The ants go marching one by one, hoorah, hoorah! But when those ants have decided to take up residence in your house and yard, you may be singing another tune. Ants can be a real nuisance, but they can also cause real damage.
Carpenter ants are common in the Pacific Northwest. No wonder! They like to make their nest in damp, rotting wood. That fallen log in the backyard or the old woodpile by the side of the house is an excellent place to build a home. Like many other ants, carpenter ants enjoy sweets. They find this in many places: tree sap, fruits and berries, even other insects. And while they aren’t as likely to overrun your kitchen, they do like to create satellite nests in damp subflooring and siding. And they can BITE!
A common misconception is that carpenter ants cause damage by eating wood. They are actually just burrowing tunnels through the lumber. But this doesn’t make it better. There are several ways to avoid carpenter ants:
- Seal cracks and crevices found around the perimeter of the house
- Remove rotten logs and stumps
- Move woodpiles away from the house
- Remove and replace any rotten or water-damaged wood in the house
If you see carpenter ants in and around your home, it is time to call professionals. While you may only see one or two, the nest is nearby and may decide to move in with you.
“Sugar” ants are those little black arthropods that you find parading into your house and feeding on your leftovers, your pet food, and your crumbs on the floor.
Actually, called Odorous House Ants, they are a very common ant. They get their name from the smell that they make when you crush them. Some people think it smells like coconut; others think it smells like licorice. Either way, they are a challenge to control.
The best control is prevention. Sealing cracks and crevices found around the perimeter of the house, including around pipes and vents, goes a long way to keeping those little critters out. But if they do make their way into the house, there are a few ways to attack the problem. For a natural approach, you can use a 1:1 vinegar solution and spray it around your home from the doorways to under the oven. Anywhere you might see ants. This is not an ant killer, but it can help to deter them.
Pavement ants are another common ant in the northwest. As their name indicates, you will often find these ants between the cracks in the concrete walkways or patios. Small piles of silt along cracks and crevices are great indicators that pavement ants are in your yard. While they don’t tend to head inside like sugar ants, they are bothersome when you are spending time in the yard. They tend to move in and create lots of colonies all over the yard. Pavement ants feed on a variety of things including seeds, meats, nuts, honeydew, and dead insects. They will look for this food in your trash, your garbage, and your compost piles.
Using insecticidal soaps and sprays are not effective because they will only kill worker ants and not the queen. It is important to use an ant bait so that the workers will bring it back to their queen and feed her. It is useful to use two types of baits at a time – a protein-based bait and a sugar-based bait – because depending on the life cycles within the nest, the ants will be looking for different types of food. For a protein-based bait, try Combat Any System 6 count. For a sugar-based bait, try Terro Liquid Ant Bait. Using a gel bait is nice because you can squeeze it into the cracks.
Combat Ant System 6 ct.
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Terro Liquid Ant Bait With Borax 6 pk.
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Finally, there are Thatching Ants. More often than not, you will notice the ant mounds before you see the ants themselves. Thatching ants build nests in the yard using bits of debris, grass, pine needles, small sticks, and leaves. They can grow very large, if left alone.
Thatching ants do a good job of aerating the soil, eating insect pests, and feed on larger dead animals. However, if you don’t watch your step, you will feel the pain of a very aggressive bite with their powerful jaws. Their bite included an acid that can cause blistering to both you and your pets. They can also cause damage to small plants.
To deter thatching ants, make sure that your yard is free of debris. Clean up branches and limbs, rake and dispose of needles and leaves, and keep mulch under supervision. While they do not head inside, you don’t want to encourage thatching ants to make their home in your yard.
Terro Ant Dust is a great choice to go after thatching ants. Another option would be Amdro Ant Block. You will need to reapply the dust or bait to successfully kill a thatching ant mound.
TERRO T600 Ant Dust, 16 oz Can
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Amdro Ant Block, 24 oz.
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In the end, those sneaky six-legged soldiers can be managed. Using protective practices around the house, removing food sources, and raking up nesting materials will give you the advantage. Applying baits and dusts will increase your odds of controlling those ants that do decide your backyard looks like a great place to live. And those ants will be marching to a different tune all the way out of your home and yard.
