Unknown detritus
A tenant keeps getting a dark, dry granular pile of something forming on a window sill. I had Empire Pest look at it & it’s nothing they can identify. We’ve ruled out mold, iron filings & debris from carpenter ants. It’s not powdery but somewhat gritty. I’ll try to post a picture & would appreciate any ideas.

Arkady
in About Brooklyn 11 years and 3 months ago
13
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naturallythebestdotcom | 11 years and 2 months ago
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By the picture this looks like frass from a very specific ant. The argentine ant is found often times in water laden window sills, check out my website, [www.envirotechpestcontrol.com](http://www.envirotechpestcontrol.com “Enviro-Tech Pest Control”) or type in google “argentine ant frass” for some photos of similar issues. Obviously fix the leak and treat the source of the infestation and you should be all set. Let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks. Steven Nardozzi

Arkady | 11 years and 3 months ago
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Thanks for all the input – opens new possibilities to try.

BobMarvin | 11 years and 3 months ago
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When I was a kid, back in the ’50s, the window sills of our Forest Hills, Queens apartment accumulated crud like that. Back then all the apartment buildings had incinerators and boilers burned a heavy grade of oil. The former is no longer the case, but the latter may be. I’d agree with Bessie about the source of this stuff

NeoGrec | 11 years and 3 months ago
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I’m also gonna guess it might be some sort of structural degradation and/or leak. After we had the back of the house repointed, I’d find tiny amounts of sand on the kitchen window sill after big rains/winds. I checked the caulking around the window frame but never figured out where the air leak was. After we got new storm windows, the problem disappeared.

ventilated | 11 years and 3 months ago
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Leak repair is not a guarantee against infestation, especially after creating inviting, soggy condition in springtime. Suggest you pry away a portion of window sill, frame or wall.

Arkady | 11 years and 3 months ago
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The window is in the back, not on the street. And I believe it doesn’t leave a trail when you brush it off the way soot does.

Bessie | 11 years and 3 months ago
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The distribution in your tenant’s place makes it look like bugs, but maybe your window is tighter than mine. I get a constant film of black gritty stuff inside my sills which is definitely from auto pollution and perhaps from #6 oil. Some is pretty silty, but there are little chunks, too.

Arkady | 11 years and 3 months ago
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I had them test w/ a magnet so I don’t think rust.

daveinbedstuy | 11 years and 3 months ago
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Rust particles?

Arkady | 11 years and 3 months ago
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Thanks for thoughts. Boric acid’s a good idea although I don’t think it’s a biological thing or Empire would’ve caught it. It is the case that there were leaks in that wall over the winter but the gutter has been fixed & the wall has been re-pointed & there haven’t been any leaks for at least a month. Walls are steel stud w/ sheet rock. Tenant is trying to dissolve a sample in water – haven’t heard results yet. I’d appreciate further thoughts.

daveinbedstuy | 11 years and 3 months ago
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I thought the same thing.

ventilated | 11 years and 3 months ago
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Though the photo’s hard to make out, that looks like a whole lotta cockroach frass. Was this collecting under something on the sill, or is that a natural track? If Empire ruled out roaches, then look for a different insect infestation. Put down sticky traps and see whether you catch something. Spread boric acid. Check for pooling water nearby, whether inside or outside. If there are plants or plantings nearby, check for insect infestations. Put some of the poop in water and check for color changes. A pink or red tinge is an indicator for blood-feeding insects. Alternatively, is there some sort of grit being released by structural decay, settlement, construction, etc.?

Arkady | 11 years and 3 months ago
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Picture didn’t post – try again