Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Carpenter ants are very common and are extremely harmful insects. If left untreated, the ants can spread quickly. Therefore, early detection and eradication of carpenter ants can prevent major damage to structures that will be quite costly to repair. Please see step 1 below to get started before the problem goes out of control.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Determining the penetration of carpenter ants

1. 

   Learn how to identify carpenters. Carpenter ants belong to the species Camponotus, including over 1,000 varieties of ants. Carpenter ants live on all continents except Antarctica and have many different characteristics depending on breed. However, the common traits of this species will help you determine if the ants in your home are carpenter ants or something else. Some common features to look out for are:
   • Color: usually red, black or middle colors
   • Shape: Stool with oval abdomen, thin chest, angled. The upper chest is usually curved smooth and evenly rather than uneven and rough.
   • Size: Approx. 10 mm - 13 mm, depending on ant breed
   • Beard: yes
   • Wings: A typical worker ant has no wings. However, male ants can have wings, though relatively rare.

2. 

   
   
   Learn where carpenter ants live. Carpenter ants can (and will) build nests inside or outside any structure, but wooden houses are particularly at risk because carpenter ants love to dig tiny tunnels in the wood. Unlike termites, carpenter ants don't eat wood - they just tunnel into structures to build nests. Damp wood is easier to gouge than dry wood, so indoor locations where carpenter ants reside are often near a water source such as a sink or a leaky bath.
   • Sometimes carpenter ants build a network of one or more satellites, or major groups outside structures. They move between nests and shelter inside the house, entering the home through cracks and crevices. At that time, the ants outside the house are usually in tree stumps, decorative wooden bars, wood piles or other moist wood sources. You often find carpenter ant routes between nests early in the morning or late evening when they are very active. These paths look like a thin line.
   • When carpenter ants dig tunnels, they can leave behind "shit," a substance that looks like sawdust. This substance often includes insect carcasses. This is also a sign for you to find out where their nest is. If you see small piles of vermin in your home or around the house, double-check nearby wooden furniture for tunnels - probe suspicious wood with a screwdriver to find holes.

3. 

   
   
   Knowing the location can find carpenter ant activity. Although carpenter ants often nest in wood, it can be difficult to find if the nest is on the wall. If you suspect that you have carpenter ants in your home, look for them in an affected area where you are may find. Some common locations in the home are inherently more conducive to carpenter ant activity than others - especially in humid or where food is available. You can find carpenters in the following areas:
   • Carpets - check around doors, fireplaces and other areas for easy access
   • Indoor patio and foundation
   • Areas with trees - ants like to nest and move discreetly behind trees, tree stumps, branches touching the ground, yard, etc. You need to trace trees to search. When you see the ants walking, try to follow them back to the nest.
     • Garden mulch and fallen leaves can provide refuge for many species of ants besides carpenter ants, such as pavement ants, fire ants and Argentine ants. You should scratch the mulch to check for the ant nests.
   • In the ground - potted plants, compost, or anything in contact with the soil can provide carpenter ants shelter.
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Part 2 of 3: Destroy the carpenter ant

1. 

   
   
   Be careful when dealing with carpenter ants. Although less likely, this warning should still be made: do not come into direct contact with carpenter ants or their nests. Carpenter ants are not particularly aggressive and do not often bite people. However, when provoked or threatened, they can also bite and cause pain. They also secrete formic acid into the bite, increasing the pain. While carpenter ant bites have no serious consequences, you should not experience pain by avoiding touching ants and their nests unless absolutely necessary, and wear long sleeves and gloves.

2. 

   
   
   Locate the ant's nest. The first step to eliminating the carpenter's nest is to find the nest. To locate the ant nests in your home, pay attention to the ants, small holes and piles of termites in the locations described in section 1, pay particular attention to areas with moist wood. . You can also check near the surface of the wood for ant infestation by tapping hard. Wood that is gouged a lot will sound thinner and more hollow than the unaffected wood. The knocking also disturbs the ants, causing them to crawl out of the nest, and you will see them more clearly.
   • Don't forget that large ant nests often have smaller satellite nests around. You need to find these nests to make sure to destroy all the ants.

