What You Can Do To Get Rid Of Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are depicted in cartoons as cute ants, carrying your food away for their colony. That's exactly what they do when they're in your home, but they aren't that cute. They aren't just outside at your picnic either. They will come into your home and get into any and all food that they can find to feed themselves and the rest of their colony. These large ants, especially in large quantities, can be overwhelming to deal with, but you have to do what you can to get rid of them before they destroy your home. Read on for tips to get rid of carpenter ants.
Remove Rotting Wood
Carpenter ants will chew through wood, especially rotting wood to nest and to get into your home. If you have rotting wood around doorways or windows, this may be how they are getting inside. Remove this rotting wood and replace it with new wood. This can prevent issues with other pests such as termites as well. Removing the rotting wood can also help to remove a lot of the ants living in the wood. Once the wood is removed, look for any other small cracks around your home where these ants can be getting inside and repair them as well.
Clean And De-Grease
Carpenter ants like to feed off of foods such as crumbs that you have laying around, but they are also attracted to oils and greases. Clean your stovetop and your counters, as well as inside your sink and the drain where these oils can all be found. Wipe down cabinets, inside and out, in addition to your microwave. Also be sure to clean inside pantries and food containers that may be sticky, such as syrup, oil bottles, and peanut butter jars.
Use Ant Traps
Set ant traps made for these larger carpenter ants to trap and kill these pests. You can find carpenter ant traps at your local hardware store, or at a big box store. Set the traps wherever you have seen the carpenter ants. Replace the traps often.
Trim Landscaping And Trees
Carpenter ants may have been coming into your home from the trees around your house. If you have trees hanging over your house or growing too close to your home, trim these trees and any landscaping growing too close to your house. Also, remove woodpiles if you have them close to your house.
If you have carpenter ants, inside your house, you need to do something about them. Hire a pest control company for help.