How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants

What to Know About Carpenter Ants

For additional information: Carpenter Ant Identification and Inspection

How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants Outside

There are a variety of strategies you can deploy to solve a carpenter ant infestation. Here are our top five methods for getting rid of carpenter ants:

Use Toxic Bait to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants Quickly

If the carpenter ant colony is concealed or inaccessible, this strategy is highly recommended. Head down to your local hardware store, buy poisonous gel bait for carpenter ants, and combine it with a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of milk.

Apply the poisonous bait to entice the carpenter ants out of their nest; they will grab the bait and take it back into the nest. If applied correctly, this method will get rid of an entire carpenter ant population in three days. This is one of the most effective ways to achieve total carpenter ant control.

It is critical to treat carpenter ants with slow-acting bait. If the bait kills carpenter ants as they are returning to the colony, the thousands of ants still inside the nest won't be affected. Select a bait that takes roughly three days to work.

Never spray insecticide on carpenter ants emerging from the nest. This will not affect the ants that are still inside the colony and may even cause them to spread out and build more nests if they detect danger.

Tamper-proof bait stations offer a safe alternative for administering poisonous baits if you have pets or young children.

Treat Nests with Direct Dusting

This technique works best when you have easy access to the nest and can directly administer carpenter ant dust to the queen and the entire ant colony. Purchase carpenter ant dust, then apply it to the nest as directed on the packaging.

To get rid of carpenter ants quickly, try D-Fense Insecticide Dust. It is an effective and fast-acting chemical dust, but it does contain toxic chemicals that could be harmful to children's and pets' health. So please ensure you apply it safely and correctly with a duster.

Try Boric Acid

Boric acid is a powerful chemical that can quickly get rid of a carpenter ant infestation. To use this technique, first, visit a garden supply store to get boric acid.

Then you will need to mix powdered sugar in a ratio of roughly 1/3 sugar to 2/3 boric acid. Pour the mixture into bottle caps and place them wherever you see the carpenter ants.

The ants in the nest will be killed when worker ants bring the acid back to the nest. The ant's body is penetrated by boric acid, which then dissolves inside the ant.

Get Rid of Carpenter Ant Scent Trails

Pheromone trails are essential for the movement and discovery of food sources by carpenter ants. You can successfully eradicate this treasure map leading them to your home by cleaning surfaces that ants have walked on.

Disrupt these scent trails by wiping surfaces with a cotton ball dipped in essential oils such as tea tree, cedarwood, or citrus.

Alternately, prepare a solution consisting of one part liquid dish soap and two parts water, then transfer the mixture to a spray bottle. You can also use a solution that consists of equal parts water and white vinegar. Spray the mixture over the trails or inside the nest if you have located it.

Apply Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth is a natural substance that gets rid of carpenter ants and other insects by dehydrating them. Diatomaceous earth is an efficient insecticide for getting rid of carpenter ants because it breaks down the black ants' tough exoskeleton.

Diatomaceous earth, in contrast to other desiccant products, is available for purchase and application in the comfort of one's own home because it is a completely organic pesticide.

Be very careful when handling this product because breathing in the dust could cause damage to your lungs. This product does not pose a threat to either pets or children, but you should still exercise caution.

Applying diatomaceous earth should be done in the same manner as applying boric acid dust, which is to drill holes measuring one inch in diameter every six inches and then blow the dust into the holes.

When applied correctly, diatomaceous earth has the potential to get rid of carpenter ant nests naturally and quickly.

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Identifying Carpenter Ants

What are Carpenter Ants?

There are several areas in the world where carpenter ants are naturally found. They construct their distinctive, smooth nests outside in wet, decaying wood. They do this by removing pieces of wood to make galleries, which are pathways through the grain of the wood that lead to various nesting locations.

Nesting sites for carpenter ants can be found anywhere inside that has a natural cavity or hollow, including doors, window sills, tree branches, and wall voids.

How to Inspect for Carpenter Ants

Step 1 - Make Sure You Have Carpenter Ants, Not Termites

Verify that you are dealing with ants and not termites in the situation. Carpenter ants are large insects that can be black or dark brown in color and have three body segments and six legs.

They have antennas that curve inward. The reproductive carpenter ants have wings, however, the worker ants do not. Termites, which are a much more serious problem to have, have antennae that are straight and bodies that are a light tint.

Step 2 - Look for Frass

Frass is a substance that resembles sawdust and is produced when ants drill into the wood in order to construct their nests. It will appear to be a mound of light wood shavings, despite the fact that it will contain pieces of garbage and other waste.

If you notice something like these wood shavings about your home, it is a clear indication that you have an infestation on your hands and you need to get rid of carpenter ants.

Step 4 - Place Bait in the Area

In order to find the nest, you will first need to lure the ants out of the nest with some bait that attracts carpenter ants, then follow them back to their nest in order to determine exactly where they are hiding. Place little pieces of honeydew melon or other sugary fruits in close proximity to where you think the nest is located.

Step 5 - Follow the Ants to the Nest

When you see that the ants have taken the bait, track them back to their colony. You will probably see them squeezing through a crack in the wall, the floor, or a doorway.

If the nest can be seen and reached, you can eliminate the nest itself before moving on to the next phase in the process.

If the nest is difficult to find and access, you should consider using poisonous bait to get rid of the carpenter ants instead of trying to find and destroy the nest. The change won't take effect for around three days.

How to Prevent Carpenter Ants from Coming Back

Once you successfully get rid of black carpenter ants, the last thing you want is to have them come back and re-infest. Below we have listed 4 crucial tips to get rid of carpenter ants for good and prevent them from coming back.

1. Remove Clutter from Your Home

Get rid of any clutter and mess to prevent carpenter ants from using it as a nesting place. To accomplish this, thoroughly clean the flooring, mend any leaks that could cause the wood to rot, and clear away any clutter that could provide them with a place to hide.

Make Sure Your Home is Sealed

You may prevent ants from entering your home by using caulk to plug cracks in the foundation, as well as crevices around entry points. Put screens on your doors and windows to keep carpenter ants out of your home.

3. Clean Up Any Natural Debris Around the House

Reduce the height of any tree limbs that hang directly over your home by cutting them back. It is important to get rid of carpenter ants on trees around your home because they could enter on overhanging limbs. You should also remove any weeds, old wood piles, and natural debris, because they may be housing an ant colony.

4. Sweep Up Food Crumbs, Clean Spills, and Fix Any Leaks

In order to exist, ants require sugar, protein, and water as food sources. Keeping these fundamental requirements away from them is the most effective strategy to stop carpenter ants from infesting your property.

Make sure there are no crumbs on the floors or countertops and clean up any spills, especially those involving sugar. Make sure there is no water that can be accessed in the area and fix any leaking faucets.