (Caution- keep it from luring unintended victims.)
They will take it to feed their queen and the colony will be killed off.
It is slow but it can work and it is cheap as well as relatively safe.
Don't let the problem persist.
Carpenter ants can destroy wour home as quickly as termites.

Answer 6

Ants hate and choke on Baby Powder- Thats what I use around the house for Ants

Answer 7

By the chemicals yourself from a home and garden center.
Pre mixed or concentrate, available both ways.

Answer 8

There's a service for that problem. Look in the yellow pages for the telephone number.