Zeedman
Garden Master
Maybe all of yours flew here this year.
They are a perennial pest for me. There is a permanent nest inside a large box elder in my front yard, from which I suspect they keep spreading. Had I not accidentally discovered the hundreds of winged queens in my wood pile awaiting the Spring, they could have been a major problem next year. I'm concerned that there may be more colonies in my wood piles, still undiscovered... which discourages me from bringing a lot of wood inside, unless thoroughly inspected.
About every other year, carpenter ants appear in the house... probably queens spreading out from the main nest. I can usually locate their entry point by following their trails, and baiting that spot kills the nest. This usually happens in early Summer. However, carpenter ants have started showing up in the house now - which tells me that they are not coming in from outdoors.
DW & I are killing 10-15 ants a day, and had to move the kitchen garbage can because the ants had located it. I suspect they have started a nest beneath the front entryway, but have been unable to find their entry point, and baiting hasn't yet been effective. The ants are moving slowly, they may be starving... so if we can prevent them from finding a food source, the nest may die. If not, this may be the first time we call an exterminator, because we can't risk allowing carpenter ants to build a nest in the foundation.
)...
. This hot house fuchsia flower is already cold brrrr. 
