Are carpenter ants eating away all the wooden things in your home? This article will give you information on carpenter ants and how to get rid of them.
All your favorite furniture has been packed and put away in the attic. Your grandmother’s king sized bed made from expensive wood is stored away somewhere in the basement, and all this because of what? Carpenter ants! These ants, unlike termites, do not survive on wood, but they dig through the wood in order to make a tunnel for setting up their nests. They might also dig a tunnel in the trunk of your tree in the garden, and if the trunk is rather soft, then it might kill the tree too. They mainly survive on sweets, or feed on other small insects, but never on wood. So, how to get rid of carpenter ants? The solution to this problem has been discussed below.
Carpenter Ants: Small but Highly Destructive
Before answering your question, first let us try and understand more about these insects. I am sure you must have seen them around your house quite often, but probably never knew what they are called. They are large black ants known for building their nests mainly inside the wooden structures, and by wooden structures I do not mean only your wooden furniture but even the tree stump that has been lying outside your house for days or maybe the trunk of a tree. They are small in size, around ½ an inch in size, but the destruction caused by them, is massive.
Sometimes in order to get rid of them, some people often had to renovate their entire home. Some of them might even sprout wings that help them to fly mainly during the spring season. They need moisture in order to lay eggs, and thus, you will often find their nests behind the bathroom tiles, near the sink, near a wet tree trunk, and other moist and woody areas. But it’s not necessary that the nests can only be found in moist areas.
The Process
Let me be honest with you; getting rid of these pests is tough, but possible. Calling the pest control would be a good idea, however there are other simple means too by which you can get rid of these ants, naturally and without spending much money. Here are some steps you can follow.
- The first thing one has to do while trying to either get rid of these ants or control them, is attacking the nest and for that you have to find out where it is.
- For this you have to follow the worker ants. Leave some honey or something sweet outside, specially during the nighttime as these insects are more active during that time, and when they catch the bait, instead of killing them, follow them to their nest. For this you need patience, and this might take you days or sometimes even months.
- Now, when you find the nest, say behind a tile or in between walls, spray boric acid powder on it. This is guaranteed to kill all the ants in the nest.
- When you find the nest, do not try and spray the usual pesticides or insecticides that you use to kill cockroaches or other pests. Instead, you can use termite sprays to get rid of them or you can try out some of the ant repellent sprays that are available in the market.
- DO NOT spray on those ants who are outside the nest as they will lead you to their nest. Also be careful while spraying boric acid on the nests, that have been made near the electrical wires, as one tiny mistake might give you an electrical shock.
These steps work when the ants are in trees. If it is difficult to find the nest, then it is best that you call the pest control and do not try to dig up holes in all the walls just to find the nest.