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Ants, Trex, Wood Damage, Hey, Litle Ant

I hate to complain about ants. In the bigger scheme of life, they seem so small and harmless. But this summer is the first year that I have seen ants in my home (ever). In earlier blogs, I have offered advise on dealing with these little critters. This weekend, I have come to understand why this year. As it turns out the early snow we received in northern states last November, protected the ants from severe frost  penetration and expected winter  kill. I also discovered some rotted wood under a deck which puts two evils together.   Ant’s don’t eat wood but they tunnel their way through and create damage that can be noticed if you walk around your home.  So what to do?

  > Walk around you house - look for  wet wood or sawdust.

  >  If you have rotted wood, replace it. In fact, there is a wood substitute that has lasting power called Trex. Ant’s don’t bother it.

  > Breathing space - leave space between your shrubs and house. If air flows, it won’t rot.

  > Trim your trees and bushes - eliminate any potential bridge for the ants to climb into your house. 

  > A healthy lawn will resist an infestation of ants. the healthier the grass, the less likely you will have ants.

Our first instinct is to kill ants upon contact. You really want to kill them in their nests. There are certain gels and ant traps that do the trick.  Ants carry this substance back to their nests and it is destroyed. If you can determine where they are coming from, sprinkle powdered soap around and they will bring it back to the nest. When moisture hits the soap, (pow) it expands and the nest is history.

There is a very cute book called Hey, Little Ant by Phillip Hoose. It is a story of an ant and a boy who is about to squash it. The ensuing conversation is a must for any child. Check it out at your bookstore or at amazon.com.