Is this Rot, or Insects?

[gregwni]

If you look at the attached picture, you will see what i have recently had "fall out of" or "appear under" my oak skirting boards in a couple of places.

It also coincides to where i have recently discovered what look to be ants.

I gave it all a good bast with a steam cleaner, and it has reduced the ants a little, but there are still the odd one running over the tiled floor.

Im not sure what this other "stuff" is - whether its some insect eating the oak, or just something falling out of the wall behind the oak, or some insect / mould material?

Anyone got any idea what im looking at here in the pic below between the skirting board and the tiles?

Uh oh

• gregwni
• 12 Dec 2012
• 1

What is this?

 

[Harbourwoodwork]

I am only guessing but it coul be debris from an ants nest, If it were mine I would make it a nasty place for ants with a good dose of ant powder and see how that goes and in the future I would seal the gap with clear silicon to keep the biddies out I am sure others will add to this.

 

[gregwni]

Ive put out a couple of "ant bait" things that supposedly give the ants something to take back to the nest that kills it/ the ants.

Ill give that a few days and see if it clears it up - ive also ordered other ant killing stuff.

Think i agree that if thats all it is, once they are gone, ill be out with the silicone gun!

Also found some stuff you can spray in that sort of repels them, so might put it in first, before the silicon, as an extra measure.

However, anyone else think this is just ants? (thats what im hoping!)

 

[joe-90]

Yes it's ants. I've got a summer house in the garden that has had them in there for years - I don't disturb them, they aren't doing any harm. Over the years I must have swept up a rubble sack full of debris, but is a little different in composition to yours. Basically, what they do is dig up the ground below and bring up the debris like a coal miner does. Mine is basically soil.

 

[joinerjohn]

I wouldn't have thought it would be ants , at this time of year anyway. Too clod for the little blighters

 

[TheVictorian]

It looks like a combination of ant debris and pubic hair to me.

 

[joe-90]

Yeah I saw that.

 

[regsmyth]

I can't quite tell, but it looks like the dried up shells of woodlice and other little things that those long legged spiders leave after sucking them dry. Would you rather have lots of little things or just one or two predatory spiders?

 

[gregwni]

I have found a few ants in the house , so kinda hoping thats what it is. That stuff all appeared over a day or two though - kinda fast !

 

[joe-90]

It's definitely little black ants. They can do more than that in a day.