The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:

18" deep, and few ants nests go down much more. In the
UK, that is - the same does NOT apply in the tropics!


In the tropics some of the species of White Ant are a serious threat to
buildings. They chew the wood and use the pulp for mushroom growing.
They then eat the mushrooms. The method of control is to search for the
queen and destroy her. The colony then breaks up and, hopefully, dies
out.

Safari ants are another kettle of fish! They bivouwac (Sp?) overnight
in ball shaped groups with the queen at the centre, each group can
number many hundreds of thousands of individuals. At daybreak the bivvy
breaks up and the ants form long columns consuming all living things in
their path. Obviously not every single organism is consumed, some
escaping. The columns move out from the bivvy in an arc and then bivvy
again. The next day the columns move in a different arc, eventually
coming full circle. This is a fascinating process to observe, but not
one for the faint hearted! Other tropical ants are capable of deep
excavations, probably to escape the heat of the baked earth.

HTH,

Compo - 2 years in Ethiopia, living with termites and Safari ants.

"Paul Anderson" wrote in message
...
Matthew Durkin said the following on 23/07/2004 20:32:
Hi All,
I seem to have a large ant population living somewhere under the front
of
the house. They are throwing out quite large amounts of sand / soil.
Can they cause structural damage to the house? They ventured into the
house
earlier this year, but some ant stop spray stopped them right away. Now
I'm
just worried about them damaging the house.
On the front yard (paved) they seem to appear by making holes surrounded
by
sand/earth from the edges of the paving.

let me know if there's anything I should do. How much would an
exterminator
cost?

Thanks,
Matthew


I've been fighting a loosing battle with ants for 2 years. They have made
my lawn look
like a mole colony lives under it and my paving slabs are all uneven from
their activity.
I've tried every poison going which at best keeps them at bay for a couple
of weeks. One
day last week I came home from work to find seven (yes 7) nests on/under
the lawn and a
further six nests in various other places such including under the window
boxes and
between gaps in the brickwork and paving slabs.

I sat down with a brew while I considered my options.

I called a one man war cabinet and drew up a highly detailed map of the
garden. I decided
a massive assault from several fronts using different weapons was in
order. The lawn would
be rescued using insecticide spray bought from the local garden centre
armoury which had
already proved itself a worthy weapon in earlier battles. The paving slabs
would be
liberated using 'Nippon Powder' obtained from 'Wilkinson's, a general
housewares store
that also sells insect extermination weapons from a carefully hidden shelf
near to the
hanging basket display area. I also armed myself with a freshly boiled
kettle to take care
of any 'runners' then took a deep breath and went into battle.

To be continued...



Crikey - sounds like you have a real problem! Mine seem to all live in one
place at the front of my house (well under the front wall I think) and march
in a very neat line round the side, under my side gate, along the side path
and to my back garden where they milk the billions of aphids we seem to have
this year. I don't have a lawn, and as yet, the holes appearing under the
paving at the front of my house hasn't caused the paving to move.
Let me know if you are successful. I may need to carry out a similar
exercise if they start to wreck my paving etc!!
thanks,
Matthew

On 25/7/04 9:26, in article , "Matthew
Durkin" wrote:

"Paul Anderson" wrote in message
...
Matthew Durkin said the following on 23/07/2004 20:32:
Hi All,
I seem to have a large ant population living somewhere under the front
of
the house. They are throwing out quite large amounts of sand / soil.
Can they cause structural damage to the house? They ventured into the
house
earlier this year, but some ant stop spray stopped them right away. Now
I'm
just worried about them damaging the house.
On the front yard (paved) they seem to appear by making holes surrounded
by
sand/earth from the edges of the paving.

let me know if there's anything I should do. How much would an
exterminator
cost?

Thanks,
Matthew


I've been fighting a loosing battle with ants for 2 years. They have made
my lawn look
like a mole colony lives under it and my paving slabs are all uneven from
their activity.
I've tried every poison going which at best keeps them at bay for a couple
of weeks. One
day last week I came home from work to find seven (yes 7) nests on/under
the lawn and a
further six nests in various other places such including under the window
boxes and
between gaps in the brickwork and paving slabs.

