It's in my backyard at least 50 feet from my house so they are not bothering us inside. But I think they are carpenter ants and I'm wondering if they will find and eat the wood in our house, like termites.The ants are very large and bi-colored brown and black. The anthill is impressive, smooth and round, about 2 feet high and 4 feet in diameter. Should I just leave it alone or will the colony grow out of control? Any effective ways to get rid of the anthill and all the ants without using poison?
Yay! Found it... some links from the pages you posted led me to this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJMYPpphzQo
They are Western Thatching Ants. The little creatures are so cool and mostly harmless. I wish I could just leave them alone but they do bite and their nest is getting too big for my yard. There's a lot of wildlife around here so I avoid using poison. I'll try to eliminate or at least reduce the size of their nest with some cornmeal and sugar/borax and see how that works. Thanks for the suggestions, mamas.
Oh wow, I would definitely call an exterminator because they can tell you what to do or deal with them for you. I wouldn't try any home remedies for this one. good luck.
I think if I found an ant bed 4 feet across and 2 feet high, I might just call an exterminator. I don't think they are carpenter ants... but hey.. I'm not an expert. Carpenter ants usually live in rotten wood. They do damage it, but they don't eat it. They nest in it, weakening whatever structure has been made out of the wood... or the tree, or whatever the wood is. They also don't cause wood to rot... they move in when the wood is bad/rotten, and they weaken it further by their nesting.
Especially since the ants are large, I would call an exterminator. You never know what kind of creepy insects could have hitched a ride from outside the U.S in a box on a container ship.... heck.. maybe even on some of that flotsam from Japan... right?
Oh gosh - call the exterminator. It will spread and just take over your yard and then into your house.
Call tomorrow!
Dawn
See if this sounds like what you have.
I would call an exterminator
http://insects-spiders.knoji.com/allegheny-mound-ants-wha...
If there are carpenter ants in a tree near a home, the tree is removed so they don't spread to the home. I have never heard of carpenter ants living in an ant hill -- they typically live in wood, like a tree or a fence. But I would certainly consult an exterminator.
N.:
Personally - if I had kids? I would call an exterminator. Most ants - even docile ants - will protect their mound. If it's in MY backyard? I would get rid of it.
ESPECIALLY if I have a dog or cat that needs to use the back yard on a daily basis.....
here are some links to help you identify the ants and a pest company in Oregon.
Good luck!!
http://www.orkin.com/ants/carpenter-ant/what-does-a-carpe...
http://www.pestfree.net/get-rid-of-ants/ant-identificatio...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_ant
http://www.leupitz.com/gen_ants.htm
I think an exterminator is the way to go. You don't want it to grow out of control or decide to march into your home. 50 feet is not that far.
If you cannot afford one, then go to the store and buy a bag of cornmeal. Sprinkle it liberally all the around the ant hill. You may have to repeat this daily until it works. But, the ants will carry the corn meal back to their home and eat it. When they eat it, it expands in their stomach and kills them. Some people mix a little sugar in with it to make it more appealing to them. I'm not sure that it's necessary, but you could try. But, the cornmeal is safe and won't hard your kids or pets.
we had a similar experiance in the house that we just bought only ours was only about a foot tall. We did the hole gas and fire thing. pour gas on the hill let it sit for about 30 seconds then light the baby on fire. it kills them (and that portion of the yard) but if you put it out in a minute with water you know they are gone. We had to do it twice because some did not die however it was worth it 100% and we are now ant free.
I would not mess with this and would not be thinking of being "green" right now. You need to get rid of these ASAP.
Why would you not call an exterminator if you can't do it yourself? Do it correctly the first time or they will gravitate and stay in your yard.
Put out a mixture of Borax and icing sugar.
Wow! At first I was going to say call Orkin since you mentioned carpenter ants, but these little guys are cool! I would leave them alone and use them as a teaching experience, plus winter is coming, I bet they wont be very active.
