HOUSE BUGS HELP!!!

[emilykantz]

Today I found three small holes in my drywall. 1/4 inch or smaller. They were just above the wooden base board. There were also two areas where they clearly burrowed under and removed paint on the wall. Please help with what these are and how to remove them!!! It is in a common area so I know this only happened today, because I would have seen if it was yesterday or previous day's.

[Chuck White]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, emilykantz!

[sprucebunny]

Welcome.
How old is the house ?

What part of the country ?

[emilykantz]

Thanks for your reply. In northwest PA near Erie. Built in 1920s.

[sprucebunny]

I don't know that much about bugs but if you don't want to call a professional, I'd start by drilling a hole near the activity and see what happens. You can always slap a piece of duct tape over the hole if you have to...

The ants have been terrible here this spring and it might be ants. If there was a hole you could spray something in there and if it's ants use those bait stations.

Good luck.

[SamB]

The wet spring here has the carpenter and other types of ants looking for new territory. Terro Ant Killer and Bayer Home Defense work well if your problem is indeed ants. You should see an occasional scout  if it is carpenter ants. Might want to call a professional exterminator if you can't identify the culprits.