8 replies to this topic

[T.C.]

Ok, so I realize this is an ant "keeping"forum. However I am now looking for advice to get them out of our house. These ants are causing serious issues. The species is Camponotous Pennsylvanicus. These ants have invaded our house and have been for nearly four years. However now it has gotten bad! I can't use the bathroom without ants literally crawling in my pants. I leave my mountain dew sitting on a shelf, and I come back in the morning to dump it out, hundred ants in there no exageration. I do the dishes, hundred of them are in the sink. Then of course there in your food occasionally and just about everywhere.

So we tried to handle it ourselves as we were worried how much damage these ants could be doing in our walls. We tried all, the traps stores sell, and it didn't work at all. It appeared the ants were coming from the under the tub. So we just decided to remodel the bathroom. We tore out the tub and sure enough, hundreds of ants. No queen, or brood in this spot. This was a sign this colony was even bigger than we thought.

So, after that was done, it made little to no impact on our ant issue. So we called a exterminator. They sent a guy, that clearly new nothing and did nothing as well. In fact, he thought they were garden ants! Being the ant keeper I am, I know this was certainly not the case.

So, if anyone could provide any thoughts on how to rid our home of these ants it would be greatly appreciated.

[dermy]

Ok, so I realize this is an ant "keeping"forum. However I am now looking for advice to get them out of our house. These ants are causing serious issues. The species is Camponotous Pennsylvanicus. These ants have invaded our house and have been for nearly four years. However now it has gotten bad! I can't use the bathroom without ants literally crawling in my pants. I leave my mountain dew sitting on a shelf, and I come back in the morning to dump it out, hundred ants in there no exageration. I do the dishes, hundred of them are in the sink. Then of course there in your food occasionally and just about everywhere.

So we tried to handle it ourselves as we were worried how much damage these ants could be doing in our walls. We tried all, the traps stores sell, and it didn't work at all. It appeared the ants were coming from the under the tub. So we just decided to remodel the bathroom. We tore out the tub and sure enough, hundreds of ants. No queen, or brood in this spot. This was a sign this colony was even bigger than we thought.

So, after that was done, it made little to no impact on our ant issue. So we called a exterminator. They sent a guy, that clearly new nothing and did nothing as well. In fact, he thought they were garden ants! Being the ant keeper I am, I know this was certainly not the case.

So, if anyone could provide any thoughts on how to rid our home of these ants it would be greatly appreciated.

From the sounds of it, the ants in your home are part of a Satellite nest, usually no queen and rarely any brood. The queen is probably somewhere outside in the main Colony [probably in a dead tree or something] Unless you get rid of them, chances are they will just keep coming, no matter how much pesticides you use on the ants in the house.

Edited by dermy, March 10 2017 - 1:34 AM.

[Serafine]

Try to bait them with something tasty and examine where their trails go. Do this in the house and the garden. Try to make a map of their entry points and their nesting sites (older Camponotus colony networks can cover a HUGE area).

Camponotus love to do satellite nests close to their food sources and heat spots (that means even if you find a ton of brood it could still be a satellite nest as they love to pile brood - especially their pupae - in warmer places).

The main nest is most likely in or under a tree or tree stump (Camponotus love nesting in dead wood) but it could also just be under a stone plate - and it can easily be hundreds of meters away if it is an old colony, so search the wider area as well.

 

To kill them off you first need to find out where they are, then you can start poisoning them. You could also try to deter them with large traps to reduce their numbers but if it is a well-established colony with several tenthousand workers that's probably a fight against windmills.

Edited by Serafine, March 10 2017 - 1:50 AM.

[sgheaton]

So on a scale of "We told you so" -to- "That is IT, TroubleCauser! I'M TAKING AWAY YOUR LEGOS!!" ..how angry are/were your parents?

 

Also take pictures so you don't sound crazy about that one time Solenopsis Molesta had a 3 foot power path into my dirty sink...

Edited by sgheaton, March 10 2017 - 6:01 AM.

[T.C.]

 

Ok, so I realize this is an ant "keeping"forum. However I am now looking for advice to get them out of our house. These ants are causing serious issues. The species is Camponotous Pennsylvanicus. These ants have invaded our house and have been for nearly four years. However now it has gotten bad! I can't use the bathroom without ants literally crawling in my pants. I leave my mountain dew sitting on a shelf, and I come back in the morning to dump it out, hundred ants in there no exageration. I do the dishes, hundred of them are in the sink. Then of course there in your food occasionally and just about everywhere.

