If you have observed large black ants in the house, chances are you are dealing with carpenter ants. You see them marching in a long line from one point to another, some carrying particles of food. Black ants are sociable creatures who prefer to live in colonies. Most people leave them well alone because they don’t consider them pests. However that is a mistake, a small population can grow to large colony that can cause structural damage. Ant control is important to make sure the population is eliminated. They usually leave humans alone, and will sting only when irritated. In reality though, they can do a lot of damage to the structure of a house. When they build their nests, they burrow through wood, eating them away and weakening the structure. Thus, when you see them inside, you should track down their nest and destroy it before it destroys your house.
There are plenty of commercial products that you can use to destroy the nest. Just make sure that you have found and located it because these carpenter ants can be devious. They build satellite nests that house worker ants, and will travel from there to the main nest. If you would rather not wage a chemical war against these creatures, you can use borax instead. Black ants have a sweet tooth, so mix borax with some sugar and then spray them on the nest or along the trail that they use. They will carry the sugar to the nest, effectively becoming the instrument of their own doom.
Once you’ve destroyed their nest, take steps to ensure that no other colony will reside in your house. Carpenter ants like moisture, and will enter a structure looking for protein and sugar, their main food source. You should seal wooden cracks in your house so that they do not have anything to tunnel through. Do not allow moist to form anywhere. The wooden parts in your bathroom are favorite places to build a nest. Spray borax on these cracks immediately once you see black ants hanging around.
It takes a little patience to get rid of carpenter ants. They are usually active at night, so if you want to destroy them, wait for them to come out and track down their hideout. With the right spray, you can totally annihilate them.