carpenter ants in wood stack

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

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.

 

[Prof]

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

 

[cptoneleg]

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.

 

[Destructor]

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.

 

[KC Matt]

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.

 

[Carlv123]

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.

 

[Sodbuster]

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.

 

[Jazzberry]

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.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

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.

 

[GadDummit]

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.

 

[bob95065]

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

 

[Robespierre]

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!

 

[wooduser]

Heh Heh! You guys are MERCILESS!

BLOOD LUST on display here!

 

[Ben Stark]

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.

 

[edyit]

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

 

[paulnlee]

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