What could be more unpleasant than discovering giant black ants roaming around the house? Sometimes you see one or two in the summer, which is not a big deal, even if it is normal. They are found over and over, especially in winter, in the storeroom in the back of cupboards or on window sills, the problem may be a little more serious. Here are some tips for how to get rid of carpenter ants infestation.
There are several species of carpenter ants, but we find 2 in particular in our homes. They are both black with the middle of the body tending to reddish-brown: the most extensive measures 8 and 20 mm in length.
However, carpenter ants can do a lot of damage to a home because it is attracted to rotten, damp wood all the time. These ants dig tunnels in the woods, being careful to remove any sawdust outside their halls. That can be an obvious sign of infestation. This phenomenon can weaken and even destroy the structural structure of a house. Well installed in the walls, they can, after a few years, number more than 2000 individuals.
How to get rid of carpenter ants?
The first thing to know is that a colony has several nests called “satellites”. However, you have to kill the Queen ant of the leading best.
Next, you will need to locate the place where the ants are infiltrating. Sometimes they can pass through telephone wires or electrical wires that enter your home. Also, if a tree branch touches your roof, they may have followed it and thus entered through the leaves.
Then you will have to choose whether you are trying to get rid of carpenter ants by yourself or you prefer to call a professional.
It is essential to know that carpenter ants are a hidden defect in a real estate transaction. And this could be relatively expensive for former owners who do not mention the presence of carpenter ants at the time of sale!g
To get rid of carpenter ants, you need to hire a professional service. There are many companies near you specializing in the extermination of carpenter ants with the application of effective and lasting treatments. Calling a carpenter ant expert is the best way to get rid of carpenter ants while avoiding many costly problems for the structure of your home!
Some home remedies of how to get rid of carpenter that can help
- Vinegar: Wipe the house with vinegar mixed with water or spray on ants. If the level of infestation is high, you can pour half a litre of white vinegar directly on the ant’s home. The group of ants fell to zero in the direction of the vinegar scent.
- Borax powder: Make a paste by mixing borax with water and sugar. If you leave the paste in the place where the ants move, you will see that the infestation of ants has gradually decreased in a few days. However, it is quite dangerous for children. Make sure it is out of reach of children at all times.
- Boiling water and dishwashing soap: In places where the infestation of ants seems to be high, it should spray with liquid dishwashing soap mixed with water. If there is an ant’s nest somewhere around the house, pouring boiling water on it will reduce the infestation.
- Sugar and baking soda: Because ants always have formic acid in their bodies, they can be mixed with sugar and baking soda to keep them coming and going. It will attract them. The ants die in the reaction of the body with acid and soda.
Carpenter ants: wood chippers
Carpenter ants are a common problem in our house. Invasions of carpenter ants can cause significant damage to the frame of a building. Indeed, by making their nests, carpenter ants dig into the wood of your frame and thus produce small holes, in the long term. It can weaken and destroy the structure of your building.
They are also called wood spoiler ants or Camponotus. However, carpenters make their nests in wood: in dead trees, rotten stumps, telephone poles and dug burrows. They particularly like rotten wood infiltrated by water. The pest ants hide in our kitchen, both for food and for protection from the cold during the winter.
The carpenter ant does not feed on wood; instead, they use it to dig their nest. Hence the piles of sawdust that she leaves lying on the ground all over the place behind them. The carpenter ant is omnivorous; it feeds on any food it finds in its path, including insects and sugary stuff. So it’s essential to keep your nutrition in tightly closed containers and avoid providing them with an easy source of food.
How to get rid of carpenter?
Measuring between one and two centimetres, carpenter ants are black and sometimes have a red patch on their thorax, depending on the species.
Carpenter ants are recognizable by their impressive size and sturdiness. It is one of the largest ant species in existence and also one of the most difficult to eradicate. Carpenter ants are winged insects, which lose their wings upon mating. While the male dies after impregnating the female, the female loses her wings and then starts looking for a place to establish her colony: tree trunk, wood stump, etc.
Carpenter ants belong to the same family as bees and wasps, i.e. Hymenoptera – their slender abdomen is reminiscent of that of the wasp – except that unlike their congeners, they do not sting or bite. Living in groups, they multiply quickly and can become a real nuisance over time, due to the many nests they can build outside or even in the structure of your home.
The construction of satellite nests and the causes of infestation
As the colony’s population increases, the laying queen builds satellite nests to house the worker ants. Tunnels Made between the central nest and the satellite nests.
