Carpenter ant treatments for walls?

[mike]

Saw my first carpenter ant today. There's been a lot of tree maintenance in my vicinity lately. I suspect the ants are restless.

Years ago, I had carpenter ants and the exterminator put liquid insecticide in the walls. Don't remember what it was, but likely banned these days.

I've been using bifenthrin as an outdoor perimeter spray. Should I inject something inside the walls. I don't want to use something repellant if what I need is bait. And I certainly don't want to poison myself.

What's current DIY practice for carpenter ants in homes? At this point, I'm thinking more prevention than cure.

[gfretwell]

If you have mulch around the house, particularly against the house, start by treating that.

[mike]

Perimeter is defoliated. The question was about walls.

[jon]

replying to mike, jon wrote: Hot shot liquid baits (clear plastic or glass semicircles) placed around inside and amdro perimeter bait sprinkled around the outside.

You are correct you don't want to repel them you want to attract and kill them

[gfretwell]

I understand that but every time I have had those bastards I found the "mother ship" was outside near the house and they were just setting up satellite nests in the house. When I killed the nest outside they were gone.

[jon]

replying to mike, jon wrote: Hot shot liquid baits (clear plastic or glass semicircles) placed around inside and amdro perimeter bait sprinkled around the outside.

You are correct you don't want to repel them you want to attract and kill them

[gfretwell]

The problem is finding a bait they will actually eat. I haven't seen an ant that would eat Andro or Terro in 3 decades around here. As you use different baits, the ants learn not to eat that stuff. Sugar based bait is useless. I can pour a pile of sugar on the counter and the ants won't touch it.

[Frank]

Don't know about carpenter ants but we were plagued by ants in recent years but a Termidor treatment for termites stopped them. We never had termites but neighbors did and I saw them in wood close to the house. In previous years I had used to spray the perimeter of the house every year with diazinone every year but like all stuff that works for the home owner, the EPA banned it.

You might check this companies products out:

I bought pre-emergent herbicide from them (free shipping) that I just put down.

[krw]

You can use Boric Acid pretty liberally without a lot of worry. Don't leave a lot of it where a pet can get at it but a dusting or cups of it spread around is about as safe as you can get for an insecticide.