3. 

   
   
   Destroy or eliminate the ant's nest. For small or relatively accessible ant nests, sometimes you just need to remove the nest. If the nest is out of the house, just carefully dispose of the wood containing the ants, making sure to use impenetrable materials such as tarpaulins to protect yourself from being stung by the ants when handling the log. For indoor ant nests, some pest control websites recommend using a vacuum cleaner to destroy the ant nests and suck out the ants.
   • If you are using the vacuum method, be sure to carefully wrap and dispose of the trash bag in the vacuum cleaner to prevent the surviving ants from escaping.
   • If you find ants digging through the wood in your wall, don't cut the wood out - this may weaken the interior of the house. Instead, call a professional service.

4. 

   
   
   Use ant baits for ant nests that cannot be handled directly. You won't always be able to find ant nests. However, if you see a sizable population of ants, placing insecticides on their path can help control and eradicate the ant nests. There are many different types of baits, traps and antibiotic products on the market - you can visit home appliances to find the right ones.
   • You should real Be careful when using poison baits in your home if you have young children. Make sure your child knows not to eat the bait, or to watch closely if he or she is too young.

5. 

   Contact professional service. If you cannot identify and remove the ant nests quickly or if self-eradication methods are not successful, it is best to contact a professional exterminator. They can use insecticides and other tools that are not commercially available, but more importantly their expertise and experience can help identify and deal with infestation of carpenter ants. in a more effective way than unskilled.
   • Remember that some of the methods that the professional service takes requires your family to be away from home temporarily for about a day or two.
   • Don't delay contacting a professional service - the longer it gets, the larger the nest grows and the more damaged the wooden structure will be.
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Part 3 of 3: Prevent carpenter ants from spreading

1. 

   Eliminate sources of moisture. Humidity is an important factor in the spread of carpenter ants. Usually, wooden objects are more susceptible to attack by ants after being exposed to moisture. By fixing and sealing leaks into your home, you will make it much more difficult for carpenter ants to build nests. Here are some tips to help remove moisture:
   • Check around the windows for openings
   • Check your roof and wall regularly exposed to outside weather for leaks
   • Keep basements, attics, and low spaces of the building ventilated
   • Find and repair leaky pipes
   • Clean clogged gutters to clear the flow

2. 

   Seal entrances, crevices and cracks. If the carpenter ants can no longer get in and out of the house, the satellite ant nests supplied with food from the larger outer ones will be quarantined and the ants will die. Check for cracks, openings outside your home, and other small gaps that ants might pass - pay special attention to areas on outside walls that are close to the ground or floor. Seal any holes you find with glue or massage.
   • You should also check around where plumbing and electrical lines go into your home, as these are vulnerable to ant attack.

3. 

   Remove wooden materials near the house. Carpenter ants love to nest on wooden objects inside and outside the building, so finding and removing wood materials containing imprints can prevent ants from entering. Carefully inspect all wood sources. You should pay attention to the following areas:
   • Tree stumps
   • Piles of firewood
   • Old trees, especially if the branches touch the house
   • Piles of waste materials in the yard

4. 

   Consider building a barrier. If carpenter ants recur, you may want to consider creating a ring of gravel or rocks around the house. This "barrier" is an unfavorable environment for carpenter ants and can prevent them from crawling into the house through holes in the ground. You should discuss the implementation and cost of this project with the construction contractor, or you can do it yourself if you are handy. advertisement

Advice

• Carpenter ants are active at night. At this time, take your flashlight and go outside. Find carpenter ant routes from trees, woodpiles and nesting ant locations. You can also follow the carpenter ant's path from the architectural objects and back to the nest.
• Use outdoor ant baits such as KM Ant Pro ant bait and bait them with liquid food whenever possible. Carpenter ants often eat bed bugs, so you should lure them with food similar to the nectar of bedbugs; So you can control them for a long time.

Warning

• Do not use insecticide sprays or insecticide sprays when using ant baits. These drugs will kill the ants while you are trying to lure them into the bait, in addition to poisoning the ant bait.