It is these satellite nests, which have built-in residences, that can cause problems. It is one of the most frequent causes of infestation in our house. Carpenter ants can also infiltrate your home following significant stress that has forced them to find another place to live, such as the destruction of their nest, for example. Bringing in dead ant-infested wood to heat your home is another common cause of infestation.
A single colony can produce up to ten satellite nests. A single nest can contain thousands of individuals. The problem remains, however, the central nest, which houses the laying queen. They are usually found outdoors, in soil and damp places.
The life cycle of a colony of ant
Once the settlement has matured, approximately after two years, the laying queen produces other queens and winged males who task with reproducing themselves. The laying queen can live up to 17 years. For their part, the workers have a life expectancy of around seven years.
Signs of carpenter ants infestation
There are several obvious signs of a carpenter ant infestation in your home. Here are a few that do not deceive:
Notice carpenter ants roaming around your home during summer or winter. They are probably the workers in search of food. Their mission is to feed the main colony. Watch winged species popping out of your door frames or walls, inside your home in spring. It is the males and females who are about to mate.
Find small wood chips on the ground at a specific location in your home. It’s probably where the colony entered and began to tunnel into the wall.
How to spot and destroy nests in a house?
To spot satellite nests in your home, watch out for sawdust piles on the ground, especially in areas where the wood is in contact with the environment. Otherwise, look in damp places such as window sills or behind appliances, such as the washer or dishwasher; it could be that the ants chose these places to take up residence.
In any case, tracking the movement of a colony can also be a bit of a puzzle to you. Typically, carpenter ants are not discreet about where their nests are. They are, moreover, not very sensitive; they produce pheromones that allow them to communicate with each other and sometimes move in line to collect food and bring it back to the queen in the central nest. If you have an infestation in your home, sooner or later you’ll find out.
Prevention tips of how to get rid of carpenter
the minimum chance unwanted colony settling in your home, it is advisable to take firewood – or any other type of rotten wood – out of the house and keep it outside. Also, pay close attention to the hygiene of your property. Don’t leave food lying around on counters or the floor and clean your lawn regularly.
Do you think you have the exact homemade “anti-ant” remedy?
To exterminate the ants yourself, avoid using insecticides from your local hardware store, as this will only kill a few individuals in the colony with no effect on the central nest.
Easy solutions, such as boiling water, which will often have a very temporary effect (letting us believe that the problem is solved, while the colony continues to grow). Also, pay attention to homemade recipes: Certain products recognized as being effective against ants, are known to be quite dangerous for children and pets if misused in your home.
How to eliminate them?
Warning! Although peaceful, carpenter ants can attack when they feel threatened. Their bites are very painful, take a long time to heal, and can cause other health problems. It is best to seek the help of a professional exterminator who will know how to handle the situation safely.
Your extermination specialist will find the entry and exit point through which ants enter your home. It is essential to kill the queen mother so that the colony disappears. There may be several nests. The queen mother will be in the central nest. Then, using a specialized insecticide or boiling water, he will exterminate the colony.
He will also be able to diagnose the origin of the problem and advise you on the preventive measures to be taken to prevent the return of carpenter ants.
Then all you have to do is have the damage assessed and undertake the necessary work to solidify the framework of your building.
When to call an expert?
Although specific techniques can help reduce the presence of ants for a while, it will be challenging for you to complete and eliminate the problem without the intervention of a specialist. In this case, you will need to call in professional exterminators.
FAQ of how to get rid of carpenter
- What is the easy way to get rid of carpenter ants?
Make a paste by mixing borax with water and sugar. If you leave the paste in the place where the ants move, you will see that the infestation of ants has gradually decreased in a few days. However, it is quite dangerous for children. Make sure it is out of reach of children at all times.
- How to get rid of black carpenter ant?
Wipe the house with vinegar mixed with water or spray on ants. If the level of infestation is high, you can pour half a litre of white vinegar directly on the ant’s home. The group of ants fell to zero in the direction of the vinegar scent.
- Which carpenter ant killers are best?
- Terro Carpenter Ant & Termite Killer
- Bayer Maxforce Carpenter Ant Gel
- Syngenta Optigard
- Amdro Ant Block Bait Granules.
- Advanced Carpenter Ant and Termite Killer.
- Terro Liquid Ant Baits
- Taurus SC
- How could I identify the carpenter ants?
Carpenter ants are black and sometimes have a red patch on their thorax, depending on the species.
Carpenter ants are recognizable by their impressive size and sturdiness. It is one of the largest ant species in existence and also one of the most difficult to eradicate. Carpenter ants are winged insects, which lose their wings upon mating.
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