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We seem to have carpenter ants in our log house in the Berkshires, MA. I see the wood saw dust every year during the summer. This is our weekend house and every weekend, I clear the dust and spray Bonide Carpenter ant killer and spread Terro ant dust. I haven't seen any other activity around the house. The picture shows the amount of dust over 2 weeks since I last cleared and soaked the entire area with the Bonide carpenter ant killer spray

The deck is eTrex and only a couple years old. We never see more than 2-3 ants on the deck at any point in time. There are no ants inside the house. I've not been able to find the hole that they are tunneling into the wood.

The ants are large black ants and do not fly - roughly 1/2" long.

How do I get rid of these ants? Can I spray anything stronger than Bonide or Terro dust?

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  • Advion granules and bait.
    – user56530
    Sep 3, 2016 at 16:57
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    Sometimes the correct answer is to hire a professional - this might well be one of those times. They have access to products that you and I don't.
    – Ecnerwal
    Sep 4, 2016 at 2:07
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    A carpenter ant colony requires access to moisture. They like to infest wood that is in contact with the ground somewhere. Sometimes they will build mud tubes from the wood to the ground, if the distance is only a few inches. (I have also seen them in a bathroom floor, far from any earth, where a tiny plumbing leak kept the underlayment moist.) - See if you can separate all soil and mulch from your wooden structure.
    – A. I. Breveleri
    Sep 5, 2016 at 16:20
  • This deck level is a raised level and about 10 feet off the ground. The wall below the log wall is concrete. Unless they've made their way in through the concrete there is no ground access.
    – Vasuvius
    Sep 6, 2016 at 17:51
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    How does Advion compare to Termidor SC ?
    – Vasuvius
    Sep 6, 2016 at 20:06

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my name is David and I work for a pest control company in NJ. I have found that two products which work hand in hand work best. You will also need a brand new sprayer that has not been used for other chemicals or bug sprays. The following products are non repellent which means insects cannot sense them and walk through them, which allows insects to bring insecticide back to nest and spread throughout entire colony like a deadly disease. Sprays that your buying from Home Depot are killing the ants it touches, but unfortunately dosent penetrate the nest and kill the queen. The first product is Phantom Termiticide Insecticide. You are going to want to mix 3 fluid oz of this product in a one gallon sprayer. Spray baseboards, under and around furniture, along with basement and window sills. After using phantom, you will need Termidor Sc. Mix .08 fluid ounces per gallon of water. WARNING ( Termidor is not to ever be sprayed indoors which is why you must get Phantom as well. Also do not add more than .08 fl oz per gallon, you will make spray ineffective). Spray one foot up and one foot out from the foundation of your house. Also check trees in yard to make sure there is not a foraging trail going from tree to your house. I don't recommend just using bait, however after spray has dried, you may add bait to areas you sprayed allowing more chemical to be picked up. You can find these chemicals on domyownpestcontrol.com. It's not cheap for all of this, but you will get great results and multiple uses. Also do not apply Termidor more than twice.

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  • ...do not apply Termidor more than twice - why not?
    – montrealist
    Aug 5, 2019 at 2:49

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