# wood crumbs on windowsill in Fla.



## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

After spending the past yr doing nothing but stiping wallpaper and painting, this week I'm doing a thorough cleaning.

On a couple of windowsills, on new white paint, there is a lot of stuff. Not dust. It's more like wood crumbs. Too much that I didn't want to wipe it off and vacuumed it off instead.

I have found the big black carpenter ants in the yard. Once when weeding I grabbed a handful of weeds and watched as a big ant, threw his head back and took a chomp on my hand. Don't know what's in their bite, but it left a sore welt.

This is a brick house but it has a wood frame. I suppose I have to spend money to call pest control.

Has anyone else in Florida had this type of problem?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Do not clean it up until they come look at it.
Do not put this off.
If it was mine I sure would not call Orkin or Terminex unless you need a good laugh when they give you the price.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

thanks Joe. I have a local guy who did my pre-move in inspection that I'll call. 

He'd already recommended doing termite control once I got settled in.

In my last house that I sold here in Fla I had to pay for carpenter ant damage. I used to see big black ants going in my wood door frame but didn't know at the time they were going in to eat. Thankfully that house was CBS so less worry.


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## noquacks (Jun 5, 2010)

Guessing its termite "pellets"/wood dust. Rounded black- to dk brown poop. Carpenter ants are actually beter then termites as they EAT termites. Carp ants also are a friend sometimes as they indicate to you that there imay be a water leak/damage nearby that needs remediation. They are attracted to DAMP areas so, its a sign to you that maybe theres a roof leak/etc. Most Carp ants "damage" only dampened/rotted/moldy wood. They dont eat wood, they nest in it. But, sometimes they can "chew" off solid wood too.


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## Startingover (Apr 18, 2012)

noquaks,

thanks. That's a bit unnerving, but I'd nothing to do but face it. Someone will come next week. A neighbor just a block away had termite damage.

I'm just praying this isn't too expensive.

I know 'scat' is a way to identify animals in the woods. I never thought about termite scat. ugh.

Interesting info about carpenter ants. Is that what I come across out in my yard, when I was weeding, that bit me?


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## noquacks (Jun 5, 2010)

Startingover said:


> noquaks,
> 
> 
> Interesting info about carpenter ants. Is that what I come across out in my yard, when I was weeding, that bit me?


Maybe- coulda been fire ants. They bite me all the time. Did you get uggly welts after being bitten, with pustules forming? If so, fire ants.


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