Termite and Wood Boring Insects - recommended distance - wood pile to house

I have done some recent gutter / fascia / soffit repair in a bid to evict carpenter ants and replace rotten wood. In a desire to further reduce the risk of infestation I would like to know how far away from the structure wood piles should be kept. We have an old - improperly stacked pile of firewood, currently half rotten, left by the previous owners that is approx 40' away from the garage. Our neighbors have a small woodpile, nicely kept at about 50' from our house. I would like to avoid having to haul away the old pile, but will do it if necessary.

Thanks in advance for you input.

A pile of decaying wood sounds unsightly in the landscape and is a haven for carpenter ants and termites. There could be a colony of termites beneath the wood pile. Termites travel underground to your home.

Carpenter ants have a main colony and set up satellite colonies. The main colony may be in the woodpile or elsewhere. Why take a chance with your home? Haul off the wood pile. If there is evidence of termites, drench the soil with termiticide. If it's just carpenter ants, treat the soil with an ant bait which will be carried into the colony and possibly to satellite colonies where it will kill ants. While termites can infest dry or wet wood, they are usually found in homes where there are moisture issues. Repair of damaged wood without treating for carpenter ants will not eliminate the carpenter ants from structures. The colony may be located in a wall void or in the attic. Finding and destroying nests is best. Carpenter ants are most active at night. If you have ants inside the home, you can put a dab of honey on a piece of paper. After they eat the honey, follow them back to the nest. They may disappear behind baseboard or cabinets or door or window frame. If inside a wall void, drill holes and puff in boric acid powder. You may follow the ants to a nest outdoors. Inspect around foundation at night for carpenter ant activity. You can use the honey trick to follow them to the nest.

A regular perimeter residual insecticide treatment of foundation and surrounding area tends to keep most insects at bay. If carpenter ant nests are not located and destroyed, the ants will continue to be a problem.

Thanks for the info - good stuff. After repairing the leaks and replacing the wood, I have used a carpenter ant spray applied around the foundation, and a bait, also applied around the foundation. Both were specific for carpenter ants and available at the home center. I used the spray to kill the ants found in the rotten wood as it was removed, and sprayed the porch ceiling cavity when it was open for repair.

I will call around to have the old wood hauled away - i will bait in the area of the wood pile in the meantime

thanks again for your input.

UPDATE:

will be having a pro stop out to spray perimeter, RR ties and wood to attempt to head off any further problems - it will be a contract with garauntee. Also quoted haul away of the wood pile - it's gone, man. Maybe I can even have them haul the fence I'm demo-ing.