I found a bunch of termites or carpenter ants in my detached garage. What over the counter stuff can I get to kill them, and fill the remaining ones? I pulled off a 2x4 that was loaded with them, and put gasoline on mit to kill them, but wouldn't want to do this to a part of the garage! Thanks for any help.
If you dont know the difference between carpenter ants and termites how are you sure they are not just regular ants. Carpenter ants are big 1/4- 1/2 inch and black. Termites are small
1/64- 1/4 and white. Insect powders work well, they are carried into the nest.
You know, just my opinion, but if you value the garage and want it to stand, from the infestation you described, I would call a pro.....one with some sort of call back or follow up.
Dave
In article , snipped-for-privacy@aol.comnospam says... :) I found a bunch of termites or carpenter ants in my detached garage. :) What over the counter stuff can I get to kill them, and fill the remaining :) ones? :) I pulled off a 2x4 that was loaded with them, and put gasoline on mit to kill :) them, but wouldn't want to do this to a part of the garage! :) Thanks for any help. :) :) Search the web and see if you can determine if they are termites or ants,
I don't post too much in this group, but like to read some of the post. But in your case I will put in my 2 cents. A bout 2 years ago I found a very small area of termites (subterranean) in my home. I have done termite work before when I did some contracting so it looked a minor repair. Then I called a pest control Co. and the nightmare began. After doing further investigation I found them all over. To make a long story short I took 3 months of work and tore my house apart they were even in some of the hardwood flooring. So what looks like something minor can be allot more than you think, but may not be.
You should do some web searches on termites, carpenter or whatever pest you have. Then you will see what your up against.
Now my favorite part and the best advice you will get. Pest control Co. This is the biggest racket there is I had 4 at my house do inspection. I guarantee you this each one knows more than the other, they all have the best products in the world and it's the only thing that works. None of them found as many termites as I did but I was tearing the house as I went. There biggest push is the Baiting system they put baiting stations around your house for any where from $1200 to $2000 and then want $40 to $60 dollars a month on top of that to check them. They want a 2 to 3 year contract. If you do a good web search there have been so study's that say it's not a proven method and the whole part about it killing the colony is not a fact. One more important thing you will figure this out yourself There Contracts are not worth the paper there on.
What I ended up doing is going a product called Thermidor , I read about it in a web search one of the Co. that inspected my house was a dealer ( you can not buy it yourself) This co. there inspector told me the baiting is a waste of time they have used around house for over 2 years and never ha ant success , He said it was a last resort just so somebody could sleep good at night . I do have to sat this Terminex was beyond a doubt the worst he literally crawled over a termite tube and I kid you not had a loan application in his back pockets.
You need to find what's right for you and watch those pests control Co. There nothing out there that works like the products of 40 years ago. Learn how to spot them and do inspections yourself that is the best method.
My entire neighborhood is a termite and carpenter ant farm, so this is something I know about.
Carp ants are esiy to ID. They're black and compared to the little black or red "picnic" sized ants that tebd to show up in our homes looking for crumbs and other food we eat, carp ants are really BIG, with these nasty-big pinchers mounted to their heads. Neither termites nor carp ants are anything to screw with, and once you get either, you're screwed if you don't get the matter professionally taken care of. But on the bright side, you're less screwed if they turn out to be carp ants because they only burrow into soft rotted/damaged wood to make their new nests. They will completely ignore dry/healthy wood. Termites, on the other hand, will even eat into healthy wood.
Short of burning down your house, pouring gasoline will not solve the problem with either pest. You have to kill the queen; once you kill the queen, the nest will die, too. Problem there is, the queen is usually well-hidden in some very remote, highly-protected (and usually inaccesible for do it yourselfers) place, which makes ridding yourself of either pest really, really hard to do, and why it's usually necessary for several treatments (never cheap) to be done by a professional exterminator over a period of several months or several years if you're infestation in incredibly bad.
But extermination in your home isn;t enough. Carp ants and termites show up in your home because there's another nest somewhere else outside, usually within 50-100 feet of your house, and the reason they're in your house is because the other nest has become overcrowded and they're branching out. You can find those nest sources by following a carp ant carrying something (usually a dead insect or something like that) and and see where it goes -- and that will almost always end up being a tree or rotted deck nearby. Outdoor termite nests are a different matter, especially if they're subterranean. They swarm one or twice a year when it's really warm out, but you kinda have to be around for that to see where the nest entrance is.
