# carpenter ants in wood stack



## Welderman85 (Nov 5, 2017)

hi all im new to this. I have a decent stack near my house for burning this winter. I was moving it around and when I got to the bottom I notice little piles of saw dust. I didn't see any ants but with some searching on line best I can figure is there carpenter ants. The stacks are between my barn and house. what can I do to get rid of the and make this wood ok to burn in my home with out infesting it. thank you


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## Welderman85 (Nov 5, 2017)

I also cut up a dead Ash that had fallen it had signs of Carpenter ants I didn't know what it was at the time. I have burning the limbs and noticed this. I didn't see and ants in any of the wood I split . It safe to burn this in my house . Now that I know what it's is a lot of the ash I was planning to cut and burn shows the same holes in it.


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## Highbeam (Nov 5, 2017)

Poison. Seems so obvious but for some reason people get really shy about it. No reason at all not to poison your firewood and burn it like normal. 

Do it quick before they infest your house!


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## Heftiger (Nov 5, 2017)

I like the bag of flakes you can buy. You just shake it out around where you see the ants. They take it back to the hive and kill ‘em all.


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## TheAardvark (Nov 5, 2017)

I just burn them. Adds protein to the fire.


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## McCallBurner (Nov 5, 2017)

Kill them. Don’t put that wood anywhere near your house until you’re damn sure they’re dead. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Welderman85 (Nov 5, 2017)

Ok it's about 15 feet away currently should I move it now or can it wait until the morning or instead of moving it can I posin where it is


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## Welderman85 (Nov 5, 2017)

Also how do I know when there all dead and what is a good posin to get


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## Heftiger (Nov 5, 2017)

This is the stuff I liked. You just shake it out. I got it at wal-mart. 

https://north40.com/catalog/product...MIsuax1Mqo1wIVCqtpCh2FTwS1EAQYBSABEgKUcvD_BwE


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## Welderman85 (Nov 5, 2017)

Well I'm kinda porianoid so I went and moved it to about 60 feet away how do do I know when it's safe to move back up. The weird part to me is I didn't find a nest but when I started to split one round a bunch or ants came out,but that's all I saw until I started to burn the branches then a few came out I'm new to this and thank you for the help


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## Welderman85 (Nov 5, 2017)

In the future what's the best way to cut and split dead trees with signs of Carpenter ants. And is it safe to burn this in my house


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## Locust99 (Nov 5, 2017)

Carpenter ants nest inside the wood, so you won’t find their nest unless you split a piece. The wood is still safe to burn , but you don’t want to bring it inside with the ants still in there unless you take it straight to the stove. Usually when its dry they won’t infest your wood.

I have had a bad carpenter ant problem in my garage. They have ate part of the fascia around my garage. I found the nest an killed them though. Usually if you are close to their nest and you bang on the wood they get aggravated and come running out so that’s how you find them.

I’ve tried the same stuff as Heftiger, but I’ve had more luck with these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Q3QQNC/?tag=hearthamazon-20
. 
Good luck with killing them.


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## xman23 (Nov 5, 2017)

When I split I have fire in the fire pit. Any thing I open up that has ants in in goes into the fire. My stacks have ant free wood. I keep the wood dry, so ants don't go there. I try not to move the wood close to the house until we get freezing temps. Then the ants and other bugs in the wood are dormant. No wood inside and a few days of wood is on the side deck that has a roof over it.


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## peakbagger (Nov 6, 2017)

Carpenter Ants are normally a sign of wet wood. Cut the wood, split it and stack it and the ants will disappear. It you are paranoid create a quarantine pile until it get cold. They will not chew dry wood but will gladly chase wet rotten wood. If you find carpenter ant damage in wood structure, its highly likely water or moisture is getting in any area where you find ants nests and the ants are just taking advantage of it. Dry out the area and the ants will clear out with one exception. 

The one exception is carpenter ants will create winter nests in homes, they will eat any wet wood and they love foam. They will gladly tunnel in dry foam. I have a piece of foam insulating board in my basement that is flat and undamaged on the one side that was facing the interior with the entire backside swiss cheese with tunnels. The ants were entering the basement via a drilled hole in the sill and came in from the end of the foam board. They were overwintering in the foam. I have foam board on the exterior up against the foundation covered with a stucco wash and the ants also have tunneled extensively in it despite being dry. I also know folks who have put foam board on the exterior of their older homes and then sided over it. Ants have nested in the foam board. 

I have tried various poisons for carpenter ants. The various shake on granular baits have not worked that well. I still have a lot of ant activity from the surrounding woods. What has worked although is Maxforce ant gell. It comes in a syringe and you just put a little dab at potential entry points.The ants haul it back to the nest and it poisons the nest. Within a week or two the ants are pretty well gone from the house.


