How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants

Exercise caution when dealing with carpenter ants. Although unlikely, this warning should still be mentioned: do not come into direct contact with carpenter ants or their nests. Carpenter ants are not particularly aggressive and do not usually bite people. However, when provoked or threatened, they can also bite and cause pain. They also secrete formic acid into the bite, increasing the pain. Although a carpenter ant’s bite isn’t too serious, you shouldn’t get hurt by avoiding touching the ants and their nests unless absolutely necessary, wearing long sleeves and gloves.

Locate the ant nest. The first step to getting rid of a carpenter’s nest is to find the nest. To locate ant nests in your home, pay close attention to ants, small holes, and piles of dung in the locations described in part 1, paying particular attention to areas with damp wood. . You can also check near the wood surface for ants by tapping hard. Wood that is heavily chiseled will sound thinner and more hollow than unaffected wood. The knocking also wakes the ants, causing them to crawl out of the nest, and you will see them more clearly.

• Don’t forget that large ant colonies often have smaller satellite nests around. You need to find these nests to ensure that all the ants are destroyed.

Destroy or remove the ant nest. For nests that are small or relatively accessible, sometimes you just need to remove the nest. If the ant nest is outside, just carefully dispose of the wood with the ants in it, remembering to use impenetrable materials like tarpaulin to protect yourself from being bitten by the ants when handling the log. For indoor ant nests, some pest control websites recommend using a vacuum cleaner to destroy the nest and suck the ants out. ^[4]

• If using the vacuum method, be sure to carefully wrap and dispose of the trash bag in the vacuum cleaner to prevent any surviving ants from escaping.
• If you find ants digging through wood in a wall, don’t cut the wood – this can weaken the structure inside. Instead, call a professional service.

Use ant bait for ant nests that cannot be handled directly. You can’t always find ant colonies. However, if you see a large number of ants, placing insecticides in their path can help control and eradicate the nest. There are different types of baits, traps and ant repellant products on the market – you can visit your home store to find the right products.

• You should be very careful when using poison baits in your home if you have small children. Make sure children know not to eat ant baits, or keep a close eye on them if they are too young.

Contact professional service. If ant nests cannot be identified and removed quickly or self-extermination measures fail, it is best to contact a professional exterminator. They can use insecticides and other tools that are not commercially available, but more importantly their expertise and experience can help identify and treat carpenter ant infestations. more effectively than non-specialists.

• Remember that some of the methods the professional service does require your family to be temporarily out of the house for a day or two.
• Don’t delay contacting a professional – the longer you wait, the larger the nest will grow and the more damaged the wooden structure will be.

Eliminate sources of moisture. Humidity is an important factor that facilitates the spread of carpenter ants. Normally, wooden objects will be vulnerable to ants after being exposed to moisture. By repairing and sealing water leaks into your home, you will make it much more difficult for carpenter ants to build a nest. Here are some suggestions to help remove moisture: ^[5]

• Check around the window for openings
• Inspect roofs and walls frequently exposed to outside weather for leaks
• Keep basements, attics and low spaces in the building well ventilated
• Find and fix leaky pipes
• Clear clogged gutters to clear the flow

Seal entrances, openings and cracks. If the carpenter ants can no longer enter the house, the satellite ant nests fed by the larger outside nests will be isolated and the ants will die. Check for cracks, crevices on the exterior of your home, and other small gaps that ants can get through – paying particular attention to areas on the exterior walls of your home that are close to the ground or floor. Seal any holes found with sealant or putty.

• You should also check around where water pipes and electrical cords go into your home, as these areas are very vulnerable to ants. ^[6]

Remove wooden materials near the house. Carpenter ants prefer to nest on wooden objects inside and outside of a building, so finding and removing architectural wooden materials can prevent ants from entering. Carefully inspect every source of wood. You need to pay attention to the following areas: ^[7]

• Tree stumps
• Piles of firewood
• Old trees, especially if the branches touch the house
• Piles of waste materials in the yard