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Ant (not Aunt) problem - help
cbxjeff
Member Posts: 17,637 ✭✭✭✭
For the first time in 40 years of cutting, splitting, stacking, and burning firewood I have a situation. I noticed wood powder (sawdust) on some of my stacked wood. I can see small holes in some of the wood but haven't seen any insects yet. I know how to tell if they are ants or termites and will search to see them.
I need something to spray and kill them. I don't mean an aerosol but something I can mix for a few gallons of spray. One other problem is whatever I use can't kill my wife's herd of outdoor cats. I can't afford an attorney!
Any suggestions appreciated guys.
It's too late for me, save yourself.
Comments
This will do the trick
Be very careful !!! We had powder post beetles in the oak floor they installed in our new house. They are worse than termites to kill. The builder ended up having an exterminator tent the house & fumigate it with some super deadly chemical. They leave a small 1/16" - 3/32" hole & the saw dust is a very fine powder. My wood pile is just outside a door. I only bring the wood in as I burn it.
What ever you spray it with will become aerosol when you burn it even though it will be long dry by then. You may try some Terro ant killer. I buy it in the bottles and place it where I see ants. They line up, eat their fill and take it back to the nest.
Borax is fatal to insects of all kinds, in any amount, but is slow-acting. Mix a tiny amount in bait they will eat (too much and they'll reject the bait) and they will carry the borax back to the colony. Before long, they'll all be gone.
For ants, use sugar, for wasps use apple juice for the bait.
I use Terro ant killer. Works great! It contains borax.
How big is your woodpile? I had a similar situation years ago and we just tarped the woodpile and tossed a couple of bug bombs in there.
I had some infested lumber. Found a suggestion that I spray it with a mix of antifreeze and boric acid.
Haven't seen anymore since.
A mix of antifreeze and boric acid = Green Fire.... Not sure I would inhale the vapors...😲
Combat Vet VN
D.A.V Life Member
Use a product called Wisdom, brand name, chemical is Bifenthrin, Spray the wood pile very good, repeat if necessary.
Not ants, powder post beetles.
Very damaging and very hard to kill due to their living habits.
This product is supposed to be safe for humans but deadly to all insects and such. I use it for control of yard bugs and critters all around the foundation of the house.
Thanks for the replies guys. My woodpile is roughly 6 rows 4' high & 16' long. The problem I think is from the last tree I split and stacked. Demon Max looks pretty good but not sold locally. That's OK, I can buy it on-line. We may lose a few cats though.
Bifenthrin works great. I use it for Mosquitoes. Is used in butcher shops on their floors.
Diatomaceous earth sprinkled on/around the wood should kill any creepy crawlies.
I hadn't thought about that Susie. I've used it in my garden in the past. I'll give it a try. Tractor Supply has it and they are only 15 miles away. If this works it could save me a lot of lawyer fees!
Trouble with the "dirt" is that the beetles have to walk in it. Slim chance that is going to happen with those pests.
Diatomaceous earth is a good solution. This stuff doesn't degrade or go bad, it is already 12 million years old. The only catch is, it needs to stay dry to work well. You could try to pick a time when it is not going to rain for a week and if you powdered up that big woodpile, you would really slaughter the ants.
The diatomaceous is not harmful to humans or cats, unless you breathe it in, it is in fact microscopic crystals that would not do your lungs any good.
Just light the wood on fire. Should get rid of the ants really fast.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
Move the pile away from the house and use diatomaceous earth. It is made up of the shells of diatoms which are cool microscopic sea creatures with exoskeletons made of silica (glass). Sprinkle it around and on ant trails and when the ants walk over it, it cuts their cute little legs and abdomens to shreds just like razor blades or glass. Non-toxic to humans and human pets.
I use Bifen on fire ants.Its the only thing I have used that works.