How to Deal with Carpenter Ants?

[Mike Hennigan]

I’m hoping someone can take a break from debating the merits of teetle-tots and potater-twees to give me some advise on dealing with carpenter ants. I’ve collected a few hawthorn recently and upon potting one up i pulled off some loose dead wood where this little natural hollow is and revealed a bunch of black ants and their eggs. I’m assuming their carpenter ants since they’re living inside the dead wood. They may have hollow out much of the trunk even. Though the tree appears to be quite healthy otherwise.

How big of a threat are they and how do I get rid of them? There’s still a good amount of punky/loose dead wood to be pulled off. I was gonna alternate between pulling that wood off and blasting with water to try to get the bulk of them.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Remove the punky wood and spray with malithion, it will take care of them. If not feed them some tater tots, maybe the will eat them instead of your tree, lol.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

If you are looking for a dust with long residual acting power, get deltamethrin:

https://store.doyourownpestcontrol.com/d-fense-dust

Just blow it in the holes in the wood. Problem solved. Worked well for me for termites in California juniper deadwood.

Once you blow it in the hole, block the hole with a tater tot so they can't escape

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Thanks for the the input guys will look into both those. I’ll stop by the grocery store for a bag tater tots just in case ?.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

But, don't waste them all on the ants! Save some for yourself, cook them up real crispy, add some salt, and of course, lots of ketchup...

 

[Carol 83]

Or get fancy and cover them with cheese sauce, some crumbled bacon and scallions. Sorry, I didn't have much for lunch.......

 

[River's Edge]

I’m hoping someone can take a break from debating the merits of teetle-tots and potater-twees to give me some advise on dealing with carpenter ants. I’ve collected a few hawthorn recently and upon potting one up i pulled off some loose dead wood where this little natural hollow is and revealed a bunch of black ants and their eggs. I’m assuming their carpenter ants since they’re living inside the dead wood. They may have hollow out much of the trunk even. Though the tree appears to be quite healthy otherwise.

How big of a threat are they and how do I get rid of them? There’s still a good amount of punky/loose dead wood to be pulled off. I was gonna alternate between pulling that wood off and blasting with water to try to get the bulk of them.

DR. Doom insect spray ! Used it on carpenter ants in one of my rental properties, worked like a charm! I did expose the areas they were active as well as spraying the surrounding area.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Or get fancy and cover them with cheese sauce, some crumbled bacon and scallions. Sorry, I didn't have much for lunch.......

Damn, that sounds really good actually, will have to try that!!!