Ants

[drumsncode]

The Ortho products mentioned and the advice are excellent here. I fought ants for years at a home with a very wooded lot.

One thing to be very watchful of is those large black ants. If you see them, you must give them an all-out attack, because those things eat their way into oak trees and kill them, or at the least weaken them severely.

I've seen this repeatedly, and I saw an oak tree with a 10" trunk break off near the base in a big windstorm once, and it revealed that the inside had been hollowed out by those ants.

They also seem to like to live inside railroad ties, so keep an eye on those.

[nik4411]

yea they are a nuisance, darned carpenter ants i believe.

[Thunder]

drumsncode, my mom have two nice oak trees in her front yard. One of them has not been doing well the past several years. They bloom late, in small amount, and fall very early. We see no ants in the dirt around the tree (pix provided in another thread). We do not know what is cauing this oak to be weak. It used to be beautiful. Maybe there are ants inside them? I dunno, but we may find out if this oak tree really do fall over one day.

[drumsncode]

drumsncode, my mom have two nice oak trees in her front yard. One of them has not been doing well the past several years. They bloom late, in small amount, and fall very early. We see no ants in the dirt around the tree (pix provided in another thread). We do not know what is cauing this oak to be weak. It used to be beautiful. Maybe there are ants inside them? I dunno, but we may find out if this oak tree really do fall over one day.

Of the trees I've seen with carpenter ants (I'll assume that's what they are), there was really no visible dirt or any signs of traditional "ant bed", like you see with red ants out on country roads. I actually think they just climb up the trunk a few feet and bore right into it, or some other sneaky way.

I had a house with dozens of oaks, most post oak and black jack, and they seemed to love getting into black jack oaks. They only way I could stay on top of the situation was to spray Dursban or something like that a few times a year, and I'd make sure I coated the bark of the tree a few feet up, and tried to soak the ground around it.

I once uncovered a big nest of these black ants in a railroad tie, they'd been living there for years and we never could figure out where the nest was. I remember rushing to mix up a gallon of spray, and I just flooded the area with it. They were not happy!

I hate ants, but hate mice and wasps even more!

[kevinpate]

.oO(I thought chalk only worked if they truly believed?)Oo.

[westsidesooner]

I had a house with dozens of oaks, most post oak and black jack, and they seemed to love getting into black jack oaks. They only way I could stay on top of the situation was to spray Dursban or something like that a few times a year, and I'd make sure I coated the bark of the tree a few feet up, and tried to soak the ground around it.

I once uncovered a big nest of these black ants in a railroad tie, they'd been living there for years and we never could figure out where the nest was. I remember rushing to mix up a gallon of spray, and I just flooded the area with it. They were not happy!

After reading your post I went out to check on a Huge Black Jack Oak right beside the driveway. I'd seen a few Huge black ants out there in previous years near the garage but thought I'd gotten rid of them. Yesterday I went and dug at a portion of the tree near its base that had some damage I thought was caused by a fungus. When I tore out a small piece of dead wood from the interior big black ants fell out. I stepped on em and left the dead bodies there as a warning to the others. Heading to home depot now to get some spray.

I'd hate to lose a tree that old and majestic. The base is probably 4-5 feet around in circumfrence.

[drumsncode]

After reading your post I went out to check on a Huge Black Jack Oak right beside the driveway. I'd seen a few Huge black ants out there in previous years near the garage but thought I'd gotten rid of them. Yesterday I went and dug at a portion of the tree near its base that had some damage I thought was caused by a fungus. When I tore out a small piece of dead wood from the interior big black ants fell out. I stepped on em and left the dead bodies there as a warning to the others. Heading to home depot now to get some spray.

I'd hate to lose a tree that old and majestic. The base is probably 4-5 feet around in circumfrence.

Oh man! I hate it when I'm right! Especially when it comes to ants. Soak that tree a couple feet up the trunk, and soak the ground around the tree. Maybe you can save the tree. Trees are pretty good at absorbing damage. Good luck, and kill some ants for me --- "make my day".

And keep an eye out for where the ants might try and migrate. Better yet, spray all your tree trunks and the ground around them, and also put a protective layer around the base of your house.

[SoonerDave]

We have DEFINITELY seen an increase in the ant presence in and around our home. Very frustrating. In years past, we've put down just a one-time spray of basic ant killer and the problem would go away, but not this year. They're attracted to whatever scents or sugars are present in things like my wife's makeup (near the bathroom vanity), or (obviously) any kind of food residue, or the dark confines of my storage shed!!! ARGH!

We just noticed a new wave of ants this morning, running in an annoying stream from the back door to the kitchen cabinet...

[drumsncode]

We have DEFINITELY seen an increase in the ant presence in and around our home. Very frustrating. In years past, we've put down just a one-time spray of basic ant killer and the problem would go away, but not this year. They're attracted to whatever scents or sugars are present in things like my wife's makeup (near the bathroom vanity), or (obviously) any kind of food residue, or the dark confines of my storage shed!!! ARGH!

We just noticed a new wave of ants this morning, running in an annoying stream from the back door to the kitchen cabinet...

Ah, those sound like what I think are called "Sweet" ants. You can get some bait traps for those, I think the brand I bought a few years back is called "Tat".

You just place them around the house, or outside if the area is safe from the weather, and the ants go to those, eat the bait, and die.

And I just remembered red ant beds when I was a kid. I seldom see those anymore, unless I'm hiking. We used to pour gasoline in those and light it. Lots of fun!

[Thunder]

I luv putting a firecracker in the ant hill entrance/exit.

[drumsncode]

I luv putting a firecracker in the ant hill entrance/exit.

Yeah, my cousin and I used to do that on the farm, it's pure fun, but when you really need to kill them all, ya gotta go with insecticide! It's fun though, to toy with them first with a little gasoline on the whole nest. Surprisingly, gasoline is still pretty gnarly when you toss a match onto it, even when it's soaked into the ground. (Don't stand over it!) ;-)

I guess somewhere in a parallel universe, ants are writing about humans on their own message boards, talking about how to get into humans houses where all the good food is! :-)

[rondvu]

Diatomaceous earth canbe used as an insecticide, due to its physico-sorptive properties. The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate. Arthropods die as a result of the water pressure deficiency, based on Fick's law of diffusion. This also works against gastropods and is commonly employed in gardening to defeat slugs. However, since slugs inhabit humid environments, efficacy is very low. It is sometimes mixed with an attractant or other additives to increase its effectiveness. Medical-grade diatomite is sometimes used to de-worm both animals and humans. It is most commonly used in lieu of boric acid, and can be used to help control and eventually eliminate a cockroach infestation. This material has wide application for insect control in grain storage.
This is what I have used. Very safe, FYI keep it dry.

[Fanusen]

If you happen to find a fairly large ant, pick it up with some tweezers, and use some tool to squeeze the rear portion of the ant... a oozy substance will seep out, not take a q-tip or something similar and coat it in the ooze. use the Q-tip or whatnot and if you have a localized area of high ant activity, drag the q-tip from where the ants are, to where you want them to be.. probably outside... the trail that you leave does not have the be visible, but these secretions are how the ants communicate with each other, and by leaving a trail leading outside, the other ants will think that a ant is telling them that there is food outside... of course this doesn't deal with the probblem of them potentially coming back, but it is a thought heh.

[Midtowner]

[metro]Is this in the right forum? Are ants pets?[/metro]

[Thunder]

Midtowner, it is the only thing closest to animals and insects.

[Midtowner]

Midtowner, it is the only thing closest to animals and insects.

Wait.. are you talking about the Oklahoma Legislature now?