# Big Ant



## onthegojohn (May 26, 2008)

I found this ant in my house the other day. It's quite a large ant. Should I be worried? I've only seen this one this big. Found about 3 others roughly half this size all in the past 3 weeks.


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## slakker (May 29, 2007)

looks like a carpenter ant... make sure he's just wandering and is not part of a nest. They burrow into wood so getting rid of them is a must...


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## mark942 (Feb 2, 2008)

This is a good read for knowledge and how to eliminate them.
http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/carpenter-ant-control-c-1_177.html


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## onthegojohn (May 26, 2008)

How do I find out if he's part of a nest or just out wandering?


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## STG (Jun 15, 2008)

Where are you located, John?

Here in south Texas, we have lots of problems with carpenter ants. The best way to find out whether or not you have an actual issue is to wait until a couple hours after it gets dark. These guys are mostly nocturnal. Take a flash light and do a very slow and detailed inspection of the outside of your home. If they're there...you'll find them. 

I had a battle with these guys earlier this summer. 

After doing that close look, I initially thought they were nesting in a tree by my house...as there was a highway of them going up and down the tree. But...on closer inspection, I found they were nesting in my neighbor's deteriorated chimney. The highway seemed to end there and the tree was just a "rest stop."


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## onthegojohn (May 26, 2008)

*Thanks STG*

Thanks for the reply STG.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, Northern California to be exact.

I think the threat is over, since we only ever found a total of 5 or 6 solitary big ants (none as big as the one in the pic). And we haven't seen any in a couple of weeks. I will do a nighttime inspection though, as you suggest, and see if i find anything.

Thanks again,
John


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## STG (Jun 15, 2008)

Hey, no problem!

Good luck with this. My neighbor's been doing some repair work at his house this weekend...and he found the nest (as suspected) in a piece of trim in his chimney.


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## gilligan (Mar 25, 2008)

Good luck getting rid of them. Carpenter ants can do some particularly nasty damage to your house.

Carpenter Ants


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