I’m pretty well versed with carpenter ants having dealt with them in many different areas. The farther north you go the more destructive this ant can be but in the sunshine state they’re not even on the top 10 list of pests that infest your home. There are two main species that are known to get in structures in Florida. Camponotus floridanus (Buckley) and Camponotus tortuganus (Emery). People here also call them the ‘Bull or Wood’ ant but by any name you choose they can be a real pain as they build up over the years in spite of all the spraying that homeowners do.
These ants are not considered wood destroying since carpenter ants in Florida search out and infest wood that is already damaged by wood decaying fungi or water damage. Now I’ve found them lots of times in dryer locations and places not listed in the ‘how to guides’ but remember, this is mother nature we’re dealing with and I’m not sure she’s a big reader. For the most part if you look for the weakened already damaged wood and moisture, you’ll find your carpenter ant. But GOOD LUCK with your hunt as these ants are very good at hiding and they also employ a satellite system of nesting. In other words find one nest and kill it, Great, two, you could be a pro but finding the
1/2 dozen or more that are usually associated together is practically impossible even for the best tech.
That said I’ve seen many clients do battle with these things using every store bought brand of insecticide in the book. If you saw my video ‘Treating strategy for trailing ants’ you might get a great understanding of just how to put a hurting on these guys and finally get them out of your home. The problem for most DIY pest control folks is that the products I use are NOT for sale to the general public and this makes any ant job difficult. These products are relatively new and label restrictions kept even the pros from using them in the fashion we can now use them as the directions and approvals for different uses come our way.
If you live in Florida or anywhere for that matter and find yourself with a carpenter ant problem why not just call in your local bug man and let him or her make short work of the problem? Sure the new and improved chemicals make life a little easier (too easy?) but they have the knowledge of where to look and what to use in a safe and effective manner. This job in my video was one such client who had been spraying for months and still the carpenter ants kept coming back making their lives miserable. As you can see from just my short visit, my training kicked in and I found the ‘mother load’ or at least the messengers who’ll carry back my message of death to the many ants and nests we don’t see but are all part of the same family.