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## Woodsplitter67 (Nov 6, 2017)

Here are the basics for carpenter ants. Do not spray the wood as this is a bad idea and also you will not kill them all. Spray the area around the wood pile  with  an insecticide, do no spray with rain in the forcast 48hrs. You will take out the ant that feed the colony ect. The best way to go is buy  max force gel.. its a liquid based product that gets taken back to the nest and the queen dies. Available on Amazon 
The last thiing you want to do is spray the wood.. its not good to, handle, have in your home, and dose not  burn safely and fully Any insecticide.


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## Zack R (Nov 6, 2017)

I'd suggest small splits, leave them spread around at first so the birds can eat the ants before stacking. Stack furthest away from the house in their own pile.


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## firefighterjake (Nov 7, 2017)

Only time I see carpenter ants is when I'm splitting a round and come across a nest.

I always split up the wood as I would do normally, but chuck the pieces to the side to give the birds a nice meal.

A few days or weeks later I stack the wood and the ants are gone ... I have yet to see a single ant in my stacks, wood shed or inside the house.


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## Destructor (Nov 7, 2017)

I spray them with carburetor cleaner.


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## Sodbuster (Nov 7, 2017)

Carpenter ant infested pieces go to where the chickens free range; keeps them entertained, and the food the little bastards stole from me doesn't go to waste.


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## KindredSpiritzz (Nov 8, 2017)

I never have a problem with ants but my wood is stacked and drying for a few years before it comes i the house, by then they are long gone from the wood in search of better accommodations.


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## Blazing (Nov 8, 2017)

Destructor said:


> I spray them with carburetor cleaner.



We may live far apart but think alike lol.


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## peakbagger (Nov 8, 2017)

I expect carb cleaner makes for a quick kill and makes you feel like you accomplished something but the reality is there is nest somewhere nearby that is cranking out replacement ants faster than you can zap them with carb cleaner. The only time it may be worth it is when you cut into a nest and the ants are actively hauling the eggs away. Far better to use a bait that the ants haul back to the nest and then the nest is killed. Unfortunately the bait just doesnt have the direct feedback of seeing them squirm.


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## maple1 (Nov 8, 2017)

Welderman85 said:


> In the future what's the best way to cut and split dead trees with signs of Carpenter ants. And is it safe to burn this in my house



I am quite sure that if you split your wood as soon as you get it or cut it you won't have an ant problem. They will leave it when you split it. So just split it and carry on. As long as you don't split it in the house.


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## sportbikerider78 (Nov 8, 2017)

Cut it and stack.  They will go away.  Personally, I kill everything that is a pest that could enter my home.  I live in the woods and remove any dead trees within a 100' radius.


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## Rich L (Nov 8, 2017)

Welderman85 said:


> hi all im new to this. I have a decent stack near my house for burning this winter. I was moving it around and when I got to the bottom I notice little piles of saw dust. I didn't see any ants but with some searching on line best I can figure is there carpenter ants. The stacks are between my barn and house. what can I do to get rid of the and make this wood ok to burn in my home with out infesting it. thank you


 Walderman put a quarter cup of dawn soap liquid in a spray bottle with a half cup of bleach fill with water shake and spray the ants.They'll die in a  matter of minutes.


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## Easy Livin’ 3000 (Nov 8, 2017)

Welderman85 said:


> hi all im new to this. I have a decent stack near my house for burning this winter. I was moving it around and when I got to the bottom I notice little piles of saw dust. I didn't see any ants but with some searching on line best I can figure is there carpenter ants. The stacks are between my barn and house. what can I do to get rid of the and make this wood ok to burn in my home with out infesting it. thank you


NO POISON ON THE STACKS, on the dinner plates, door knobs, water bottles, or, IN THE STOVE!

If those bugs worry you that much, find other wood to bring in the house.

If you split it and dry it off the ground, the problem takes care of itself.

Fools and their health will soon be parted.


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## Prof (Nov 8, 2017)

In my opinion, carpenter ants aren't that big of a deal. A Borax/sugar solution will wipe them out at the nest. They can't resist the sugar and they haul the stuff back to their nest to share with others--hopefully the queen. Terro also makes a commercial version of this that you can buy in most stores. It works well and is about as nontoxic as poisons go--at least to us. Usually the nests that ants have in splits are just satellite nests, with the main nest with the queen is usually in a larger piece of rotting wood--i.e., log or stump. The main nest is what you want to find. I just accept that bugs are part of the wood burning experience--gives the cats something to play with and helps to keep the house spiders fed


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## cptoneleg (Nov 8, 2017)

Welderman85 said:


> In the future what's the best way to cut and split dead trees with signs of Carpenter ants. And is it safe to burn this in my house



Have your chickens around when you split they will take care of them.


