Two days ago I scored a cheap cord of three year seasoned oak and some unidentified green wood that had just been cut and split from a homeowner just looking to get rid of it. I unloaded two plus minivan loads of the oak, and put a small amount of the green next to my house and left the rest in the minivan since as I was busy the last day and a half. I just started unloading the green stuff and found a mess of fairly large black ants (not giagantic, but by no means small). I killed a bunch of the ants but I know there are more and I don't know what to do with the wood sitting in my minivan nor the wood I already took out. It's at most an 1/8 of a cord. I don't see rot on the wood. What to do? Quick help is appreciated! I don't want to leave it in the minivan but don't know if I should unload it either and risk contaminating other wood, my house, etc.
Urgent help needed! Ants in wood I scored!
- Thread starter KennyK
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Thanks. My worry is mainly about them making their home in my house! I was also worried about them contaminating other wood I have, but as that's all seasoned it sound like it won't be an issue. I just moved the bit that was leaning up against my house about six feet away from the house. I also found a piece with a knot that was rotten and while I don't see any ants there, it looks like there once were (pic attached). Should I discard that piece, and if so where? Should I take the rest out of the minivan and stack in the same pile six feet away from the house? This is all a temporary location in my dirt driveway until I can move some wood around, hopefully this weekend. Should I have any fear/concern of these possibly being carpenter ants. I have some boric acid and am also wondering if I should make a sugar/borax solution and put some near the wood.
They probably are carpenter ants and again they need moist damp wood, so as long as your house is dry, no leaks from rain (they like outer window siles made of wood that collect moisture) you should be ok....that said, it's your house not mine and my closest stack of wood is 50 yards away....ive heard people on here using diatimasious earth to kill bugs
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
They are usually in Maples around here. When I split maple its almost inevitable there will be a huge ant colony in it somewhere.
I scored a monster white oak this year that fell on a buddies house and shed. It was full of termites at the base in the huge rounds... now we know why it ended up crushing his house and shed lmao...
I scored a monster white oak this year that fell on a buddies house and shed. It was full of termites at the base in the huge rounds... now we know why it ended up crushing his house and shed lmao...
pernox
Burning Hunk
I'd move it farther from the house - why tempt fate? You're PROBABLY fine assuming a relatively dried-in house. But if it were me, i wouldn't risk it. Of course, the lumber in my house pre dates the civil war, so I try not to take chances! 
As said above, once you get it split and drying the birds will enjoy the feast and the wood will be fine.
As said above, once you get it split and drying the birds will enjoy the feast and the wood will be fine.
Thanks for the replies. I got an idea that may be nuts but I'm giving it a go (feel free to tell me I'm nuts or suggest other ideas, why I shouldn't do this, etc.) I just put the bit of green wood I had taken out of my minivan back in the car with the rest of the green wood. I made a fairly large slurry of boric acid and sugar and put it on a Tupperware top that I put in the back of the minivan on top of some newspaper, on top of the blue tarp the wood is on. My hope is overnight most or all of the ants in the wood and in my car will feast on it and in the morning I'll wrap the whole slurry/Tupperware top/newspaper in a trash bag and throw it out far from my house. We tend to get some ants in the house in the spring and whenever I make one of these slurrys ants are all over it by the morning and all gone within a few days. We'll see what happens...
mountain man 2
Burning Hunk
I bang the pieces against the splitter n say the hell with it......I won't be burnin it for at least 2 years....they will be gone by then..
Yeah, definitely won't be bringing the wood inside my house anytime soon, but my fear is they will leave the wood looking for food and find there way into my home - is that an unnecessary concern?
Last edited:
Cut and split . . . let the birds feast.
I wouldn't necessarily do this right next to my house, but as long as your house doesn't have any rotten or wet wood you should be fine. I also tend to toss the ant-infested pieces aside and not mix them into my pile of split wood to give the birds a better shot at getting to the ants and less of a chance for them to find some other wood to make a home in.
I wouldn't necessarily do this right next to my house, but as long as your house doesn't have any rotten or wet wood you should be fine. I also tend to toss the ant-infested pieces aside and not mix them into my pile of split wood to give the birds a better shot at getting to the ants and less of a chance for them to find some other wood to make a home in.
mountain man 2
Burning Hunk
The ones I run into don't like 87 octane. I give them a quick soak, throw a match and the problem goes away. I keep those splits separate and don't stack them until I am sure the embers are out, usually after a couple days.
Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
Those ants go away real quick, as long as you are not bringing the wood into your house in the next couple weeks, no worries.
sportbikerider78
Minister of Fire
Split the wood and stack it. Carpenter ants house in moist areas only. As far as I know.
I'd spray or dust the stack when you're done for good measure.
I'd spray or dust the stack when you're done for good measure.
Z33
Burning Hunk
Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
No need to nuke ants with pesticide, the ants you see are workers and they dont breed. If you are paranoid there are some baits that the workers will carry back to the nest and then kill the nest, they are far less impact than a quick kill insecticide.
Talk to any pest control expert and they will tell you that if there are a lot of carpenter ants around a house, there is some wet wood somewhere they are nesting in. They can poison the nest with bait but inevitably they will keep colonizing the wet wood until its corrected. My personal experience is the same.
Talk to any pest control expert and they will tell you that if there are a lot of carpenter ants around a house, there is some wet wood somewhere they are nesting in. They can poison the nest with bait but inevitably they will keep colonizing the wet wood until its corrected. My personal experience is the same.
I've found some punky and / or ant eaten wood in places in my wood stacks where a tarp leaked. I throw those off to the side until I decide I want to light up the fire pit, and use 'em in that. In the mean time, keep the rest of the wood bone dry and the bugs won't want anything to do with it.
