Foraging ants have been seen entering homes along telephone wires or along branches touching the roof or even from ground trails that come under a door.

Activity Along Ant Trails

Ants are generally active along ant trails in from April to mid-October.
Hours of greater activity are from 8 p.m.-4 a.m.; although some ants can be found at all hours.
A sudden increase in activity occurs 5-10 minutes after sunset and is greatest from about 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Temperature or rainfall doesn't seem to influence this activity.

Trail Locations Outside Structures

Edge of driveway or sidewalk, mowing strips
Under patio blocks, wood steps in landscape or wood planks
Edge of foundation or planters or sidewalk
Edge of lawns or flower beds
Fence stringers
Excavate along tree roots (easy access to crawl space via roots of trees or stumps which extend under the house)

Ants returning to nests are either:

Larger with full (stretched) stomach so they look somewhat banded
Carrying food such as insects.
Some ants will be going to the feeding areas (usually trees). They are not stretched or banded. Some will be engaged in trail building (at night mostly).

If several nests are found, it is important to determine if they are from the same colony (therefore one parent nest) or 2 or more different colonies (therefore several parent nests). Place 2 ants, one from each trail or nest, in a jar:

Ants from the same parent colony coexist peacefully.
Ants from different colonies fight.

Ants will generally be going to and from:

Feeding areas
Parent nests
Satellite nests

Banded ants or ants with insects will be going from feeding grounds to parent (or satellite) nests. The young growing larvae and queen need the most food, so more ants will take food toward the parent colony, with fewer moving toward the satellite. Ants carrying larvae or pupae (papery cocoons) are moving from the parent to satellite colony.

Activity, therefore ease in following a trail, is greatest after sunset (roughly between 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.). A red light disturbs ants less than white light.

Trails may be difficult to locate since they may disappear under boards, sidewalks or go underground.

You have time. Keep watching for clues as you work in your yard or house. Don't get trigger happy and spray the trail, or you will have to start over if you want to find the nest.

Finding both the parent colony in the surrounding landscape and the satellite colony (or colonies) in the structure is crucial to successful control of carpenter ants.

For more helpful ideas or assistance on control, check our main page here:

ant control west auckland