Removing Infested Carpenter Ant Tree

Candie2001

19 years ago

I have a large 8ft tall tree stump in my back yard. I never noticed it until today, when the exterminater told me it was the nest for the capenter ants invading my home. I cannot figure out how to remove this nest. The entire stump is infested, rotted, and falling apart. The downfall is that I cannot just burn it (as my husband wants to) because it is right up against another tree, and our 7ft tall (wood) fence. I could cut it down with a chainsaw, however, this large stump is only a few feet from the back of my house. How do I take it down without all those carpenter ants running aroud and ending up in my house? I have enough of them in the walls as it is! lol

Featured Answer

wwwSyracusePestCom

19 years ago

The secret to controlling carpenter ants is direct treatment of the colony. Look for the piles of sawdust to locate the entrance. Because worker ants move from the nest to forage for food, their movements may lead to your discovery of the nest opening. Once you find the colony, you can completely eliminate the infestation by injecting a dust formulation of an appropriate insecticide into the stump. A dust formulation is best, because the ants walk through the dust and contaminate the colony. Introduce the dust into the nest through the entrance hole using a hand duster with a tube with a tip that fits snugly in the entrance. It may be necessary to enlarge the hole to fit the duster. You can make a duster from a flexible plastic bottle equipped with a tube tip. Fill the bottle no more than one-third full, insert the tip in the entrance hole, and inject the dust by alternately squeezing and releasing the pressure on the bottle.
EcoExempt Dust is perfect for this. http://www.ecopco.com/products.htm

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Comments (6)

jean001
19 years ago
I'm surpised the pest control person didn't suggest to treat the dead tree as well as the house. That would be the correct route to take; then you can remove the stump.
Kimmsr
19 years ago
The tree is not the " nest for the capenter ants invading my home" as the "exterminator" stated. If you have carpenter ants in your home they are there because you have a problem that is attracting them. Carpenter ants do not just wander into your home to see how you live, they come in because there is some wet wood someplace, and that (the wet wood) is the problem. Find out what is causing that wood to be wet, fix that problem, and the ants will leave.
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jean001
19 years ago
Carpenter ants have their main nest somewhere in the landscape or nearby.

They also have one or more satellite nests elsewhere. When the satellite nests are in a house/shed/deck, the ants are typically there because the wood is moist. (However, they can nest in sound -- as in dry -- wood.)

Thus, management of carpenter ants requires solving the moisture problem and replacing the damaged wood. In addition to that, the main nest should be treated if its location is known and if it is accessible.

As long as the ant-infested stump remains, the ants are a potential threat to your structures.
Kimmsr
19 years ago
Ants in the house are a symptom of a bigger problem, there is no reason to do anything to the nest outside but there is every reason to find out why they are in the house and not simply "do something to get rid of them".
Carpenter ants in the house are there because somwhere there is wet wood and wet wood inside the house is a structural problem, one that if not solved can result in the destruction of your house. Finc out why the carpenter ants are in the house, solve that problem, and the ants will leave.
jean001
19 years ago
Any nest of carpenter ants in a house is secondary to a main nest elsewhere in the garden/landscape/pasture/green space/a neighbor's dead tree/etc.

Typically, the ants nest in the house because of a moisture problem in the wood -- that means, a drip; leak; surrounding soil touching siding; plants touching the siding; drainage from garden/landscape toward the house; leaking roof; and more. It's your job to find out the "why" in your situation.

As has been stated several times, repairing the underlying problem and replacing the moist wood *may* be adequate treatment for the house.

Then, to decrease the likelihood of further infestations, it is wise to treat the main nest.

Ever afterward, annual inspections should be made to verify that the structure is ant-free. The homeowner can do the annual inspections or can pay a pest control company to do so.