Looking at them, carpenter ants are harmless. They go about their business quietly, and many homeowners don’t consider them a risk. However, these small insects can cause extensive structural damage to your property. They make their nests in wood, and if a colony infests your property for a long time, you will have to deal with thousands of dollars’ worth of damage. A carpenter ant bite is also painful and can even break the skin. For these reasons, it’s crucial to learn how to get rid of carpenter ants as fast as you can.
This guide examines different ways of dealing with these pests immediately you notice signs of carpenter ants in house. They range from carpenter ant traps, baits, sprays, and ant gel.
The most Effective Methods for Getting rid of Carpenter Ants
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Most Effective: TERRO T300B Liquid Ant Bait Ant Killer
The TERRO T300B Liquid Ant Bait Ant Killer ranks at the top because it kills not only the ants you see but also those you don’t. This carpenter ant bait is the most effective technique to destroy an ant colony. If you have a carpenter ant problem on your property, this is the most comprehensive tactic. It works subtly, and once you set the baits in the best possible locations, they do the rest of the work gradually. The ready-to-use baits will attract black carpenter ants looking for food. The sweet, sugary liquid smells and tastes good but contains an active ingredient, Borax. This compound affects the ant’s digestive system, eventually killing the insect. The sweet smell of the baits will attract more ants to the colony and as they continue eating, they will die. Carpenter ants live and work in a community, which means hundreds or thousands of workers will come into contact with the baits and take them back to the colony. This top carpenter ant killer is easy to use as you only have to identify the best locations to place the baits. The liquid is protected inside the bait when sealed and the new and improved snap-off tab makes it easy to open. Once you open the bait station, ants can access the sugary liquid and the sweet smell will attract more.
Best Ant Bait Gel: Syngenta - TRTD11568 - Optigard Ant Bait Gel
This carpenter ants bait comes from one of the top manufacturers of pesticides, healthcare products, among other products. The Optigard ant bait gel from Syngenta is a sugar-based gel whose sweet smell attracts ants. One of the main advantages of this ant killer is the high levels of moisture to allow the ants to consume it easily. The carpenter ant bait works both by ingestion and contact, making it more effective than most ant baits on the market. It has a superior long-term impact when controlling ants and cockroaches compared to contact sprays. The gel comes in a 30-gram tube for easy application around the house or even outdoor. The gel also ranks highly as it can kill all species of ants. These include flying carpenter ants, bullet ants, Argentine ants, acrobat, big-headed ants, cornfield ants, field ants, honey ants, odorous house, pavement, pharaoh and thief ants. The carpenter ant gel contains active ingredient Thiamethoxam. This ingredient kills the ant slowly, allowing it to carry the poison to the colony. As more ants feed on the gel, they also die off, and eventually, the queen of the colony also dies. The death of the queen finishes of the colony and gets rid of the carpenter ants on your property.
Best for Hard-To-Reach Areas: TERRO T600 Ant Dust
When fighting carpenter ants, most property owners give up because they can’t reach all spots where these small insects infest. This is why the TERRO T600 Ant Dust is a great option to kill carpenter ants as it helps you reach those hard-to-reach spots. It is an easy product to use and works for a wide variety of pests, including carpenter ants, fire ants, cockroaches, spiders, and others. The dust is waterproof and won’t wash away in the rain, making it an ideal product for killing carpenter ants outdoors. The convenient shaker-can makes it easy to scatter the dust and also spread it over a wide area. If you have cracks and crevices on your floors and walls, this is the best treatment to get rid of ants. You can also use it on service ducts, under and behind cabinets, along baseboards, wall voids, in attics and crawl spaces, around windows and door frames, around electrical equipment, water, and sewer pipes, refrigerators and sinks and other hidden areas.
Home Remedies for Removing Carpenter Ants
Some effective home remedies for killing crooner ants include:
- Use of chalk
- Using boric acid
- Food-grade diatomaceous earth
Do-It-Yourself Solutions and Traps
- Using Chalk: Chalk contains calcium carbonate and carpenter ants don’t like this compound. To use this home remedy, you should first identify any signs of carpenter ants. Spray the chalk around areas where you have noticed the pests, across entry points, and also draw a line of chalk at the entrance.
- How to Get Rid Of Carpenter Ants Using Boric Acid: This is a cheap yet effective way to get rid of carpenter ants in your home. The boric acid powder is readily available in most homes and you should mix it with sweet and tasty crumbs of peanut butter, sugar, or honey to make the perfect carpenter ant traps.
