After reading this it came to mind that I have seen reports on DATELINE
about a steaming process that jets heated water into the ground to rid
ants and other pests. IF there is a chemical worry, perhaps this is an
option as well...

Chad Laibly
University of Iowa
B.S. Geology
Undergrad

On Thu, 1 Apr 1999, Michael Trinkley wrote:

> Jennifer Williams inquires concerning problems a library is having with
> ants, thought to be carpenter ants. She describes a variety of
> approaches the institution has taken already, "Set ants traps, put down
> a commercial ant bait around the building, washed down
> walls with ammonia water."
>
> The reason they have seen no improvement is two-fold. First, and most
> fundamentally, they haven't addressed the reason they have the carpenter
> ants to begin with. Likely there is a parent or main colony (with queen
> and brood) somewhere, perhaps with one or more satellite colonies (never
> with eggs or small larvae, only workers, mature larvae, and pupae) in
> the library, probably where there is a water problem. So, the first step
> would be to begin taking a long, hard look at current conditions --
> leaking roofs (they can live in roof insulation, for example), stopped
> gutters or scuppers, clogged drains, leaking plumbing, poor drainage,
> etc.  If none are found (they usually are, but in a few instances the
> colonies aren't associated with moisture) then you must begin to search
> out dry, warm, undisturbed areas. When these problems are found, they
> must be repaired. During this process damaged wood or insulation should
> be removed, manually removing as much of the satellite colony as
> possible. The remainder can be treated with Drione or some similar
> product.
>
> Second, they must search out the parent colony and destroy it. It may be
> located in a diseased tree, or a stump, or a pile of wood. So, how do
> you go about this? Carpenter ants are nocturnal, so the best time to
> find them foraging out from the main colony is around midnight.
> Carpenter ants will move all debris out of the trails, so if you are
> careful, and do your searching at night, it is usually fairly easy to
> find the main colony. Once found, this main colony must be destroyed.
> Again, a dust is usually a good choice and often requires less active
> ingredient than with a liquid.
>
> Typical commercial treatments cost around $150 to $300 (at least in this
> area), but aren't usually too successful, since they don't address the
> issues I've raised -- identify and remove satellite colonies, eliminate
> moisture problems, get vegetation away from the building, eliminate
> decorative bark mulch (a favorite of carpenter ants), etc. Can the
> institution do this work themselves. Well sure, if they have the
> stamina. Otherwise, they are going to need a good PCO with experience
> dealing with carpenter ants.
>
> Hope this helps, but feel free to contact me directly if you have
> questions.
>
> Best,
>
> Michael Trinkley, Ph.D.
> Director
> Chicora Foundation, Inc.
> PO Box 8664
> Columbia, SC  29202
> 803/787-6910
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> www.chicora.org
>