How to Kill Wood Ants

Wood ants are almost always carpenter ants. Large, black and numerous, they live in rotting stumps, hollow porch columns, in the baseboards in your home or in your walls. They prefer wet wood, so they will stay near a water source, such as the wall behind your dishwasher.

Termites also chew on wood, but they are less common. Wood ants leave behind "sawdust" when they make their burrow nests; termites leave a mud-like trail.

What you'll need

• Honey
• Masking tape
• Boric Acid
• Insecticide
• Drill bit with 1/8-inch bit

Lure the ants out of their homes. Place small drops of diluted honey on the sticky side of masking tape. Leave it out in the open, then watch for ants. Usually at night, the ants will come to the honey.

Find the nests. The only effective way of killing wood ants is to find their nest and poison them. To find a nest, follow a carpenter ant until it returns to its nest. Once the ant has a taste of honey, it will probably go back to its nest.

Poison the nest. The ant will be nesting inside or outside your home. If the nest is inside, drill a few tiny holes (1/8-inch bit) at the site of the nest. Then place some boric acid in the holes. It will seep out and kill the ants. If the nest is outside, pat it thoroughly with an insecticide.

Look for more ants. Wood ants, unfortunately, often have several nests. In fact, most groups have one main nest and several satellite nests. You have to find them all to completely rid the area of the ants.

Call a professional. Odds are, it will be difficult to find all nests.

Tips & Warnings

Do not use poison or insecticide if children or pets are accessible. Or, remove your pets and any children from the area before using it.