Boric acid interferes with the ant’s digestive and nervous system, eventually leading to death. The worker ants will take the food crumbs to the colony which eventually killing the entire colony. Try different positions for the crumbs and try to place them as close to the colony as you can. - Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth: Food-grade diatomaceous earth is a safer home remedy compared to boric acid. If you have kids or pets around your home, this is a non-toxic solution to get rid of carpenter ants. When ingested by ants, the diatomaceous earth will feel like broken shards of glass.
For the best results, mix the compound with delicious crumbs to lure the ants. The mixture will kill the ants via dehydration. The sharp surface of the diatomaceous earth will bore into the carpenter ant’s exoskeleton leading to loss of fluid and slow death.
What Kind Of Spray Will Help?
Carpenter ants rely on their sense of smell to find food and find their way around. The best spray to get rid of carpenter ants should interfere with their best means of communication which is their sense of smell.
You can make effective carpenter ant sprays using essential oils such as peppermint, lemon oil, and cedar wood. Mix any of these essential with a carrier and repeatedly spray at entry points, windowsills, door frames, baseboards, the perimeters of countertops, and other areas.
Interesting Facts about Carpenter Ants
- Carpenter ants can lift up to 7X their own weight with their teeth.
- Known as the tidiest animals and remove clutter from their nests. They collect resin repeatedly to disinfect their nests
- Carpenter ants don’t see but follow pheromone trails left by other ants
- A carpenter ant bite can inject acid into your skin, causing a lot of pain.
- They’re social animals with colonies containing thousands of wingless worker ants
How to Prevent Carpenter Ants?
Preventing carpenter ants infestation is easier and cheaper than fighting them when they are already on your property. Here are some simple ways to prevent the ants from your property:
- Store all garbage is in tightly sealed containers.
- Clean your home thoroughly of food particles or water sources, especially after meals.
- Stack firewood away from the walls or the house. Store your firewood elevated from the ground.
- Trim tree branches so that they do not touch the exterior walls or roof.
- Store all foods sealed inside refrigerators, freezers, or tightly sealed containers.
- Repair any roof leaks, and plumbing leaks or other moisture problems around your home to stop attracting carpenter ants
- Seal all holes, gaps, cracks, and crevices on your foundation walls or other outer walls.
FAQ
WHERE DO CARPENTER ANTS COME FROM?
Carpenter ants get their name from their nest building capability and are found throughout the world. There are many species, including the flying and all prefer to nest in moist wood or other wooden structures.
You will find their nests in wood dampened by water leaks, in areas such as bathtubs, roof leaks, sinks, poorly sealed windows or door frames. Signs of an Infestation include the presence of worker ants, insect body parts, sawdust-like shavings, and fragments of insulation. They have powerful jaws, and carpenter ant bites are thus painful and a reminder of their presence.
WHAT DO CARPENTER ANTS EAT?
Carpenter ants don’t eat wood but rather build in it. They feed on foods rich in protein such as living and dead insects and honeydew. Sugary items also attract these ants, and in the house, they will go for protein-rich foods meats and pet food and sugars such as jelly, granulated sugar, syrup, honey, and other sweets.
HOW TO GET RID OF CARPENTER ANTS?
If wondering how to kill carpenter ants, you can use commercial ant baits, gels and sprays to kill ants. Homemade remedies such as the use of chalk, peppermint spray, and boric acid are also effective for getting rid of carpenter ants.
Other ways to get rid of these pests include storing food well sealed in containers, cleaning up after meals, sealing garbage cans tightly and storing firewood away from the house.
WHAT DO CARPENTER ANTS LOOK LIKE?
Adults can measure anywhere from 6 to 12 mm in length. Males (carpenter ants with wings) can measure up to 18 mm. They come in a variety of colours from black red, yellow, dark brown, light brown, or even orange.
WHAT DO CARPENTER ANTS EAT
Carpenter ants might seem to love wood but this is only for sheltering purposes when building and maintaining their nest. They eat foods and drinks rich in protein.
CAN CARPENTER ANTS DAMAGE MY HOME?
A resounding yes. These small pests cause millions of dollars’ worth of damage every year across the country. They can damage anything made of wood from your furniture to your home.
ARE CARPENTER ANTS DANGEROUS TO HUMANS?
Do Carpenter Ants Bite? Yes, but this is only when provoked, carpenter ants rarely attack humans. When under threat, a carpenter ants bite is not out of the question, and it is painful but not dangerous to humans, unless they have allergy.
