Chris from Harrisville, Michigan writes
I noticed a few large black ants inside my home, and saw a few more outside. I bought the Carpenter Ant Kit #1 and used the bait around the perimeter of my home as directed. I saw many smaller brown ants immediately taking the bait, but the large black ants walked over it or around it with no apparent interest. Why aren't these ants taking the bait? They sure fit the description of Carpenter Ants!
When baiting for ants its all about acceptance and what the colony needs at the time. We cannot tell you for certain if the ants you are seeing are carpenter ants to determine whether they should be going to the bait or not. If you have the carpenter ant kit, you would want to put the two baits (gel and granule) side by side on a surface they will not absorb into for the ants to find. The gel is a sugar and the granule a protein so if only one is out and availble and they are searching for the other, that could be a reason they are passing over it. Baits will typically only hold up for a few days outdoors so if its been a while you may need to put fresh bait out. Also, the ants could already have another food source they are surviving on and are not actively searching for food. It often takes several weeks for an entire ant colony to be wiped out from the use of baits.
Answer last updated on: 05/13/2014
