Everything You Need to Know About the Carpenter Ants that Can Invade Your Home

Everything You Need to Know About the Carpenter Ants that Can Invade Your Home

Carpenter ants are larger than the common ants one finds in the sand in the summer, for example. They can be black or red and measure between 6 and 25 millimetres. Are they present in your home, and you don’t know what to do? Read on!

Firstly, you must understand that you should be concerned: carpenter ants can cause serious damage to your residence’s structure if the issue is not dealt with. They could, for instance, weaken the support beams, joists, roof trusses or even the foundation. It is therefore imperative that you get rid of them. But how?

How to Detect Them?

To effectively evict carpenter ants, you must begin by locating their nest. Contrary to popular belief, these ants don’t eat wood, they excavate it when building their nest. That is why looking for small piles of sawdust is an excellent way of finding out where they are.

These little critters love rotten wood and a damp environment, so check under the sink, in the back of cabinets, around windows and even behind the dishwasher. They can enter your home through doors and windows near trees and bushes; through cracks in the foundation; the heating or air conditioning system’s duct; and by hitching a ride on the fireplace logs you bring into your home. 

How to Eliminate Them and Guard Against an Infestation?

Here are a few tips that can help keep carpenter ants from making your house their home, or that you can employ to get rid of them once they’ve already moved in:

 

·      When you have located the nest, entice the carpenter ants out with small bowls filled with sugar and baking soda. This mixture is deadly to them when ingested! If you prefer, you can combine equal parts of vinegar and water and use this solution to clean your kitchen.

·      Remove any pieces of rotten wood from around your home so as not to provide the ants a cozy place to live. Most importantly, do not bring firewood inside your residence or pile it up against the exterior walls.

·      Cut the branches that are touching your house to eliminate all direct pathways inside.

·      If you discover ants in your home, especially in winter, it’s because they’ve found something to eat! Store your food in sealed containers and remember to clean your counters and sweep the floor often so that you don’t provide them with an abundant and easy-to-access buffet that will make them want to extend their stay.

·      When it comes to eliminating the ants, avoid using pesticides that could harm your family members and pets. Instead of this, call on a professional exterminator.

An Indication that You Have a More Serious Problem

To conclude, carpenter ants are most likely to have been attracted into your home because of dampness or decay in its wooden timbers. This is not something to take lightly! The humidity issue must be addressed as soon as possible because it is weakening the frame and could lead to the collapse of certain structural components. A decontamination expert will definitely be able to answer all your questions and guide you through the entire process.

Good luck!

RE/MAX Québec

By RE/MAX Québec

By RE/MAX Québec

A leader in the real estate industry since 1982, the RE/MAX network brings together the most efficient brokers.