I sat down with a brew while I considered my options.

I called a one man war cabinet and drew up a highly detailed map of the
garden. I decided
a massive assault from several fronts using different weapons was in
order. The lawn would
be rescued using insecticide spray bought from the local garden centre
armoury which had
already proved itself a worthy weapon in earlier battles. The paving slabs
would be
liberated using 'Nippon Powder' obtained from 'Wilkinson's, a general
housewares store
that also sells insect extermination weapons from a carefully hidden shelf
near to the
hanging basket display area. I also armed myself with a freshly boiled
kettle to take care
of any 'runners' then took a deep breath and went into battle.

To be continued...



Crikey - sounds like you have a real problem! Mine seem to all live in one
place at the front of my house (well under the front wall I think) and march
in a very neat line round the side, under my side gate, along the side path
and to my back garden where they milk the billions of aphids we seem to have
this year. I don't have a lawn, and as yet, the holes appearing under the
paving at the front of my house hasn't caused the paving to move.
Let me know if you are successful. I may need to carry out a similar
exercise if they start to wreck my paving etc!!
thanks,
Matthew



My stepdaughter has recently used an ant killer called 'Kybosh' which she
got from Tucker's Maltings. She says it's extremely effective. She was
driven to this because ants had invaded her hallway and - she thinks - were
laying eggs between the floorboards, though this sounds a bit unlikely to
me. My knowledge of ant behaviour is very rudimentary, so perhaps she's
right! Before she moved in, earlier this year, the house had been
unoccupied for some time which might account for the ant explosion.
My own experience of using Nippon is that it's not much use. It's been
around for a long time, so perhaps the ants are used to it now and have
developed an immunity!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

Hi All,
I seem to have a large ant population living somewhere under the front of
the house. They are throwing out quite large amounts of sand / soil.
Can they cause structural damage to the house? They ventured into the house
earlier this year, but some ant stop spray stopped them right away. Now I'm
just worried about them damaging the house.
On the front yard (paved) they seem to appear by making holes surrounded by
sand/earth from the edges of the paving.

let me know if there's anything I should do. How much would an exterminator
cost?

Thanks,
Matthew

In message , Rod
writes
Don't think the foundations (if any) in this house go that deep. The
volume of sand the ants have shifted in the 29 years we've been here is
unbelievable, under the walls inside and out, under the floor tiles,
around the fireplace. It's hard to know what's left holding the place
up so if I go quiet - better come and search the rubble. We've had the
flying ants coming from the middle of the floor ar well as from under
the walls and behind the plaster.

I think we're on the way to same. For many years we've had a few around
one of the windows, but this year the population seems to have exploded
- millions of flying ants coming out of the walls for a whole week! I
think the whole cavity, filled with rockwool, must be one enormous ants'
nest....
--
Klara, Gatwick basin

In article ,
Klara writes:
| In message , Rod
| writes
| Don't think the foundations (if any) in this house go that deep. The
| volume of sand the ants have shifted in the 29 years we've been here is
| unbelievable, under the walls inside and out, under the floor tiles,
| around the fireplace. It's hard to know what's left holding the place
| up so if I go quiet - better come and search the rubble. We've had the
| flying ants coming from the middle of the floor ar well as from under
| the walls and behind the plaster.
|
| I think we're on the way to same. For many years we've had a few around
| one of the windows, but this year the population seems to have exploded
| - millions of flying ants coming out of the walls for a whole week! I
| think the whole cavity, filled with rockwool, must be one enormous ants'
| nest....

It's very likely. Such cavities are ideal nesting places, for bees
as well as ants, but the consequences are rarely more than a minor
nuisance. And, just think, the ants are doing some of your cleaning
for free :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes
| I think we're on the way to same. For many years we've had a few around
| one of the windows, but this year the population seems to have exploded
| - millions of flying ants coming out of the walls for a whole week! I
| think the whole cavity, filled with rockwool, must be one enormous ants'
| nest....

