Post AqTfXNO1OawFq2DpDM by Beedazzled@mastodon.green
(DIR) More posts by Beedazzled@mastodon.green
(DIR) Post #AqTcwHoEy7DTuzfjOq by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-26T14:34:54Z
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My carpenter ants have a small pile of "winter brood" as soon as it gets warm they are ready to increase in numbers. I can't wait to give them more places to explore #ants #CamponotusPennsylvanicus #carpenterAnts #antkeeping
(DIR) Post #AqTdcb3rmRFxn29kQ4 by llewelly@sauropods.win
2025-01-26T14:42:33Z
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@futurebird funny how the ant "farm" on the left looks like some kind of strange musical instrument, perhaps with its strings temporarily removed.
(DIR) Post #AqTeKjcXJofl4rQ4JM by Beedazzled@mastodon.green
2025-01-26T14:50:26Z
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@futurebird did they make those holes?
(DIR) Post #AqTeZRX4qsCTK1saQ5 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-26T14:52:49Z
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@Beedazzled No. They didn't carve the nest, and if they did they could easily escape. That they have been contained by this wooden nest for years is proof that carpenter ants can't destroy wooden structures that aren't already compromised by dry rot, water or termites. Carpenter ants don't eat wood. They will expand and shape rotting softer wood to make their homes. If seen in a home it's a sign that you have leaky pipes, dry rot or termites (the ants enjoy eating the termites.)
(DIR) Post #AqTeh14H88QXYo1DmK by stevenbodzin@thepit.social
2025-01-26T14:54:31Z
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@futurebird @Beedazzled how did I not know this
(DIR) Post #AqTeiJKKjGo4Tm9Aum by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-26T14:54:49Z
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@Beedazzled I know you didn't say this, but it's a point I like to stress: carpenter ants aren't just "termites but ants" they have a totally different role in the local food web, and simply killing the ants with spray will not solve the problem they might represent. (they might also just be hanging out in a house to stay warm and get free stuff)
(DIR) Post #AqTf52Q3l1aehYf8xU by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-26T14:58:51Z
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@stevenbodzin @Beedazzled Carpenter bees can bore a hole in solid wood that would stop a carpenter ant. But like the ants, they do not eat the wood. They make holes to keep their young safe in winter. They will often make many holes in a fence post or rail and this could cause a problem over a long time since they make new holes each year.
(DIR) Post #AqTfDaTb1BKse0OS3M by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-26T15:00:27Z
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@stevenbodzin @Beedazzled The holes are not entrances to extensive nests,It's not like with termites where they are eating out the center until it falls apart. They like the hole to be facing a flower garden so when the young emerge they have something to eat. So people may loose a rail on outdoor steps to bees or part of a deck... but they can't destroy a house. Sometimes paint can deter them, but they are such good pollinators I'd just let it beeee.
(DIR) Post #AqTfIplDcRXdUm8c8u by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-01-26T15:01:23Z
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@Beedazzled Ants love "free stuff" which to the ant mind is anything they can pick up and take away.
(DIR) Post #AqTfXNO1OawFq2DpDM by Beedazzled@mastodon.green
2025-01-26T15:03:49Z
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@futurebird thank you. Most interesting
(DIR) Post #AqTfYXsfraEsfx7JzM by stevenbodzin@thepit.social
2025-01-26T15:04:05Z
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@futurebird @Beedazzled Crystal words!I've mostly seen them in trees. Always many on Randall's Island by the gardens. Interesting to learn why. They have weird behavior going in and out of their holes. Bump into one another a lot in flight.
(DIR) Post #AqTlm7v3mefrw85mgy by Beedazzled@mastodon.green
2025-01-26T16:13:53Z
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@futurebird preaching to the converted here, we don't have termites in UK and I once had a house with an enitre wall in the kitchen being a massive, much loved by me, ant nest