On Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:42:31 -0500, JimT wrote:

On 4/19/2011 7:34 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:10:42 -0500, wrote:

On 4/18/2011 8:26 PM, Michael B wrote:
On Apr 18, 8:55 pm, wrote:
We had a bad ant problem in our
last house and it turned out they were eating the framing of the house
where water got in and rotted the framing. We'd kill them all and they
would come back a few months later.

Jim

That would be carpenter ants. Likely with a tree riddled with them
nearby.

Probably a species of carpenter ants. After some research I discovered
ants don't actually eat wood. They burrow in to look for termites. I'm
glad I sold that house. Supposedly the termites had been exterminated.

Carpenter ants live in wood and eat elsewhere. (Most) termites eat wood and
live elsewhere. Carpenter ant infestations are rare in dry wood. Any water
and they'll move in quickly. They need water.

That's what started it. There was a leak where the facade met the window
sill. Leaked into the framing big time.

That'll do it. That's why I'm a fanatic about any leaks, plumbing or
exterior. When we sold our first house I discovered the tile under the
'fridge was loose. I thought it was a simple matter of glue and some grout.
It's under the 'fridge, after all. Easy, right? Nope, carpenter ants had
gotten into the joists under it. What a mess.

The guy that bought the house
had to do some major tear out. Fortunately, on the disclosure, I just
told the truth AFAIK.

Disclosures are a funny thing. Both times I've sold, I saw them as a good
thing. As long as I described the issues and the work done to resolve them, I
was pretty well off the hook. Nothing hidden; this is what it is.