Did you spot a line of little creepers crawling around your house? You’re not alone! Carpenter ant infestation is rampant throughout Northern Arizona.
Although not as alarming as finding termites and other pests, it’s important to prevent and control carpenter ants from building colonies on your property.
If left untreated, these ant infestations can become very severe, creating carpenter ant nests within the inner workings of your wooden structures.
Don’t fret! We’ve got the ultimate DIY pest control guide to help rid your property of carpenter ants.
What Are Carpenter Ants?
Carpenter ants are one of the largest ants species that you might see in the United States. Most carpenter ants sizes can range from ¼ – ¾ inch in length.
Unlike termites, these types of ants do not eat wood. However, carpenter ants build their nests by excavating through wooden structures to form smooth tunnels that serve as their pathway for their entire colony.
Damp wood, rotting wood, and hollow doors are just some examples of their favorite breeding ground.
The black carpenter ant is the most common type that causes structural damage to homes.
Carpenter Ant Nests
A carpenter ant nest consists of one queen per colony. The worker carpenter ants are responsible for feeding the queen, as well as protecting and defending the nests.
A mature ant colony can contain about 10,000 to 20,000 ants. While larger colonies can have about 50,000 ants.
This is why early detection is significant!
And when it comes to preventive pest control services, We at Patriot Pest & Termite Control, are dedicated to providing highly trusted, professional exterminators here in Arizona, To help you prevent further infestations!
Worry about the carpenter ant problem? Contact us now for inspection and treatment!
How Do You Know You Have An Infestation?
Spotting winged males or also known as swarmers is a great indication that a colony is nearby, they are not produced until the colony is more than two years of age, that is why their appearance is a good indication of infestation!
Otherwise, carpenter ant damage can only be spotted when the ants have already done severe destruction to your wooden structures.
If left unchecked for too long, they can pose a threat and cause more widespread damage to the wood they live in.
Signs of Carpenter Ants at Home
If you’re a home or property owner, be aware of these top warning signs:
- These types of ants love to build nests in moist environments. Look into your wooden structures that are likely to be damp, old, decayed, or already damaged. Check on your window frames, interior walls, wall voids, or wood near water sources (e.g. bathrooms, kitchens).
- They also love dark places. If you want to look for signs of carpenter ants, it’s best to do so in the early morning.
- If you find wood shavings that look like sawdust (also called frass), they’re likely infested by carpenter ants.
- Hearing rustling sounds when you tap on your wooden walls can indicate the presence of carpenter ants.
- If you spot a line of worker ants in any of your wooden structures, you may be able to track their ant’s nest as well.
3 Ways to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants
1. Using Baits
Attract carpenter ants using food since they forage around it, you can use toxic bait to lure and poison their parent colony.
Bait works well to destroy outdoor nests and prevent an indoor infestation.
Many top-grade ant traps come in ‘kits’ with baits designed to cover all of a carpenter ant’s dietary needs, so the foraging workers would be more inclined to pick them up.
If you’ve bought carpenter ant bait, make sure it is resistant to various elements. You should also avoid putting them near repellents. The repellents will drive pests away from your baits, making them useless.
You can also try using the boric acid bait, mix sugar, and boric acid together using a ratio of 1/3 sugar to 2/3 boric acid. Place them in the area where you saw a trail of ants.
When they return to their nest, it will kill the ants in the nest. Boric acid dissolves inside of the ant by penetrating its body.
2. Use Carpenter Ant Insecticides
Have you tried using baits to no avail? Pesticide or liquid insecticide may work even better killing carpenter ants.
Insecticides can be a huge aid in carpenter ant removal around your home and property.
We don’t recommend buying over-the-counter bug spray bottles to get rid of carpenter ants. They usually kill on contact and do little or nothing to affect your ant infestation.
Carpenter ant infestations need to be treated at the source.
We recommend hiring a pest control company that can do the service for you!
They will carefully select perimeter treatments that will quickly and effectively terminate the nest.
This will prevent ants and other insects from venturing into your home or onto your property.
3. Carpenter Ant Treatment
If carpenter ants have infiltrated inside your home, you need more than just baits and insecticides.
In this case, we highly recommend connecting with a professional exterminator. They will be able to locate accurately where the ant nests are located.
During a carpenter ant treatment, they will use insecticide dust, aerosol, or foam treatment to kill carpenter ants’ nests directly.
They will also make sure your kids and pets are safe during the extermination process.
READ: Here’s how you can get rid of ants in your kitchen!
Prevent Carpenter Ants from Infesting Your Home!
Just like with anything, prevention is better than cure!
Before carpenter ants damage wood structures around your house, here are a few preventative tips:
- Keep your house clean and sanitized. Carpenter ants rarely take over well-kept homes.
- Detect possible moisture problems on your wood structures.
Look for plumbing leaks, clogs, and other water pipe problems that may create moisture.
- Replace hollow doors, windows sills, and damaged wood as soon as possible.
- Trim tree branches and tree limbs that have direct contact with your house, as they may serve as their bridge.
- Hire a professional pest exterminating company to regularly check on ants and other pests in your home.
Experience Top-level Quality Pest Control Service in Arizona!
The best solution to totally eliminate these carpenter ants is to be able to find and destroy all their nests.
And to help you get that peace of mind, Patriot Pest & Termite Control is here to provide your home with quality care that is safe and effective!
Contact us today for an inspection, prevention, and treatment and experience only the best!
Need additional tips and information about these pests? We’ll love to answer them, leave us a comment below!