It's very likely. Such cavities are ideal nesting places, for bees as
well as ants, but the consequences are rarely more than a minor
nuisance. And, just think, the ants are doing some of your cleaning
for free :-)

Thanks, Nick, that sounds reassuring - I think? Do you really think it's
ok to just leave them? We would much rather ... but we are going to have
to sell up when we retire. What effect will it have on resale value?
--
Klara, Gatwick basin

In message , Nick Maclaren
writes
| I think we're on the way to same. For many years we've had a few around
| one of the windows, but this year the population seems to have exploded
| - millions of flying ants coming out of the walls for a whole week! I
| think the whole cavity, filled with rockwool, must be one enormous ants'
| nest....

It's very likely. Such cavities are ideal nesting places, for bees as
well as ants, but the consequences are rarely more than a minor
nuisance. And, just think, the ants are doing some of your cleaning
for free :-)

Thanks, Nick, that sounds reassuring - I think? Do you really think it's
ok to just leave them? We would much rather ... but we are going to have
to sell up when we retire. What effect will it have on resale value?
--
Klara, Gatwick basin

In article ,
Klara wrote:

Thanks, Nick, that sounds reassuring - I think? Do you really think it's
ok to just leave them? We would much rather ... but we are going to have
to sell up when we retire. What effect will it have on resale value?

Subject to my advice being worth what you paid for it, yes. But
you may want to ask professional advise to cover yourself, though
the trouble is so many experts advise treatment just to cover
themselves! You have to make up your own mind about whether the
nest is likely to cause trouble.

As far as selling up is concerned, killing ants in the walls is
cheap and easy. Dealing with rot and rising damp isn't, for
example.



Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Klara wrote:

Thanks, Nick, that sounds reassuring - I think? Do you really think it's
ok to just leave them? We would much rather ... but we are going to have
to sell up when we retire. What effect will it have on resale value?

Subject to my advice being worth what you paid for it, yes. But
you may want to ask professional advise to cover yourself, though
the trouble is so many experts advise treatment just to cover
themselves! You have to make up your own mind about whether the
nest is likely to cause trouble.

As far as selling up is concerned, killing ants in the walls is
cheap and easy. Dealing with rot and rising damp isn't, for
example.



Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Matthew Durkin said the following on 23/07/2004 20:32:
Hi All,
I seem to have a large ant population living somewhere under the front of
the house. They are throwing out quite large amounts of sand / soil.
Can they cause structural damage to the house? They ventured into the house
earlier this year, but some ant stop spray stopped them right away. Now I'm
just worried about them damaging the house.
On the front yard (paved) they seem to appear by making holes surrounded by
sand/earth from the edges of the paving.

let me know if there's anything I should do. How much would an exterminator
cost?

Thanks,
Matthew


I've been fighting a loosing battle with ants for 2 years. They have made my lawn look
like a mole colony lives under it and my paving slabs are all uneven from their activity.
I've tried every poison going which at best keeps them at bay for a couple of weeks. One
day last week I came home from work to find seven (yes 7) nests on/under the lawn and a
further six nests in various other places such including under the window boxes and
between gaps in the brickwork and paving slabs.

I sat down with a brew while I considered my options.

I called a one man war cabinet and drew up a highly detailed map of the garden. I decided
a massive assault from several fronts using different weapons was in order. The lawn would
be rescued using insecticide spray bought from the local garden centre armoury which had
already proved itself a worthy weapon in earlier battles. The paving slabs would be
liberated using 'Nippon Powder' obtained from 'Wilkinson's, a general housewares store
that also sells insect extermination weapons from a carefully hidden shelf near to the
hanging basket display area. I also armed myself with a freshly boiled kettle to take care
of any 'runners' then took a deep breath and went into battle.

To be continued...