DIY Network

We have carpenter ants in our house. It looks like they have a nest in a small maple tree a few feet from our house outside. I have tried Grants Kills Ants for about two weeks now and they are still active. Any ideas on how to get rid of these pests.

Hi JDT24,

Two things you may need to do.

1. Cut down the tree and remove it completely from you property. However, read the links below before you do this. This tree may prove to be helpful.

2. Call a pest control company and inform them of your problem. Contact several pest control companies and get their advice to be rid of the problem and get several quotes. A one time spray will likely not do the job so see what they suggest and how often they follow up.

However, there some things you can do and I've included 4 links below which will help you become more informed about the problem you have and face. It has do's and don'ts which are well worth knowing about.

http://www.pestcontrolcanada.com/getting_rid_of_carpenter_ants.htm

http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef603.asp

http://www.getridofthings.com/get-rid-of-carpenter-ants.htm

http://www.nobugs.ca/Getting%20rid%20of%20Carpenter%20Ants.htm

Good Luck!

Others may have additional ideas.

Good luck!

there will be multiple nests. at least one outside, and likely one inside. professional help is quite useful indeed.

you don't need to destroy the tree to control the ants inside, a good investigation should reveal the holes inside the tree where the ants keep coming back to. chip around until you hit the soft, mushy spot, and spray a can or so of ant killer in there. you will get a short-lived spray of ants out of there, and if they're carrying the yellowish bulging queen, so much the better.

an arborist will generally then dig out all the crummy wood and backfill with mortar or cement.

there are probably several nests in the tree, so that side will bear watching.

a professional is probably the best way to go for the inside infestation, and recommendations on sealing up the ant entry.

A product that works very well is Terro. It's been around forever. It is an arsenic compound with the instructions on the bottle. Carpenter ants really go for this "ant food." They carry it back to the nest and share it around. Also when they die the other ants in the colony conserve the liquids from the dead ant and the poison keeps working.

Arsenic is very dangerous and many folks won't use it. I like the product but I must also agree with how dangerou it is. You must follow the printed instructions all the way.