Carpenter ants

Log Out | Lost Password? | Topics | Search | Who's Online Contact | Register | My Profile | SO home | MOL home

Thread Originator Last Poster Posts Pages Last Post   Closed: New threads not accepted on this page

Author Message   themp Supporter Username: Themp Post Number: 2928 Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 6:27 pm:        We have carpenter ants wandering around the second floor walls of our house, so per the advice of a website, I decided to figure out where they live, rather than just spraying insecticide everywhere. Apparently, it is most likely they live outside somewhere, and come in looking for food. Also, they are most active at night, so I got a flashlight and patrolled around outside the house last night. Couldn't find anything on the foundation, but I noticed a lot of discarded ants on the porch floor (which was swept pretty recently) that looked like they were dropped there by spiders who have webs in the ceiling corners. Maybe there are ants living in the porch ceiling? Or at least that is their route inside? I also made an astonishing discovery - the aphids that have infested one of my shrubs were being carefully farmed by the carpenter ants. Each curled up leaf had a carpenter and inside tending to the aphids, I saw by flashlight. It was kind of grotesque. The aphid website had told me that my aphid problem might indeed be an ant problem, so maybe that's what it is - an Aztec Empire size ant colony, growing aphids like sheep and patrolling around in my house. We have one of those huge chestnut trees near us. I wonder if it could be their home? Very intriguing mystery.   Pdg Citizen Username: Pdg Post Number: 913 Registered: 5-2004 Posted on Friday, May 19, 2006 - 9:23 pm:        You'd probably be interested in reading this article http://www.bugspray.com/article/carpenterants.html You are right about the ants keeping the aphids as a sort of livestock. The website above sells an extremely expensive bait for carpenter ants that actually has the sweet "honeydew" produced by aphids as its attractant! This honeydew stuff is needed by ant colonies to feed their young. It sure sounds like you have a thriving ant colony in your house. Also, very likely in the tree (I was told by our exterminator that every tree has carpenter ants around here and if one is cut down, look out for the displaced ant colony looking for a new home!)