# Used Ant Bait to Kill Carpenter Ants, Do I Still Need to Find the Nest?



## Windows on Wash (Aug 30, 2011)

Most ant killers are designed for them to take the poison back to the central location and kill everyone.


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## km782 (Nov 2, 2015)

It seems like it was effective in wiping out the colony. I'm not as concerned about that. 
My question is more do I need to be worried that there is moisture damage behind the wall (or where ever they actually built the nest in the house)? In other words, even though the ants are now gone is that a good indication that I have a water problem that still needs to be fixed? Thanks


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## Bud9051 (Nov 11, 2015)

I've heard conflicting opinions as to their need for moisture, but I have had a couple of problem areas and they were indeed related to moisture. Where the Terro has done great I seen to need it every spring when some show up. Then they are gone for the summer. My long term approach will be to treat the perimeter of the house. If you have a block foundation they can be entering anywhere and traveling through the interior of the blocks. Mine is poured concrete so fewer places for them to enter. In most cases i have located places where they crawl up the outside of the concrete and then find a gap to get into the framing.

My advice would be to keep some Terro out where any stragglers will find it and treat the outside. Actually locating their nest could be difficult.

Bud


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## km782 (Nov 2, 2015)

I am having new siding put on my house. When the wood frame around one of the windows was pulled off, there were a lot of carpenter ants, including a few winged ants. This must be where the nest was and they were then going up the wall to get into the bedroom. There was wet, rotting wood behind the window frame that has now been replaced.

The problem is, when the framing was pulled off there was nothing I could do. The ants scattered.

I thought I had killed all of them when they stopped coming into the bedroom after taking the bait. However, clearly that is not the case. What can I do to finally get rid of them? Since they can easily crawl up the wall, I'd almost have to tear apart the entire section of the wall to be sure they were gone.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Windows on Wash said:


> Most ant killers are designed for them to take the poison back to the central location and kill everyone.


AS WOW points out, I would not try to physically remove them at all.... and use chemical treatment to get to their nest.

But some chemicals known as repellents, just kill the intruding pest. Others, act slowly and are carried back to the nest killing the queen and the colony.

I don't know about TERRO... google it to find out the different chemical treatments / approches to carpenter ants.

(For instance with termites, if you disturb their tunnels or nests physically, they just move.)

Good luck


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## Dave Sal (Dec 20, 2012)

Speaking of Terro, I have used that for a few years now. Every spring, I would get tiny ants in my below grade family room near a closet. I'd put Terro liquid on 1" square pieces of cardboard and lay them in the area along the wall. The ants would quickly feast on the Terro and within a day or two, no more ants. The other day I was out on the deck and noticed large black ants moving along a horizontal fence post like it was a super highway. I decided to try the Terro again and set up four separate squares of cardboard with 6 drops of liquid Terro. Again, after half an hour had passed, all of the squares had numerous ants feeding on the Terro. I've done this for two days so far but haven't checked today yet. I'm thinking the nest is on borrowed time here.


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