Any ideas on window sill debris.

[Erby]

Y'all got any ideas on what this debris on the window sill is.

It's a second story east facing window of a large brick veneer house.

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[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Erby

Y'all got any ideas on what this debris on the window sill is.

It's a second story east facing window of a large brick veneer house.

The tan colored things look like pupal cases from ants.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[sepefrio]

Probably not this, and you can ask the owner to settle it real quick but....

We have a bird, and keep the cage in front of the window. Maybe those could be the empty seed pods from the feeder? Mine looks like that, although it generally covers the entire sill.

[Chad Fabry]

What Jim Katen said: it looks like ant frass.

[Neal Lewis]

There are ant body parts mixed in with the frass.

[Steven Hockstein]

I agree that it looks like carpenter ants and frass.

It also appears that replacement window balances and sashes have been installed (looks like "Weathershield" brand). When were the windows replaced? The ants couldd nesting in the voids behind the new sash balances.

[hausdok]

Hi,

I think Jim is right; that does look like pupa case debris. It's coming from above or it wouldn't have ended up on the edge of that screen frame. Look at the top of the casing for a slit or a little hole through which they're dropping the debris; carpenter ants are fastidious and dont' like to have trash hanging around inside they're nest and they'll dump it to the outside. Is that the sunny side of the house? Around here, they seem to prefer burrowing into the headers and jack studs around windows on sunny sides of a home and turning them into nurseries.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Tom Raymond]

Originally posted by Steven Hockstein

I agree that it looks like carpenter ants and frass.

It also appears that replacement window balances and sashes have been installed (looks like "Weathershield" brand). When were the windows replaced? The ants couldd nesting in the voids behind the new sash balances.

Good catch on the sash kits! Personally, I would prefer to see the sash before I'd guess the brand though[:-graduat

Tom

[Steven Hockstein]

Me too, if I was there, I would have checked the sashes for more info. The brand was just an educated guess based on the photos provided and the balance systems I have seen.

[Erby]

Thanks y'all. I appreciate the help.

The seller claims original windows. About 12 years old.

Water damage to the sills indicate old rather than replacement.

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[hausdok]

Hi,

Well, there's your damage - probably filled in with Fixall. They're probably in the framing around the window too.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Steven Hockstein]

Originally posted by Erby

Thanks y'all. I appreciate the help.

The seller claims original windows. About 12 years old.

Water damage to the sills indicate old rather than replacement.

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Is that house only 12 years old?

A little drift but may be helpful...

There are replacement window kits that do not require new sills or framed units. The downside of these windows is that the existing frames have to be square or they don't seal well. The best part of these windows is that you don't lose daylight because there are no additional frames required around the windows and you don't have to have white vinyl windows (you can get them with many finish options).

It is a good choice in old homes where there is going to be an addition with new windows and you want to replace the rest of the windows in the house to match. There are minor aesthetic differences between the replacement and new windows but most people can not tell. Marvin and Weathershield brand windows are common in this area.

A good installer can neatly replace each window in less than a half hour. For those of you that want to see how they should be installed...

http://www.weathershield.com/assets/doc ... 2_vr13.pdf

[hiredkilr 2]

from your statement and pic Im 99%positive its from Carpenter ants

Mike

[Erby]

Well, Mike, thanks for your confirmation but I couldn't wait three months to deliver the report. I just went with the first four and five and told em to have a pest control guy look at it.

[Robert Jones]

Definitely looks like carpenter ant frass. Look for a small entry/exit hole in the sill.

Rob Jones

[Terence McCann]

Reminds me of my first apartment. Every morning I'd wake up and there would be 20-30 carpenter ants around the kitchen sink. I looked high and low through that place and could never find where they coming from. After a few weeks I went to a local exterminating supply house and spoke with one of the techs there. He asked me if there were wooden doors in the place - all the interior doors were wood. He said that they nest in hollow wooden doors and to look for a little square hole in the top of the door. He also stated that if there is a square hole in the top of the door there will also be one in the bottom of the door, directly under the hole in the top of the door.

I came back with a can of ant killer and looked at the top of all the interior doors and sure enough, each one had a little square hole in it. I put a piece duct tape on the bottom of the door, shot a bunch of juice in the top and then put a piece of duct tape over the top of the door.

Never saw another ant.

[ghentjr]

I always carried a stethoscope in my truck. You suspect ants you can usually hear them, especially in hollow core doors.

P.S. Note to hiredkiler above. Check the date of the posts you want to respond to so your response is still relevant to the question.