I've been "playing" with all sorts of things to get rid of Carpenter Ants and I finally found a poison that will nail them. I have water oaks around my home and if you know those trees they rot from the inside out. That's a Carpenter Ants' dream home. The product is Termidor SC, or, Taurus SC; the Taurus is cheaper and that's what I used. They use the same active ingredient (Fipronil) in the same percentage. Neither are cheap! Amazon has it. You don't spray the ants or the nest, you spray where they travel which is the trunk of the tree in my case. I sprayed about a one foot wide band all around the tree trunks. In three or four days I started seeing dead and dying Carpenter Ants all over the ground; hundreds of them; Bingo. Exterminators use these products for termites. This is some bad poison so if you're a do-it-yourselfer, read ALL label precautions/instructions. You also need to treat again because eggs hatch. Maybe once every month I assume since I'm still working the situation. Good Luck!

If you have Carpenter Ants inside your house they are there for a reason, they are a symptom of a more serious problem, wet wood. Find this wet wood and fix the reason the wood gor wet, a leak someplace, and the Carpenter Ants will leaves. Ants outside the house are not a problem and are a major part of Ma NAtures recycling machine working away to keep us from being buried in our own trash.

Thank you, tj and Jean for your spot-on suggestions. I took your advice, and several certified arborists confirmed everything you said. The tree is not hazardous and leaving it be seems to be the best option. We were even advised not to try to exterminate the carpenter ants--apparently, they are happy where they are and not motivated to come into our home. An inspection of our home revealed no sign of carpenter ant infestation. I still cannot believe how out original arborist could be so wrong! Thank you both for putting me on the right track and saving me a lot of money and frustration, not to mention the loss of a good tree!

Yes, these are 100% carpenter ants. I saved some samples and the pest control co. Confirmed. I have researched it extensively, so understand about how they nest, the queen, and etc. Just nothing has worked including the pest co that just sprayed. The carpenter ant gel and granules did not work either, although they did hit on the granules and take it back to the nest, apparently it did not kill the queen. Please see my response to kimmq concerning wet or rotting wood. Thanks Much!