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Phisherman

On Sat, 8 Jul 2006 14:45:53 -0500, (Patty O)
wrote:

Out in our shed we had lots of little bitty ants. More than I have EVER
seen before. In the past we've had good luck with Terro for these kind
of ants, but this time the Terro didn't even seem to put a dent in them.
An exterminator was over at the neighbor's so I got him over to look at
the situation. He showed me where the trail of ants was leading over to
an interior wall of the shed. This is an old shed, and it's divided in
2 parts by a wall that has siding on both sides. He showed me the mud
lines along the seams of the siding. Mud lines from termites inside
that wall. He told me ants are a natural predator of termites, and the
ants were feeding on the termites and then bringing the food outside to
their nest. I could see the ants carrying little bits on their way out.
When I made the guess to him that the ants would take care of the
termite problem, he then said the termites would start multiplying in
force and not be killed off completely. He gave me a bid of $250. to
take care of the termites and ants. I told him I'd think about it.
A couple of days later the ants were all gone. I had given up on the
Terro much earlier so I don't think it was the Terro that did it.
Do you think the exterminator was telling me fibs, and the ants did kill
off all of the termites and then quit coming in to the wall because
there was no food there for them anymore?

I have doubts the exterminator was telling you fibs. The bid sound
high for a shed, so in this case you might consider treating the
problem yourself. See if the colony is active, poke around the wood
to search for damage using an awl, use a product made for termites,
and periodically re-inspect. Keep the area around the shed clean,
dry, and clutter-free. I give my house a five-minute foundation
inspection about once a month--no termites yet!