The Facts about Carpenter Ants

• Carpenter ants do not feed on wood. They do, however, bore into wood to create their colonies and nesting areas, making them one of the most aggressive destroyers of wood right up there with the termite. Carpenter ants build many sub colonies form the main nest. This main colony matures over the period of about five years and, once it has reached this stage, it employs a certain kind of help. The colony sends out swarmers, winged versions of the carpenter ant drones, to seek new territory to colonize. Once they find it, they shed the wings and get down to building.
  
  Find the nest and its colonies. Look for signs of "frass" or tiny piles of wood dust similar to saw dust which may accumulate in corners of the house or in spiderwebs. Carpenter ants often leave tiny trails of these particles around the edges of carpet or doorways which can be traced back to the nest. Do not begin any removal plans until the nest and its colonies have been found.
  
  

How to Kill the Ants

• Use a non-repellent insecticide spray on the nest and colonies itself. The goal is to remove the queen and the infrastructure of the nest,not simply to kill all the worker ants. Do not spray the worker ants as this will do nothing to stop the queen from producing more eggs and aggravating the problem. The most effective treatment for ant colonies found in wall spaces, doors that are hollow or any kind of bare wood space will be dust products like Timbor or Nibor-D. These are non-repellent (ants will be attracted to them) and are ideally suited for tight spaces.
  
  Avoid over-the-counter (OTC) ant baits. The majority of these products will not contain the attractants needed to remove the entire colony and will only exacerbate the current condition. Employ professional insecticides only making sure to always cover the hands and face (breathing pathways) to avoid inhalation of dangerous chemicals.