Examine your foundation for cracks and tightly seal.
Ants behind vinyl siding.
They burrow into it to make their nests so they leave behind a wood dust.
Trim trees and bushes that touch a home s roofing and siding.
But with carpenter ants you really need to find the nest which is probably in wood somewhere underneath that siding.
Earwigs roaches ants wasps and bees just to name a few often find your homes siding a perfect place where they can feel protected too.
If you frequently see ants in the same area on the siding there s probably a nest in there.
Ants nesting in dead branches use the limbs as a bridge to the house.
As most of the posters said water or moisture is the reason they are there.
If you have a serious carpenter ant problem you may find wood shavings underneath your siding.
If winged ants come out of crevices around your home this is a strong sign that you have a serious ant problem.
If it can t be found once you pull the siding you ll need to find some other way to locate it and get the dust in there.
And you need to make sure you treat that with a strong insecticide.
If you notice the ants carting off their eggs then they are moving out.
How to get rid of ants begin with looking for holes in the siding where ants are crawling in and out.
If you are leaving the siding off for a short period of time to dry out i would get a spray container and fill it with a bleach solution then spray the area.
No animal insect or bacteria likes bleach.
The problem with treating pests that lodge behind this shielding is that it gives you very little access to inject anything meaningful.