Carpenter Ants – What To Do When Your Home Turns Into An Ant Farm
Getting rid of carpenter ants in your home or garden means that you'll have to be just as organized as the ant colony that has decided to make your home their new home. You'll need to attack on all fronts and make sure that you get rid of them before they cause you untold amounts of misery, not to mention cost you a fair amount of money. Carpenter ants are aptly named: they are able to make short work of any wood products in and around your home. These six legged insects are persistent, and because they spread so fast, you must make every attempt to eliminate the problem as soon as you notice signs of carpenter ants.
How do I tell if I've got carpenter ants?
Carpenter ants are one of the largest ant varieties in the United States. They are usually about half an inch in length and have a black or reddish color. The first thing you have to understand about ants is that they are extremely organized. An ant colony has a number of ants all with different jobs and responsibilities. Carpenter ants love wood and they build their nests in any wood that may be in your yard or in the wood structure of your home. A good way to distinguish carpenter ants from termites is that carpenter ants do not eat the wood; they merely use it as housing and shelter.
What sort of damage is caused by Carpenter Ants?
The damage caused by carpenter ants may start small, but if left unchecked, it can quickly get costly. They start chewing away at the very center of a piece of wood, which could be an exposed beam, roofing timber or even walls. As they tunnel through the wood, they moveoutwards in ever expanding spirals and tunnels. As the colonies expand, they move rapidly through the wood in a home causing structural instability and eventually collapse. This is why it is so important to keep an eye out for the telltale signs that they leave behind. Small piles of what seems like dust or sawdust around wooden areas in your home are a good indication that carpenter ants have moved in.
How Do I get Rid of Carpenter Ants?
There are a number of DIY options that are effective at treating small colonies of carpenter ants. Once you have established the path of the ants, and their headquarters, you can move in with the effective skill of a Navy Seal covert operation. You can spray a pesticide into the entrance of their lair. However, this is really only effective if the colony is small. Sometimes you can also drill holes into the wood housing a potential nest and spray with a pesticide. If, however, you suspect you have a number of colonies across your home, the only way to get rid of them is to consult with a professional, someone reliable like the pest control experts at Termiguard, someone who will be able to exterminate the carpenter ants effectively without harming your home.
How do I tell if I've got carpenter ants?
Carpenter ants are one of the largest ant varieties in the United States. They are usually about half an inch in length and have a black or reddish color. The first thing you have to understand about ants is that they are extremely organized. An ant colony has a number of ants all with different jobs and responsibilities. Carpenter ants love wood and they build their nests in any wood that may be in your yard or in the wood structure of your home. A good way to distinguish carpenter ants from termites is that carpenter ants do not eat the wood; they merely use it as housing and shelter.
What sort of damage is caused by Carpenter Ants?
The damage caused by carpenter ants may start small, but if left unchecked, it can quickly get costly. They start chewing away at the very center of a piece of wood, which could be an exposed beam, roofing timber or even walls. As they tunnel through the wood, they moveoutwards in ever expanding spirals and tunnels. As the colonies expand, they move rapidly through the wood in a home causing structural instability and eventually collapse. This is why it is so important to keep an eye out for the telltale signs that they leave behind. Small piles of what seems like dust or sawdust around wooden areas in your home are a good indication that carpenter ants have moved in.
How Do I get Rid of Carpenter Ants?
There are a number of DIY options that are effective at treating small colonies of carpenter ants. Once you have established the path of the ants, and their headquarters, you can move in with the effective skill of a Navy Seal covert operation. You can spray a pesticide into the entrance of their lair. However, this is really only effective if the colony is small. Sometimes you can also drill holes into the wood housing a potential nest and spray with a pesticide. If, however, you suspect you have a number of colonies across your home, the only way to get rid of them is to consult with a professional, someone reliable like the pest control experts at Termiguard, someone who will be able to exterminate the carpenter ants effectively without harming your home.
