carpenter ants and sealing up my cabin

containercabin · June 18, 2013, 11:50:55 PM

Hey

My 12'x12' prefab shed turn cabin has some openings. We saw ants walking around (big black ones) not sure if carpenter ants but they were in the top corner of the cabin. Once I started spraying in the corner about 80 of them came out and died... This is shocking to see so many ants. I feel like my cabin has many small gaps and I would like to seal as much as I can before we finish the walls....

Any tips on what to use. I was thinking - foam in a can, calking, and duct type, where applicable... My wife wants me to spray foam the entire cabin but I don't want so many chemicals in there.

Also, any tips how to deal with ants?

Redoverfarm · June 19, 2013, 07:04:06 AM

Carpenter ants go after wet wood so you may have a hidden issue that you are not seeing. In regards to getting rid of them find a "borate" bait product or search for the mixture to make your own. Ideally they will take the borate to the colony and it will kill them. Look for a trail on the outside to the structure and put the product there.

http://www.ehow.com/how_7326478_make-ant-poison-borax.html

http://tipnut.com/ant-killer/

June 19, 2013, 12:08:57 PM

we've been through the seasonal flush of pith ants that like Terro (borate and sugar) and now have the carpenter ants moving through during their seasonal swarm. Most likely this is what's going on ... but they are looking.

containercabin · June 19, 2013, 12:31:14 PM

Quote from: Redoverfarm on June 19, 2013, 07:04:06 AM
Carpenter ants go after wet wood so you may have a hidden issue that you are not seeing. In regards to getting rid of them find a "borate" bait product or search for the mixture to make your own. Ideally they will take the borate to the colony and it will kill them. Look for a trail on the outside to the structure and put the product there.

http://www.ehow.com/how_7326478_make-ant-poison-borax.html

http://tipnut.com/ant-killer/

You might be spot on... The ridge capping on my roof (prefab shed with metal roof) was damaged in shipping this shed to me.... They hit a bridge. It is right next to it there. I'll need to fix that asap.... Definitely my next project now that you mention this.

THANKS!!!!!!!

containercabin · June 19, 2013, 12:37:24 PM

Important question.....

My cabin is 13' tall... 2x6 rafters with 1/2" osb sheating.

How to I go on it? I am afraid of falling. I don't think I can even get those long roof ladders as the angle will be strange becasue I made the roof fairly NOT steep... So the angle will extend way out to the ground which means that I will be walking/climbing the ladder for some time in the air until I reach the roof..

Is that the way it is done?

June 19, 2013, 12:51:01 PM

Quote from: containercabin on June 19, 2013, 12:37:24 PM
Important question.....

My cabin is 13' tall... 2x6 rafters with 1/2" osb sheating.

How to I go on it? I am afraid of falling. I don't think I can even get those long roof ladders as the angle will be strange becasue I made the roof fairly NOT steep... So the angle will extend way out to the ground which means that I will be walking/climbing the ladder for some time in the air until I reach the roof..

Is that the way it is done?

Picture?

containercabin · June 19, 2013, 08:59:43 PM

Sir yes sir!

OlJarhead · June 19, 2013, 11:27:24 PM

Not sure I understand the question I guess?

Seems to me the easiest is to put a ladder to the roof and climb right up onto it. That's a nice low slope that will hold you just fine and you could crawl on it with someone holding the ladder so it was easy to get back onto it.

containercabin · June 21, 2013, 07:20:46 PM

hhh.. That is what my father in law said - "just crawl on it..." I just have visions of the guy who posted that horrible image of metal pins being inserted into his hand after he fall off the roof.

I guess I just need to climb up and crawl carefully. No other safety things I can do?

MountainDon · June 21, 2013, 08:20:58 PM

Quote from: containercabin on June 19, 2013, 12:37:24 PM
I don't think I can even get those long roof ladders as the angle will be strange becasue I made the roof fairly NOT steep... So the angle will extend way out to the ground which means that I will be walking/climbing the ladder for some time in the air until I reach the roof..

Is that the way it is done?

If I understand that correctly, No. A non self supporting ladder, that is a ladder you lean against the building should never be placed at more than an angle of approx 75 degrees, measured at the base. Or, looking at it another way, divide the working length length of the ladder by 4 to determine how far out the ladder base should be. Example... if the roof eve extends one foot horizontally from the building and the ladder length (base to contact point on the eve is say 12 feet, then the ladder base should be placed ( 12 / 4 = 3 ) three feet plus the one foot eve distance from the wall. Too much slope = possibility of base sliding out or too great a load on the ladder and causing a collapse. Too steep a ladder = possibility of tipping away from the wall. Plus too steep is too awkward to climb.

The leadder top should extend about 3 feet above the eve contact point. Extension ladders of appropriate length makes setting this easy.

OHSA has use of ladder hints online, use Google. Other sites too.

Metal roofing can be slippery, more so when new. But definitely more slippery than shingles. Your slope/pitch is fairly low and should not be too difficult. A little bit of being afraid makes you more careful. Being fearless scares me. I have a pair of gum rubber soled shoes I save exclusively for metal roofs.