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The site My guest house is some 200 years old and has walls of basalt stone and earth. These are 80 - 90cm thick at ground level and about 65cm at first floor level. During renovation 15 years ago there was a reinforced concrete ring cast in situ at the original ceiling level and the building height increased by the 100cm to enable useable attic rooms. The rear wall of the building is built into a hill which completely abuts the building up to the original gutter line. During the renovation there was a plastic liner placed on the inside of this rear wall and a false single brick wall constructed in front of this. A new ceiling / first floor was installed constructed as follows 15cm x 15cm beams (parallel to the rear wall), 25mm boards, tar paper, 50mm high density rock wool, 12cm concrete with 6mm rebar net.
The problem At the second beam from the rear wall there is a continual dust of detritus falling from the ceiling and it is evident that there is an ant’s nest either in the adjacent side wall or in the rock wool or both. (Recently during stormy weather some ants started their winged migration swarm). I have looked for signs of ant paths around the house and hill but so far have found none.
The questions How can the ants be exterminated or persuaded to leave without coming back or otherwise migrating to elseware in the structure? Is the activity of the ants likely to be damaging to the fabric of the building or the timbers? (There is already some blown rendering on the wall around the site of the beam (rendering is sand/lime/cement mix))
Mix up some sugar with bicarbonate of soda - they like the taste but it doesn't do them any good - they will even carry it back into the nest so you don't have delivery problems
In the UK garden centers sell ant killer. One is a jelly like substance that the ants collect and take back to the nest. Once you see no activity you have to block up the holes they use for access or they will be back.
A bit of a stretch of the imagination for most, no doubt., but, personally, I would simply ask the ants to leave. I have had several experiences with both ant invasions as well as wasps nests. Due to my particular outlook on life.. I have been in deep conflict over the matter, after all, I didn't exactly want the little critters taking over everything, yet, I didn’t want to kill them either. So I asked them, verbally, as well as mentally, to please leave. I sent them a fim message that I wished them no harm, but PLEASE go away, I was desperate !!
they left !
To use this technique, you would genuinely need to have respect for these life forms, to value their existence. They will soon enough pick up your intention. In some cases it took no more than a day or two, for me to get the desired result.
I , indeed, sympathize with your situation, Paul, infestation is not pleasant, and reaching for the nearest can of DDT, the, seemingly, easy way out is tempting.. However we must not forget that it is ~ We, who encroach upon the natural environment, and not the other way around.
The last thing I , personally, would ever want to do is fall out of harmony with nature, just so I can indulge my unnatural , clinically steriile way of life ( compared to the majority of sentient creatures upon this globe )
~ We are the ones, out of harmony, out of step, with the one-ness of this Earth, our mother and life source. If we are to ever regain our footing in the natural rhythm of things, we must learn to befriend, and not make an enemy of the other living creatures with whom we share this planet.
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