SPIDERS!!

[Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo]

(03-26-2012 08:59 PM)4cliffdwellers Wrote:  Hey NickD the ants with wings- make sure they are carpenter ants. If you kill them and it smells lemony, they could be citronella ants which are an annoyance but harmless. We used to have nests exploding in our yard, but after over 10 years of scalding them, they are almost gone. They were even in our basement, even though the pest control guy said they don't come inside. He was surprised! They never came back

Carpenter ants can and usually do more damage than termites. I had some wood in my yard that was completely hollowed out by them. And this was pressure treated wood. It is remarkable how much damage they can do and in how short a time. When I picked up the wood the nest was still inside. I set them adrift down the canal. There's a serious problem with them in my neighborhood. I have constant bait traps in my house and spray weekly outside. Still I find them in the house and around it.

[parkerplus]

Just be happy you're not in Waga Waga Australia.

http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/...od/100265/

[NickDrista]

Yeah I sprayed all around my house and put any traps on and outside. Only found 2 stragglers on the house since the day we found 8. No more ants anywhere since I sprayed. I may call terminex just to spray outside to see if that kills them off. There is no damage anywhere and no way for them to come in. It's creepy seeing 8 of them with wings. Never had this problem before until we turned the ac on for the 1st time this year. I am going to spray constantly.

[NickDrista]

And thanks for the advice on the smell. I will smell them if I see another one. Hopefully not as the wife is home with the newborn.

[Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo]

If they are carpenter ants it takes a special trap. They like nectar and liquid sugar. The best baits for carpenters comes in a hypodermic. You just squirt this stuff around (not near pets, the back of the fridge is a prime good spot, but it has to be where you saw them as they will not smell this out). Once they find it, wait 3 or 4 days. You'll find dead ants all over the place as they bring it back and it poisons the next. You have to hope the queen got a lethal dose.

[4cliffdwellers]

nick- the citronella ants let off the smell as we scalded them with boiling water, we didn't have to get close to them. you get it if you step on them too. The Terminex guy and the internet told me they were harmless. It's still disturbing when it looks like your yard is moving because so many nests are bursting at once.

[Riofan]

Never had a problem with spiders so I don't mind them in small numbers. They are just part of the ecosystem and do a lot more good than harm. Only pests I come across every once in a while besides fruit flies are crickets and I capture them with a glass and show them outside.

[Djaric]

This thread blew up lol
They seem to have either dispersed, hiding or found their way into my house and are busy reproducing. Main concern is if they are poisonis or not. If they aren't than I don't really care that much. Closest I have found so far seem to be brown recluse spiders. Not good!
Used to have a bunch of spiders in the basement too but I. Taped up the sump pump cover and then put a bunch of glue traps around it. I've caught a lot and don't see near as many spiders inside the house.

[NickDrista]

Just had pest people come today to get rid of the ants. I found where they were coming from nd tried to kill them myself. Bad idea. It only agitated the big ones. Now they are swimming with the fishes.

[NoFearDiver]

carpender ants you go in a straght line aswell, from nest to area and back... I was in pest control back in 2005, i hated them, but were easier to deal with then German Roaches...