There’s more to your home than just a place to live. It’s an investment in your future. Protecting the structure of your home is important to protect your property. While termites get most of the attention as wood-destroying pests, carpenter ants are also very dangerous. These ants make tunnels through wood, which could do a lot of damage. Follow these steps to keep your home free of carpenter ants:
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Keeping moisture in
Carpenter ants are attracted to wet places, so it’s important to keep your house and yard dry:
Repair Leaks: Fix any leaks in your pipes, roof, or windows right away. Ants can find wet places even if it’s just a small drip.
airflow: Basements, crawl spaces, attics, and other places where moisture can build up need to have good airflow.
Drains: Make sure your downspouts and gutters are clean and in good shape so that water flows away from the base of your home.
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Taking Care of Wood
Taking care of the wood in and around your house is the best way to keep carpenter ants away:
Seal Gaps and Cracks: Check the outside of your house often for gaps or cracks in the roof, walls, and base. Close up these holes to keep ants out.
Replace Wood That Is Damaged: If you find wood that is rotting or water-damaged, you should replace it right away. Carpenter ants like to build their nests in soft, rotting wood.
Woodpiles: Keep firewood, logs, and other wood items out of the way and off the ground, away from your house.
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Garden design
The landscape around your house can either keep carpenter ants away or bring them in:
Trim Plants: Keep tree branches, bushes, and other plants away from the outside of your house. Carpenter ants often get into your home through twigs that hang over it.
Get Rid of Deadwood: Get rid of tree stumps and dead or dying trees from your land. Carpenter ants like these places to build their nests.
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Keeping food safe
Carpenter ants are opportunistic hunters, and your home can offer them plenty of food:
Containers That Keep Air Out: To keep food safe, store dry goods like cereal and sugar in containers that keep air out.
Food for Pets: Don’t leave food out for pets overnight. Seal the packages and store them away.
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Inspections every so often
By checking your home often, you can find carpenter ant activity early:
Inside: Look for signs of carpenter ant activity in your home, like frass that looks like sawdust, rustling sounds in the wood, or ants that you can see.
Exterior: Look for frass near cracks, gaps, or holes on the outside that could be used as entry points. Look for ants or ant tracks that you can see.
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Cover all entry points
Blocking off possible entry places is a good way to keep carpenter ants out:
Tape and Sealant: To close off gaps around windows, doors, pipes, and other spaces, use weather-resistant tape or caulk.
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Professional Control of Pests
If you can’t keep carpenter ants away or think you might have an issue, you should get professional pest control help:
check: Professional pest control experts can do a full check to confirm an infestation and find nests.
Treatment: To get rid of ants and their nests, professionals use specific treatments like baits and insecticides.
Structural Repairs: Once the carpenter ants are gone, fix any damage they did to the structure of your home to make it safe again.
By using these ways to keep carpenter ants away, you can protect the structure of your home and keep your investment safe for years to come. Remember that getting rid of pests early and doing regular care are the best ways to keep your home safe and valuable.
At Ant Control Lindsay, we offer long-term solutions that can guarantee the eradication of pest presence throughout the property through crack and crevice application in areas of high activity.