So we tried to handle it ourselves as we were worried how much damage these ants could be doing in our walls. We tried all, the traps stores sell, and it didn't work at all. It appeared the ants were coming from the under the tub. So we just decided to remodel the bathroom. We tore out the tub and sure enough, hundreds of ants. No queen, or brood in this spot. This was a sign this colony was even bigger than we thought.

So, after that was done, it made little to no impact on our ant issue. So we called a exterminator. They sent a guy, that clearly new nothing and did nothing as well. In fact, he thought they were garden ants! Being the ant keeper I am, I know this was certainly not the case.

So, if anyone could provide any thoughts on how to rid our home of these ants it would be greatly appreciated.

From the sounds of it, the ants in your home are part of a Satellite nest, usually no queen and rarely any brood. The queen is probably somewhere outside in the main Colony [probably in a dead tree or something] Unless you get rid of them, chances are they will just keep coming, no matter how much pesticides you use on the ants in the house.

 

Well, we do have a big wod pile right along the side of our house. We took out more than the tub, and it was all just workers in other spots as well. We killed all of those, but they just keep coming. I will take a look, or burn that wood pile.

 

Try to bait them with something tasty and examine where their trails go. Do this in the house and the garden. Try to make a map of their entry points and their nesting sites (older Camponotus colony networks can cover a HUGE area).

Camponotus love to do satellite nests close to their food sources and heat spots (that means even if you find a ton of brood it could still be a satellite nest as they love to pile brood - especially their pupae - in warmer places).

The main nest is most likely in or under a tree or tree stump (Camponotus love nesting in dead wood) but it could also just be under a stone plate - and it can easily be hundreds of meters away if it is an old colony, so search the wider area as well.

 

To kill them off you first need to find out where they are, then you can start poisoning them. You could also try to deter them with large traps to reduce their numbers but if it is a well-established colony with several tenthousand workers that's probably a fight against windmills.

I tried sprayiing entrances with raid, but they just keep finding new spots to come in. I agree, it is almost a hopeless battlle.

 

So on a scale of "We told you so" -to- "That is IT, TroubleCauser! I'M TAKING AWAY YOUR LEGOS!!" ..how angry are/were your parents?

 

Also take pictures so you don't sound crazy about that one time Solenopsis Molesta had a 3 foot power path into my dirty sink...

haha. My brothers said the ant issue was my fault. Then some tiny ants were on our landing (Pavement ants?) and they were like, "See, now they are laying babies." This bugged me because you and I know, ants don't "lay babies" and the workers don't reproduce at all. Also, someday..... I will get me some Lego's.... and when I do I will make a big a** tower and send you a picture to make up for all of my childhood years without them.

Edited by T.C., March 10 2017 - 7:18 AM.

[Socalfireants]

I bet the colony is under that wood pile bro

[Serafine]

You could try to fill molten aluminum, hot modeling resin, boiling water mixed with citric acid (or soap) or another nasty hot and burning substance into their nest entrances. Or you could try to put a tube to the exhaust pipe of your car and lead it into one of their large entrances - works best with unfiltered cars or other gasoline-powered tools (if you have a chainsaw, that might do as well).

Edited by Serafine, March 10 2017 - 8:46 AM.

[benjiwuf]

I've had a similar problem in the past. I used fluon to coat every garbage can, and in a matter of weeks saw a drastic reduction in foraging numbers.

[noebl1]

We bought a house in this situation.  The previous owner had been trying to self-resolve for several years prior.  Wasn't until I pulled the basement insulation I found one of their trails coming in (looks like for awhile.)  I ended up bringing in an exterminator who comes quarterly.  He sprayed the foundation then baited them where they came in, and they were gone within 24hours.  Twice since I've been there I've caught them trying to establish a satellite colony; follow a line about 50 - 250' long of ants coming from a pile of rotten wood in the woods.  House has no signs of mold or water getting in (house was built early 2000s so not that old at all.)  However I do run a dehumidifier all summer long in the basement to keep the humidity down to keep it less enticing for them.  Especially seems to happen during times of drought as homes have a ready sources of water and sweet food.

 

My parent's house, only a few months into the housing finishing construction, they started finding Carpenter ants in the house.  My father pulled a piece of insulation down and said it rained ants down on him; huge colony had moved itself in between the joists.  I think he still has nightmares about it; spent a good hour he said shop-vac'ing them as they rained down.  I've mentioned before; when they have nuptial flights by me, it's in biblical plague proportions.