cowcharge
1K Member
Posts: 1,003
Likes: 328
Currently Offline
|
Post by cowcharge on Aug 21, 2013 6:32:21 GMT -8
Hey all, I coulda sworn I saw a thread here about ants, but couldn't find it. Anyway, I found a bunch of big black ants crawling around, and used some Ortho Home Defense, which killed all the ones I saw. But a week later, I saw a couple more, and heard chewing noises in my ceiling. ARRGGHHH! Did some research, and apparently they will nest in foam insulation panels as well as wood. I'm hoping not to have to remove all that new birch ceiling... Has anyone found a sure-fire way to get rid of them? I've been reading very good reviews of Combat Source Kill Max Gel (in the syringe, they supposedly carry it back to the nest and wipe everyone out), and plan to get some. But does anyone else have a proven method of getting rid of the little b------s?
|
|
kirkadie
1K Member
Posts: 1,156
Likes: 556
'69 Serro Scotty Hilander
Currently Offline
|
Post by kirkadie on Aug 21, 2013 10:33:47 GMT -8
If they really are carpenter ants leave a tiny 6 pack of beer outside the trailer at 4:00 in the afternoon and hit em with bug spray as they sit around drinking their after-work brews (applies to union ants only).
|
|
cowcharge
1K Member
Posts: 1,003
Likes: 328
Currently Offline
|
Post by cowcharge on Aug 21, 2013 10:41:49 GMT -8
Ha! You can't fool me. If they were union ants they'd be drinking at work, not after. I'm not an idiot, you know.
|
|
|
Post by vikx on Aug 21, 2013 21:47:26 GMT -8
Those darn things! My poor little NW Coach was inundated with them. Everything I'd tear apart had another nest.. Ant spray seems to have worked.
Matte's Ant Paste used to be the thing for ants-they did carry it back to the nest. The gel sounds similar. Loosen the light fixtures and leave a little present. After the initial poisoning, I would spray the cavity as well as you can as well.
Please follow up; I'm sure that many of us have/will have this issue.
|
|
soup
1K Member
"I hate cold Soup"
Posts: 1,237
Likes: 204
Currently Offline
|
Post by soup on Aug 22, 2013 3:19:19 GMT -8
I have had pretty good luck with bug bombs too. Open all cabinets and such before setting off. I usually blow off two at a time and follow up with 2 more the next week. All the while keeping the caper sealed and closed for the whole time. Ant bait as mentioned good too.
Ants have been really bad around here this year. Especially the small black ones that bite! I have been noticing the carpenter ants are starting to show up everywhere around here too.
The lawn teatments that are supposed to last a season or 3 months have only lasted about a week for each aplication here this year.
If you use bug bombs, everything has to be cleaned and wiped down after a 2 hour "air out".
|
|
cowcharge
1K Member
Posts: 1,003
Likes: 328
Currently Offline
|
Post by cowcharge on Aug 22, 2013 6:49:56 GMT -8
I'm gonna try the Combat, and Terro Ant Bait, which seems, from the reviews I've been reading, to be the other favorite of people these days. Both are sold at Home Depot. But even if I kill them all, I dunno if I can stand the thought of a nest of dead ones in my ceiling, especially not knowing how badly they've hollowed out my new insulation or weakened the rafters, or the new wood I put in the roof edges (#%&*ing little &*$^#&$*$%@). I might have to tear it out anyway just because of the grossness factor. Guess I'll wait to see how many ants come out of the woodwork to feast, I might have killed most of them with the spray I used... I'm gonna drill a hole where I hear the noise (if they haven't already chewed their way out of the ceiling when I get back there this weekend), and squirt some of the stuff around the hole to see what kind of crowd I'm dealing with. Might have to sleep in the truck if hundreds come pouring out.
If anyone else has to deal with this, one thing I've learned through my research is to not use both bait and sprays/powders in the same place, as the poisons will keep them from eating the bait.
|
|
|
Post by wisconsinjoe on Aug 22, 2013 14:19:29 GMT -8
If you think you have a carpenter ant problem, you really have a water/wood rotting problem. First comes the rot, then the ants. They are not the cause, just the visible symptom. Killing the ants still leaves the bigger issue.
|
|
cowcharge
1K Member
Posts: 1,003
Likes: 328
Currently Offline
|
Post by cowcharge on Aug 22, 2013 14:58:03 GMT -8
I have a hard time believing I have any rot, so soon after completely gutting the interior, replacing the entire floor, both rear corners, all the floor sills, all the stud bottoms, a couple of rafters, and half the roof edges, along with all new putty tape, insulation, and birch paneling...
|
|
|
Post by wisconsinjoe on Aug 22, 2013 19:49:06 GMT -8
That's a mystery. Did you remove the interior birch from the inside, without taking off the roof? Had you replaced any rotten wood at the time? If so, there still might be a leak from roof rails (J-rail?) that you didn't replace. Ants could have found that wet wood early, before rot. You might want to replace those other rails and take a peak.
One other problem may have to do with making an imperfect roof insulation sandwich with styrofoam that allows moisture into the roof cavity coming from the interior. Like cooking pasta on a cold freezing night. Water vapor would condense on any cold surface, even freeze, later to wet wood. If you replaced ceiling birch from the inside, it would be likely that the edge seams at wall to ceiling are more porous than would be with gimp applied from the exterior, thus allowing moisture to escape easier to the roof cavity. I made this mistake in my first owner built home by creating a fiberglass sandwich with high ceiling porosity and no cavity ventilation as is usually required in home construction. In two years I found the ants, and two years later the leaks started. The entire roof deck made of poplar rotted.