I personally tend to stay away from the major-name commercial exterminators like Orkin. I've found the independent ones to be more my cup of tea, but even there, only after I have a good reference on them from someone who's had a pest problem just like mine.
AJS
In article , snipped-for-privacy@nowhere.net.com.org says... :) My entire neighborhood is a termite and carpenter ant farm, so this is :) something I know about. :) :) Carp ants are esiy to ID. They're black and compared to the little black :) or red "picnic" sized ants that tebd to show up in our homes looking for :) crumbs and other food we eat, carp ants are really BIG, with these :) nasty-big pinchers mounted to their heads.
Size over color is a easier way of description. In my part of the country, I will deal with dozens of colonies that are red in the front half, black in the back half. The solid black ants will be seen in trees maybe 6 times throughout the year. They can also come in all red coloration. :) Neither termites nor carp :) ants are anything to screw with, and once you get either, you're screwed :) if you don't get the matter professionally taken care of. But on the :) bright side, you're less screwed if they turn out to be carp ants :) because they only burrow into soft rotted/damaged wood to make their new :) nests. They will completely ignore dry/healthy wood. Termites, on the :) other hand, will even eat into healthy wood.
:) :) Short of burning down your house, pouring gasoline will not solve the :) problem with either pest. You have to kill the queen; once you kill the :) queen, the nest will die, too. Problem there is, the queen is usually :) well-hidden in some very remote, highly-protected (and usually :) inaccesible for do it yourselfers) place, which makes ridding yourself :) of either pest really, really hard to do, and why it's usually necessary :) for several treatments (never cheap) to be done by a professional :) exterminator over a period of several months or several years if you're :) infestation in incredibly bad.
Actually there are a couple of baits that are designed for carpenter ants that makes home treatment success easy. One is Advanced Carpenter Ant Bait and the other is Maxforce Carp Ant gel. They are not restricted use products but you will have to buy them from a Pest Control supply house, a Do-It- Yourself type pest control store or over the web. It can be a bit pricey but are effective even if you have no idea where the actual nest is located at. I have used the Advanced product a number of times and had great success and I hear other exterminators claim the same with the Maxforce product. :) :) But extermination in your home isn;t enough. Carp ants and termites show :) up in your home because there's another nest somewhere else outside, :) usually within 50-100 feet of your house, and the reason they're in your :) house is because the other nest has become overcrowded and they're :) branching out. You can find those nest sources by following a carp ant :) carrying something (usually a dead insect or something like that) and :) and see where it goes -- and that will almost always end up being a tree :) or rotted deck nearby. Another benefit of the baits is you are not only removing the satellite colony that may be in your home, but reducing the number of nests in surrounding trees. The newer termite liquids that have proven to be the best out there for termites is now used in ant control and a barrier treatment is used along the foundation and is keeping all types of ants at bay, including carpenter ants. :) Outdoor termite nests are a different matter, :) especially if they're subterranean. They swarm one or twice a year when :) it's really warm out, but you kinda have to be around for that to see :) where the nest entrance is.
Where the swarmers are exiting isn't actually the nest, only the pathway they have chosen to leave the colony. The nest can actually be 10-15 feet deep and over 100 feet away. :) :) I personally tend to stay away from the major-name commercial :) exterminators like Orkin. I've found the independent ones to be more my :) cup of tea, but even there, only after I have a good reference on them :) from someone who's had a pest problem just like mine. As sound advice as it gets :)
Not quite so. Getting rid of wet or rotted wood will rid you of carpenter ants. If they live in dead wood outdoors, and intrude to find food, they are easier to locate. Again, clean up damaged wood outdoors and they will go elsewhere after you seal up their entry points. They forage at dusk, and if you find them, they are easy to trace back to their nest. Termites, on the other hand, are a chore for a reputable licensed pest control applicator. You can pay a lot for poison that, in the hands of an amateur, is a waste. ID'ing the bug isn't always easy, and different termites - subterranean vs dry wood - require different treatment. Plus, with a decent contractor, you should have insurance against reinfestation and needed repairs. In some locales, the newer varieties, like Formosan (a kind of subterranean) have houses falling down before they are discovered. Whilst dealing with a good contractor, home owners should educate themselves about local varieties of pests, methods of prevention and signs of infestation. Food and shelter are the keys - don't feed 'em and don't let them in :o)
Simple way to tell ant and termites apart is look at their antennae... Termites have short and straight , and ants have "bent" ones...
Xmfard
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