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Re: GBlist: RE: carpenter ants



Quoting the best source I know of on "green" insect control of carpenter 
ants and other pesky critters:
"Least Toxic Pest management: Termites and Other Wood Damaging Pests"
Edited by The Bio-Integral Resource Center  at Berkeley, CA (510)524-2567

"The adults of most house invading carpenter ants are black, but some may 
be reddish brown to yellowish.  The young are small, legless, white, 
grub-like, and helpless.  The tan "ant eggs" are really cream colored 
cocoons from which the adults emerge.
Usually there is one functioning wingless queen per colony and she can be 
up to 9/16 in (14 mm) long.  the swarmer females are winged and can 
attain a length of up to 3/4 in (18 mm) including wings. Winged males are 
up to 7/16" (11 mm) long. The wingless workers can vary from small (5/16 
in; 8 mm), medium, to large (up to 7/16 in; 11 mm)".

Carpenter ants don't eat wood. They live in it by chewing tunnels, 
depositing the chewed "frass" outside of the nest,  and rear their young 
in the tunnels. They most frequently choose decomposing wood, because it 
is the easiest to chew. 

A cross section of heavily infested wood is tunneled in many directions, 
and often looks like something from a psychedelic '60's light show 
(produces a mild hallucenogenic effect when stared at for long periods- 
try it!). 
 

I would encourage anyone seeking information on common house critters and 
how to deal with them responsibly before they do major damage to your 
structure, to contact the B.I.R.C.  They have a catalogue of publications 
available. My info is a couple of years old: I don't know if they have 
anything on the web. 

Chris Koehn
Top Ridge
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