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## Destructor (Nov 9, 2017)

I get them and their eggs with carburetor cleaner, If I split a piece open and they spill out, out comes the carburetor cleaner. I killed a giant thistle this past summer with liquid wrench spray.


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## KC Matt (Nov 13, 2017)

Like some others, I don't worry about them.  I split around the worst infestations since the wood they are in is rotten anyway, and once the wood is split the ants go away in a day or two.  The most infested pieces are discarded either into a burn barrel or the woods.

What's crazy is that if there are ashes and water in the burn barrel, thousands of ants and eggs will show up.  Why they like wet ash is a mystery.


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## Carlv123 (Nov 14, 2017)

When we 1st bought our house the overgrown deadwood had ants everywhere. I used diatomaceous earth on the wood piles and Termador as a spray around the house. Worked better than imagined.


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## Sodbuster (Nov 14, 2017)

We had a problem with Carpenter Ants in a vacation house one time; there were at least a half dozen my wife found under the sink. Called the exterminator, and after talking to my wife he was there in a couple of hours,(on a Sunday afternoon), did I mention she hates bugs! When he got there, I talked to him for a bit, he as a really nice guy, and willing to teach. He also used the product *Termidor SC*, and told me what to look for. He quickly found the source of the problem, it was a large Oak tree just outside the kitchen. He sprayed a band about 6 ft tall all around the base of the tree, and then sprayed a band on the house about 3 ft tall on the house all the way around. The way he explained it to me was this poison did nothing to deter them,and they walked over it freely tracking it into the nest. It was designed to work slowly so the workers would have time to track it into the nest and kill the queen. This was a vacation home, and so we didn't have time to see the results until the following Friday. At the base of the Oak there were literally mounds of dead ants. Any ones in the house were dead. A few at the base of the tree were in twitch mode, meaning they would shortly be dead.  I ordered some online to have at home and spray it once a year around our house, and we have no problems. The people that lived here before us, told us we needed to have the bug guy come every month, or we would have tons of bugs; we don't, and one bottle lasts for about 5 years, 1/2 the cost on an exterminator visit.


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## Jazzberry (Nov 15, 2017)

Another vote for chickens. When we bought our place they were everywhere along with all kinds of bugs. Six chickens and six months later you can't find a bug anywhere.


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## Easy Livin’ 3000 (Nov 15, 2017)

Jazzberry said:


> Another vote for chickens. When we bought our place they were everywhere along with all kinds of bugs. Six chickens and six months later you can't find a bug anywhere.


I tore my old chicken coop down 5 years ago.  I need to build a new one. I'm thinking a wood shed/ chicken coop twin, or duplex.


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## GadDummit (Nov 15, 2017)

A couple of people already said it, but Termador SC is THE THING for ants and termites. spray the flip out of them and within a day they'll be gone. Then put the wood in the stove and enjoy life. One gallon jug should last you half a lifetime.


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## bob95065 (Nov 21, 2017)

I found that they don't like 85 octane and matches...


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## Robespierre (Jan 15, 2019)

Hey all. 

Not to rain on the poison parade but it is really unnecessary. If one stacks his wood off the ground and away from the house, there is next to no chance that your house can become infested. An ant without a colony is a dead ant walking. The act of splitting the wood already has disrupted their overwintering strategy so whoever the gentleman was that said he spread the splits out in the driveway to bake them out hit the nail on the head. The key for fighting termites and carpenter ants is lack of moisture. Of course many of you enjoy a good poisoning so enjoy!


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## wooduser (Jan 15, 2019)

Heh Heh!   You guys are MERCILESS!

BLOOD LUST on display here!


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## Ben Stark (Jan 16, 2019)

Boric acid (liquid) works well for carpenter ants. Find a product called Terro Liquid Ant Bait. You can buy a small bottle for under $5 usually at Lowe’s or Depot. Place a few water bottle capfuls around the wood pile. The ants come out at night for food, and once one finds it they will attract a lot more. They love it and the ants will go nuts eating it and bring it back to share with the queen. After a couple days they will all die. It isn’t poisonous to people, and it’s cheap and effective.


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## edyit (Jan 16, 2019)

https://www.pestwiki.com/borax-ant-killer/

I've used this method a few times on ants that were in wood i brought home, a day or two later and they're all gone


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## paulnlee (Jan 16, 2019)

When I'm splitting there's always a can of RAID close by.


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