can ant traps get rid of carpenter ants?
by paco on Friday, January 29th, 2010 | 5 Comments
Now that its October, and its been really cold in Iowa, we have to turn on our heat. Since we did this, we have noticed a ton of carpenter ants everywhere. I have a rabbit so I don’t want to get an exterminator over here that could possibly hurt my rabbit when he sprays or does whatever. I will do something with my rabbit if that is what is necessary but I feel like I should try to take less drastic measures first. So if I bought those little ant trap/killer things and placed them around areas where we think the ants are coming from (the vents) would that work to kill them? And do they bite?
Using ant traps would be a waste of time they are a wood nesting and eating ant here is a link that should be of a good tutorial.
/ Go to this site. It said to not waste your money on ant traps.
Wish you the best.
Personally, I think ants are opportunistic and will not turn down a “free meal”. With the right product, all it takes is a couple ants to feed on the baits and the problem will be solved.
Get some Terro. It’s available in a lot of grocery, hardware and discount stores. It’s fairly safe around pets and kids because it’s based on Borax and does not involve fumes that might not be good for your rabbit. However, do place the baits where children and pets can’t get to them, just to be safe. The ants need to feed on the baits and take the “food” back to the nest and the Terro will kill the whole nest.
I’ve used the Terro on every kind of ant we get here in North Central PA from those little red suckers that bite to the bigger, black carpenter ants with good success. Inside and outside too! Even though the label on the Terro says for sweet eating ants, my success makes me think the buggers won’t pass up what they perceive as a free meal.
I’m sure if in the right situation a carpenter ant could bite but I’ve never been bitten by one even when working cutting wood. It’s those rotten little red suckers ya gotta watch for!
Yes, they have a fierce bite. One bit me on the bottom of my foot through my sock.
They like bacon grease, and grease and food.
I think if you place some food with grease on it in the traps, they will crawl into them.
Carpenter ants are sweet eating ants. Try Terro Liquid Ant Baits; the bait will initially attract lots of ants. The ants consume large quantities of it and then return to the nest and share it with the rest of the colony, including the queen, eventually eliminating the entire colony. This process can take from just a couple days to several weeks, depending on the size of the colony. This is why liquid baiting is so successful. You end up with a much more efficient result by killing not only the ants out foraging for food, but also the ants in the nest, including the queen ant. Each ant will die within 24 – 48 hours after consuming the bait. Since this is a BAIT it is important to try to eliminate all other food sources so that the ants eat the TERRO poison instead of other foods!
You should treat the outside of your home as well. Try Terro Outdoor Ant Killer Granules – it’s an easy to use granular product you sprinkle around the perimeter of your home and water-in. This kills ants on contact and creates a barrier that helps prevent the ants from entering your home.
After baiting for two weeks and if the ants are still present follow up using Terro Ant Killer Spray which kills ants on contact. This is a crack and crevice spray which can be used on ants wherever possible indoors or outdoors; in hiding places, behind sinks, cabinets, along baseboards and floors, and around drains and plumbing. Designed and packaged with a spray tube attachment puts the product where ants live and away from consumers.
Using these products together will help get your ant problem under control.
Check out this short , informative ‘How to Get Rid of Ants’ video:
Good luck!