Resolving Pest Control Issues

Dealing With Carpenter Ants? Tips To Get Them Out Of Your Home

11 November 2018 by Lance Burke

Carpenter ants are more dangerous than the average ant. This is because they form tunnels in wood in order to build their nests. They do not eat wood as termites do, but can still cause damage due to the tunnels, especially if you have a lot of ants. To help you, below is information on where to find carpenter ants, how to get them out of your home, and what you can do to prevent them from coming back again.

Where to Find Carpenter Ants

You will find carpenter ants near decaying or damp wood. This is because it is much easier to make tunnels in this type of wood. Carpenter ants that come into a home are coming from a larger colony outdoors in order to find food. They may create tunnels in soft materials, such as insulation board, foam, or plastic in order to create nests.

You will find carpenter ants in any moist areas in your home, like where condensation builds up, such as on windows, roof vents, and drains in your bathroom or kitchen.

If you have pets, carpenter ants will be attracted to their food in their bowls, as well as food bags left open. They also like anything sweet and sugary.

Remove Carpenter Ants

You can first try to remove the carpenter ants on your own. This may work well if you do not have a lot of them in your home. You can use a product that attracts the ants in the areas that you find them. This product is in liquid form, generally a thick gel. Put a line of the product on the surface. The carpenter ants will be drawn to the gel, eat it, and then take some of the gel back to the nest. Even though this gel tastes good to the ants, it will kill them.

Continue using the product for a few days until you see none of it is being eaten. How long this takes depends on how many ants are inside your home.

Prevent Carpenter Ants from Coming Back

Once you see no more carpenter ants in your home, you need to take steps to ensure they do not come back again. First, make some changes inside your home. If you have pets, do not leave food inside their bowls. You should also put their food in a sealed container. Pet food is often sweet-tasting, and the carpenter ants will be drawn to it. Always wipe up sugary spills, such as from jelly, honey, etc. Do not leave dirty dishes in your sink that have anything sweet on them.

Check windows for leaks, such as in the weather stripping. If any of this stripping is deteriorating, replace it with new material. Check for gaps in the window frames. Also check the doors around the edges, and at the top and bottom for any gaps. Check for cracks in the foundation also.

If you have a dripping faucet in any sink, contact a plumber to repair it for you. While the plumber is there, they can check your home for plumbing leaks.

If you are still dealing with carpenter ants, contact a pest control company to come to your home and remove them for you. Companies like Be There Pest Control can help.

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