Carpenter Ants and Boric Acid
 

Hi,

I suspect that there might be a carpenter ant nest in the walls (most
likely the ceiling). Since I do not have a license, I can't buy the
professional aresols available on the web. Forget the over-the-counter
sprays. I sprayed, suffered two days with the smell (getting a sore
throat). After the smell was gone, the ants were back. I'd like to
drill a small hole into the ceiling and shoot boric acid around hoping
to hit a nest. I'd also like to do the same with the walls. The walls
may be a problem as this house was not insulated when it was built and
at a much later date, insulation was blown in so shooting boric acid
into the walls may not work. Perhaps the only thing that will work is
an ant bomb. I'm trying to avoid this since both me and my husband work
at home. I don't want to smell this. I have two questions:

1) What can I buy as a dispenser so I can shoot the boric acid into the
ceiling?

2) If there is a nest in the wall, how can I handle this without an ant
bomb?


Thanks

wrote in message
oups.com...

1) What can I buy as a dispenser so I can shoot the boric acid into the
ceiling?

I've purchased from this company, http://www.epestsupply.com a few times.
Their products work well.


2) If there is a nest in the wall, how can I handle this without an ant
bomb?


If you can find where they get in and out place the boric acid in their
path. They'll track it into the nest and wipe out the colony.

But what you really need to do is solve the moisture problem you have, so
that the wood will dry out. The ants prefer moist wood.

I had carpenter ants. drilling holes in walls and spraying boric acid
just didnt work for me. The nest can be anywhere in the wall and
you'll just miss it.

I went and bought some Maxforce Carpenter Ant Gel, a bait that they
just loved. Within a week, every one was dead. A single tube cost
about $20 so I was always looking for a cheaper alternative. Home
Depot now sells Combat Carpenter Ant Gel. The ingredients listed on
the tube are identical to Maxforce but it was only $4. It worked
just as well as Maxforce did.

So give some of that a shot. Then do what others suggested, fix the
water leak that attracted them in the first place.

dickm


On 2 Jun 2005 16:22:56 -0700, wrote:

Hi,

I suspect that there might be a carpenter ant nest in the walls (most
likely the ceiling). Since I do not have a license, I can't buy the
professional aresols available on the web. Forget the over-the-counter
sprays. I sprayed, suffered two days with the smell (getting a sore
throat). After the smell was gone, the ants were back. I'd like to
drill a small hole into the ceiling and shoot boric acid around hoping
to hit a nest. I'd also like to do the same with the walls. The walls
may be a problem as this house was not insulated when it was built and
at a much later date, insulation was blown in so shooting boric acid
into the walls may not work. Perhaps the only thing that will work is
an ant bomb. I'm trying to avoid this since both me and my husband work
at home. I don't want to smell this. I have two questions:

1) What can I buy as a dispenser so I can shoot the boric acid into the
ceiling?

2) If there is a nest in the wall, how can I handle this without an ant
bomb?


Thanks

Hi Dicko,

Thanks a lot! I had tried MaxForce in the past. The following year, I
think I only saw one ant. It does work and is expensive, but thanks for
the tip. I'm glad there's an alternative. Also, thanks for the warning
before I went thru a lot of trouble.


dicko wrote:
I had carpenter ants. drilling holes in walls and spraying boric acid
just didnt work for me. The nest can be anywhere in the wall and
you'll just miss it.

I went and bought some Maxforce Carpenter Ant Gel, a bait that they
just loved. Within a week, every one was dead. A single tube cost
about $20 so I was always looking for a cheaper alternative. Home
Depot now sells Combat Carpenter Ant Gel. The ingredients listed on
the tube are identical to Maxforce but it was only $4. It worked
just as well as Maxforce did.

So give some of that a shot. Then do what others suggested, fix the
water leak that attracted them in the first place.

dickm


On 2 Jun 2005 16:22:56 -0700, wrote:

Hi,

I suspect that there might be a carpenter ant nest in the walls (most
likely the ceiling). Since I do not have a license, I can't buy the
professional aresols available on the web. Forget the over-the-counter
sprays. I sprayed, suffered two days with the smell (getting a sore
throat). After the smell was gone, the ants were back. I'd like to
drill a small hole into the ceiling and shoot boric acid around hoping
to hit a nest. I'd also like to do the same with the walls. The walls
may be a problem as this house was not insulated when it was built and
at a much later date, insulation was blown in so shooting boric acid
into the walls may not work. Perhaps the only thing that will work is
an ant bomb. I'm trying to avoid this since both me and my husband work
at home. I don't want to smell this. I have two questions:

1) What can I buy as a dispenser so I can shoot the boric acid into the
ceiling?

2) If there is a nest in the wall, how can I handle this without an ant
bomb?


Thanks