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Carpenter Ants: The Pest That Demands A Professional

The pest that can out-smart your average homeowner, and DIY pest control enthusiast, are the good old carpenter ants, which often lodge by the thousands. If you’ve had these unwelcome visitors, you know to always call your trusted Sweeney’s Pest Elimination for reliable and thorough care.

Not Just Any Professional, It’s A Job For The Bug Guys

I received a work call a while back about helping solve a carpenter ant problem for a home in the woods. The gentleman and I worked together to bait the ants, find the trails, and after some time inspecting, we could tell the ants were crossing from the next-door property where they would picnic off the old trees and would retreat back to the gentlemen’s home to reside. I told him that unless those trees could be cut down, he would continue to have this ant problem. The gentlemen decided to get a second opinion and hired another company to “Band-Aid” the problem. He ended up signing a contract, and the pest company would come and spray the exterior of his home every few months. This treatment didn’t eliminate the problem, just some of the worker ants.

After a year of putting money into eliminating the carpenter ants, with no success, I get another phone call from him. So, I go to his home and he tells me all of the things this other company has done to attempt a “solution.” As we were speaking, I noticed a line of carpenter ants. I point them out to the gentlemen, and I say, “Well, let’s watch where they go.” These ants were climbing from the ground onto a bush, and then along a path into the home.

Come to find out, the other company, who did an exterior perimeter spray, sprayed two feet up the house foundation, and two feet out from the home. These intelligent carpenter ants found a bush that was four feet from the house, and its branches touched the home four feet above the ground. All were untouched by this spray. So, what did the ants do? They just found another path into the home.

The ants learned that they couldn’t pass the chemical line without dying. Ants are smart!

If you have carpenter ants, make sure you aren’t paying for regular work to be done, if that work is not eliminating the problem at its core. Sweeney’s Pest Elimination will identify the problem, and give you the best solution for eliminating your problem.

To Get Rid Of The Problem, You Have To Target The Colony

For years, I didn’t take on many carpenter ant cases because there weren’t any New York State-approved methods for eliminating the problem at its core. All I could do was eliminate some of the workers, and that drove me nuts.

Several years ago, New York State welcomed a new kind of bait that used the carpenter ant's own biology against themselves to eliminate the nests. This bait changed the carpenter ant game and now allows me to take on new carpenter ant cases each year, knowing that when I get a case, I can eliminate the problem. Sweeney’s Pest Elimination will always choose to solve the problem as permanently as possible, every single time. 

Have your attempts to eliminate your carpenter ants been unsuccessful? Don’t waste any more time and resources, call Sweeney’s Pest Elimination today at 1-855-3-BUG-GUYS and feel assured that the damage and nuisance of the ants will be a thing of the past!

How Do I Know If The Ant Is A Carpenter Ant?

Carpenter Ants are big (about the size of a penny) and black.

Do Carpenter Ants Primarily Live Indoors?

Most Carpenter ants make their nest outdoors! Whether in trees, logs, or decaying wood, carpenter ants will always be looking for a moist environment.

Do Carpenter Ants Have More Than One Nest?

Typically, carpenter ants will have a nest outdoors, but they can also have a “satellite nest” indoors. These secondary nests are smaller and located further away from the main nest.

What Causes Carpenter Ants In The House?

Carpenter ants will travel through any crack or crevice (around doors, windows, electrical holes, old phone live holes, etc) to get inside a home. They will even utilize wires, shrubs, or tree limbs that touch the home as a road into your home.

Carpenter ants are moisture driven. They love to nest in decaying wood. So, the question is, where do you have moisture in your home? One of my clients had moisture around his dishwasher, so that was a draw for carpenter ants.

Do Carpenter Ants Eat Wood?

Wood is not a source of food for a carpenter ant. They will, however, destroy any wood that they nest in. 

What Are The Signs Of Carpenter Ants In Your House?

It is common to find wood shavings or fine sawdust left near floor joists, window sills, or wall studs. You also may hear the faint sound of scratching, or see a large (penny-size) ant. All are indicators that you may have a carpenter ant infestation.

If you see signs in your home that you may have carpenter ants, call Sweeney’s Pest Elimination to schedule an inspection today at 1-855-3-BUG-GUYS.

Tips For Preventing Carpenter Ants

  • Remove old stumps, debris, wood, limbs, and garbage from your property
  • Keep trees and shrubs trimmed and a safe distance from your home
  • Regularly caulk cracks and crevices around your foundations, doorways, and windows.
  • Border home with gravel or stones rather than wood chip mulch which is a good nesting environment for ants.

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