A few weeks ago, we saw that carpenter ants had begun exploring the kitchen. We felt like they’d become active far earlier this year than others. We stepped up our cleaning, and put out containers of bait (see DIY Carpenter Ant Bait) for them to collect, carry back to their nests, and die—preferably as quickly as possible.
We made headway in the kitchen, but started checking the walls, particularly the wall that faces the ocean, where we’ve had trouble almost every year in the past (see The Pitter Patter of REALLY Tiny Feet). As in past years, we looked for piles of frass, collections of dust, insulation fragments, and other trash that ants haul out of their tunnels and dump.
Scene of a desperate struggle (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).
