Seasoning wood with neighbor's rotting woodpile nearby

[jeffee]

Hey Y'all,
I guess I'm a bit concerned about carpenter ants, etc.
Do think this is a problem if I stack 3 cords of wood on pallets, with a neighbor's pile of wood (3 years old) 20 feet near my wood?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[MishMouse]

Since your neighbor is letting it rot, you might be able to buy some well seasoned wood at a good price.

 

[DriftWood]

Once split wood with carpenter ants in it the ants go away. They need a water supply to survive. A queen carpenter ant will literally drop out of the sky on to your pile and survive or die depending if she finds a nest with water or not. The new hatched queens grow wings an fly once a year it is then usually in late summer to establish new carpenter ant colonies.

 

[fossil]

Carpenter ants don't actually eat the wood like termites do, they just dig their way into it to make nests, and leave little piles of sawdust (ant dust?) at or near the entrance(s) to the nest. I've split some lodgepole pine that had carpenter ant colonys inside. The ants pretty much just disperse. As the wood dries out, the colony dies out. What they do inside the wood is really pretty fascinating...amazing three-dimensional mazes of tunnels and chambers. Elegantly crafted, smooth corners, interesting. They can do damage to a house or other wooden structure, but not to the degree that termites can, as I understand it.

I wouldn't think your wood is any more vulnerable to insects than it already is out there just by virtue of being 20 or so feet from someone else's old wood. I don't think the kinds of insects we're concerned with send out scouts to find fresh wood to colonize. But then, maybe they do, I'm no bug expert. Rick

 

[jeffee]

Thanks for the replies. The pile of wood (neighbor's) is not split. It is mostly smaller trees and bigger branches from trees that were cut down almost 3 years ago. Incidentally I have found colonies of carpenter ants in split wood.

The reason I'm a bit concerned is that I do have a colony (c. ants) in my house; Last year I tracked them down and there are nice bait traps waiting for them now. I think I've taken care of my problem of wet wood in the walls; I have a small log house and it was chinked a year and a half ago.

I just want to be preventative. Thanks again!

 

[fossil]

Oh man, that's a bummer. Might want to check with a local professional...from what I've read about them (carpenter ants) on the Internet, bait and traps and poison aren't all that effective...you gotta find the colony and destroy it. But, do your homework and get some advice from an expert (which is certainly NOT what you're getting here from me). Good luck with it all. Rick

 

[jpl1nh]

Carpenter ants are pretty much everywhere. I agree with Drift, they only colonize where its nice and moist. Even if your neighbors rotting log pile were not near by, they would still be searching out suitable spots everywhere. Sounds like you've addressed the moisture issue in you home which is the most important thing. Keep your wood loosely stacked in sun and top covered at the most and the ants will be no problem.

 

[Carl]

I don't think the neighbors old wood will add any extra danger to your wood. If it is top covered and dry
the ants won't find it appealing. I can see your concerrn from having to deal with them in your log cabin.
No fun but sounds like you have it under control now.

 

[Redox]

We discovered our "tenants" (pun intended) shortly after we bought our current house at auction. The previous owner had let quite a few things go before they lost the house to the bank and we first noticed them going after the water in the bottom of the dishwasher. My wife panicked and wanted to call someone to bomb the house, but I started reading up on them on the 'ol Internet and started looking for rotting wood in the house. The first place I found them was in a 4x4 column holding up the porch right next to the wood pile. You should have seen them scatter when I knocked that piece out! Birds loved them! I found them in several other places around the house and always around wet and rotting wood. Just found more in the subfloor of the master bath we ripped out last month. They are no longer going after the dishwasher, but I know of at least one more place in the garage wall they might be hanging out. I have occasionally gotten a piece of wood from our tree guy that was loaded with them, but as soon as I split it, they scattered and the birds took care of them. I have NEVER found any in my woodpile even exposed to the rain because I burn through it too fast. We have been 7 years fighting the little buggers, but I think we have them under control now without the use of poison or bait.

Maybe you can look on the neighbors wood pile as "sacrificial"; with it being more attractive than your wood pile, they may stay over there rather than attacking your stash! Keep your wood dry and you will never have a problem!

Chris

 

[jeffee]

Thanks you all!
I really appreciate your help.

-Jeff

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Jeff, if there are any wild turkeys in the area you can get them to help really easy. I found a big bunch once and it was early spring. Turkeys had been going through our back yard daily, so I took birdseed and just drew a line right to the ants. It did not take long for the turkeys to clean up the birdseed and then the ants. They came daily for a while looking for more ants.

 

[ControlFreak]

I too have found that the bait is useless, except to the guy who's selling it. He's doing quite well.

I said this on another thread that the carpenter ants are good for informing you that you have some wet, possibly rotting wood somewhere. They find a problem that's already there, they don't create the problem. So, to get rid of them, you eliminate the environment and they go away.

I'm not even convinced that they need wet wood. I had a load of the composite (plastic) decking sitting on my driveway for a couple months. When I picked up the last few pieces that were sitting directly on the asphalt driveway, there were carpenter ants living in the wetness between the plastic decking and the asphalt.

 

[jeffee]

I think one of the keys is knowing where their main travel paths are; I have found their main (I think) avenue in and out of the house -- it's in the bulkhead. That's where I have 8 poison baits waiting to welcome them.

I think that once they're set up in a colony in a house, and then you address the water problem, they don't necessarily leave. They can find water many places.

I guess I'm sort or becoming an expert -- well, we'll see; Maybe I'm wrong about this stuff.

-Jeff