On the heels of my last blog, I though I would post something about the real "Modoc."  And while Camplumbnotus Modoc is a very serious and aggressive pest, they don' usually do quite as much damage as Camponotus Modoc (Carpenter Ant).

     These creatures are the largest ants we see in the NW and they love to live in wood.  Wait a minute---my house is made of wood!  They don't even eat the wood for food.  They just chomp it up and spit it out and use the holes they carve to make MORE ANTS---all to support the queen that might be as much as 100 meters away in the parent nest.  The nests in the house are usually just one of possibly many "satellite" nests.  You can often see the ants going back and forth between the house and the parent nest.  Elimination of the infestation usually requires finding and treating the parent nest as well as the infestation in the home.  This work requires the expertise of a licensed Pest Control Operator----a little can of Raid and some sticky traps is not going to cut it.

     On an inspection last Summer I found some packing tape on a window sill.  I removed the tape only to have a "water fall" of very angry Carpenter Ant Soldiers cascade out---ready to do battle with the offender that opened up their world.

Nice paint job on the wall too!

Charles Buell