By the way, my ham has poplar framing, and I just used styrofoam filled in from above when I replaced the roof. So, I am a little worried about the problem I just theorized. Keep us posted on the outcome.
|
|
mobiltec
5K Member
I make mistakes so you don't have to...
Posts: 9,822
Likes: 3,749
1954 Jewel In Progress...
Currently Offline
|
Post by mobiltec on Aug 22, 2013 20:08:01 GMT -8
Um.... Carpenter ants fly and have wings. When they lose their wings they are getting ready to nest. So when you start to see wings liying around you are in trouble. At least that's what we have here in California that we call carpenter ants. And I have had a few bouts with them myself in my mobil home and I too was scared it could spread to my hams. I hit em with home defense and just kept at it and finally they were gone. Now I need to fix that corner before it starts to rain again.
|
|
cowcharge
1K Member
Posts: 1,003
Likes: 328
Currently Offline
|
Post by cowcharge on Aug 23, 2013 7:02:54 GMT -8
Mobil, hadn't seen any winged ones at all, as of last weekend. Just workers. But I could hear a chewing noise in the ceiling, which is kinda creepy.
Joe, I took all the old paneling out from the inside (wasn't birch, it's a '76) except for the very front that I haven't done yet. Never took the skins off, did it all from the inside because I don't have a barn and it had to live outdoors. The roof edge and wall bottom framing were replaced from the outside by opening up the seams, and I replaced all the putty tape between the wall and roof/end skins. It's been tightly tarped since then.
I don't think condensation is a problem because I taped over all the insulation joints and the wooden frames, so that condensation can't get any further than the back of the paneling. Plus I live in Maine, so there's no need for AC, and there're always open windows. It's possible there's a leak on a roof seam, maybe... But I haven't seen any signs of water inside at all. Although I guess I wouldn't see any water inside unless it got really bad. With everything taped, it would run outside the insulation.
The most likely place so far for them entering looks like around the propane line for the water heater, which is in the bedroom floor. Last weekend I cleared a bunch of conveniently-placed dead weed stalks that were touching it. I filled the propane line hole with spray foam when I did the floor, but there's room around it now, like they chewed their way in. I saw them climbing up and down the corners of the port side bedroom wall, and entering the wall through the upper corners of the paneling.
Anyway, I'm spending this weekend out there, for some serious ant genocide. I'm hoping I caught 'em early, and that most of them were killed by the spray, and that the one making chewing noises in the ceiling is just a lonely survivor. If the bait works and there are a lot of them, I'll probably sleep in the truck. The reviews of the bait I bought say that once a few ants find the bait and tell their buddies, they just swarm over the stuff. I don't want them swarming on me in my sleep...
They say the best way to place the bait is to go out at night and see where their travel routes are. There are a few stumps nearby, which are likely places for the main nest. I've been piling scrap wood on the biggest nearby stump, planning to use it as my firepit to get rid of the stump, since it's in a great spot for a campfire. I guess tonight is the time for my first campfire. Maybe I'll luck out and burn the main nest. I'm also gonna crawl under the camper and rip out every remaining growing thing I can find, and then spray the wheels, jackstands, and jack again in the hopes of severing their lines of supply and communication, and then place some of the bait inside, hopefully to get the ones that are already inside.
I was toying with taking out part of the ceiling already, in order to beef up the rafters to give better support to my larger-than-originally-planned solar panel, so maybe I'll just go ahead and bite the bullet and rip it all out. I hate to ruin the new birch ceiling (not to mention having to remove the new shower wall and all the seals around the tub), but I guess I can use what I don't ruin to make cabinets. Thank god I haven't built new upper cabinets yet.
If you guys never hear from me again, it means the ants won big time, and my skeleton is drying out on the camper floor, waiting for the N.O. to find it.
|
|
mobiltec
5K Member
I make mistakes so you don't have to...
Posts: 9,822
Likes: 3,749
1954 Jewel In Progress...
Currently Offline
|
Post by mobiltec on Aug 23, 2013 7:58:18 GMT -8
I didn't know you could actually hear insects chewing on stuff. You sure there isn't a mouse or something else up in there?
|
|
cowcharge
1K Member
Posts: 1,003
Likes: 328
Currently Offline
|
Post by cowcharge on Aug 23, 2013 11:13:26 GMT -8
I wondered that too. But there's really no room for a mouse. The walls have 1.5" of Tuff-R foam in them, and the ceiling has 3" in the center, tapering down to 1.5" at the edges. He'd have to eat ten pounds of the stuff to get up there. I've had mouse bait in there for months too, and it hasn't been disturbed. Also, while doing research, I found lots of articles mentioning how you might hear the ants. I wish it was a mouse.
|
|
|
Post by bigbill on Aug 23, 2013 14:18:01 GMT -8
As for burning the nest it may be as deep as 15 feet underground. I like Terro ant poison it has eliminated our ants.
|
|
mobiltec
5K Member
I make mistakes so you don't have to...
Posts: 9,822
Likes: 3,749
1954 Jewel In Progress...
Currently Offline
|
Post by mobiltec on Aug 23, 2013 17:42:27 GMT -8
So carpenter ants live underground?
|
|