Carpenter Ants Extermination
Jan 1st, 2010 by smelly
If you want to get rid of carpenter ants than this might either be very hard or quite simple. It all depends where the carpenter ants have penetrated your area. The best way to identify carpenter ants is to notice the winged carpenter ants that circle the nest (also called swarmers). They frequently are mistaken for termites but they obviously are not. Carpenter ants extermination is the only way to get rid of them for good. If you don’t take proper measures the chances are the colony will only grow larger and will be more difficult to erradicate.
The first and most important thing to find out of you see carpenter ants in or around your house is researching where the nest is. If the nest is outside your house than most times it is rather easy to exterminate carpenter ants. However, if you notice the nest inside your house than it will be more trouble to get rid of them. Most carpenter infestations are rather small. If you only see 20 to 30 winged carpenters than you probably have a small colony housed in your yard or home. If you see hundreds than you have a much more bigger problem. The moment you notice ants around your house you should take proper measures to get rid of the ants before the become a bigger problem.
Outside Carpenter Ants Colony
You need to do proper inspection in order to find the location of the colony. You should look for rotten pieces of wood because they are a very popular location for a colony. First you should treat the outside of your house with some kind of insecticide to create an residual barrier between the colony and your house (Knox out is an example product that will help you with this). Your next step will be looking for the nest of the colony. The best way to kill carpenter ants is drenching them with boiling water or a mixture of boiling water with ant killer.
Carpenter Ants inside your Home
If you have an ants colony inside your home than you have a bigger problem. It is important to get rid of the colony as soon as possible before the colony grows and your problems becomes bigger. If you know where the colony is than you might also drench them with boiling water. After removal of the colony you need to remove the rotted wood to prevent a new establishment of ants in your house.
If you don’t know the location of the ants than this you need to look for it. If it is a larger colony you migh hear a crunching sound coming from the ants. If you can not hear them than you can set up some bait and follow them back to the colony’s nest. This might take some time, but is really necessary if you want to get rid of them.
How to get rid of Carpenter Ants?
Once you have found the nest there are a few options. If there is a small colony in your house than setting up some sweet baits (Terro, Boric Acid) and spraying aerosol at the entrance of the nest might be enough to solve the problem. However, a spray might not always be able to help you getting rid of the ants. Ants are very strong creatures and they are able to survive without food for several weeks to months. If spraying will not help you get rid of the ants within a few weeks than you need to get to the center of the nest ant take more drastic measures to ensure carpenter ants extermination.
The only way to get to the center of the nest is by drilling holes into your wall or floor to get to them. This might sound very drastic but sometimes this is the only way to get to them. When you found the nest you can use Ant Killer to solve the problem. However, if a large colony has invested your house than the best way to kill them is by using Knox Out or boric acid.
If you don’t feel certain enough to get rid of the problem yourself than you might consider a professional ant exterminator. Schedule an appointment and see how the professional can take care of your problems.