Although carpenter ants will eventually die off on their own if their food source disappears, this process could take months or even years. If you're dealing with an infestation, it's best to take proactive measures to get rid of carpenter ants as quickly as possible.
Each year, carpenter ants become active in the spring (March-April) and remain so through early fall (September-October). A mature carpenter ant colony usually releases reproductive individuals in springtime.
Terminix recommends drilling 1/8" holes every six inches in the area where you suspect the nest might be. Then, use a bulb duster to "puff" boric acid through the holes. (The boric acid will kill the ants.) You might have to repeat treatments multiple times in order to destroy the nest.
If they get indoors, they'll begin at spots with moisture damage, but from there, they can get into stronger wood, eventually weakening it and causing serious structural damage. We'll show you how to identify and get rid of carpenter ants on your own.
You can get rid of the carpenter ants within your house by spraying a pesticide in aerosol form across and into the opening to the nest as well as placing sweet baits (which contain boric-acid) close to the nest. You can view this as an initial step when you suspect the colony isn't that large.
Lemongrass, peppermint, clove, cedarwood, tea tree, orange and lemon oil are all effective. Dampen a cotton ball or kitchen towel with an essential oil of your choosing. Use this to wipe windowsills, baseboards, the perimeters of countertops, door frames, and any potential entry points.
How did I get carpenter ants? These insects usually build their nests in damp, sound or decaying wood. Homes with moisture issues caused by leaks are prime targets for carpenter ants. The pests will also use tree branches that overhang roofs as a bridge, accessing buildings to find a way inside.
Ants have a keen sense of smell and can detect sugar and sweets with ease. They are very attracted to chocolate, honey, and any other sugar-laden product. Other foods that are greasy or have complex carbohydrates will attract them as well. Even a few crumbs on the floor can have a room crawling with ants in no time.
In controlling carpenter ants, boric acid can be a dry powder or a liquid insect bait solution that contains a food attractant. Boric acid acts as a stomach poison for carpenter ants and other insects.
The good news is that ants can still smell Vinegar after it is dried. Always remember that Vinegar is not a permanent solution to remove an ant infestation. It is reasonable to spread the solution thrice a week over the affected areas to remove ants slowly.
The carpenter ant queen is a fertilized, functional female of the colony. She is wingless, about 13 -25 mm long, colour is dependent on species but often range from dark brown, reddish, yellow, or black tones. Similar in appearance to worker ants, the queen's body is divided into a head, thorax, and abdomen, or gaster.
Two of the best ways to eliminate ants are Borax and diatomaceous earth. Essential oils, including peppermint and clove, are a natural way to repel and kill ants. Food and moisture attract ants, so keep your home clean and dry to get rid of ants permanently.
Dish Soap, baking soda, and vinegar. Common items in your kitchen can help eliminate carpenter ants. You can spray white vinegar onto countertops and in cracks along the floor that the ants are using as their travel path to hide the chemical trail ants use to find their way.
Carpenter ants outdoors are usually always best controlled with baits. Advance Carpenter Ant Bait or KM Ant Pro Ant Bait Station are the only products that will effectively work long term to kill carpenter ants.
Sometimes called sugar ants, Carpenter ants are one of the most common and widespread groups of ants in Australia. Species vary greatly in size and colour, ranging from about 2.5 - 14mm in overall length, and from brown to pale brown in colour.
Carpenter ant damage doesn't always look like tunnels and galleries. It can look like a hole that is frayed around the edges. It can look like dashes and dots running along a block of wood. It can look like wood rot (especially since these ants prefer to attack rotting wood).
Mix a 50/50 solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray it directly on the ants to kill them, then wipe up the ants using a damp paper towel and discard them. You can also use vinegar and water as a deterrent; spray it around your windowsills, doorways and other places where you see ants coming inside.
Moisture and Wood
The most important key factors that attract carpenter ants in homes and yard are moisture and dead wood. In order to prevent a carpenter ant infestation in homes and on property, residents should inspect and repair water leaks from faulty pipes or roofs.
That way, they're not even coming inside your home. Since all ants' digestive systems work the same way no matter what species you're dealing with, borax is an effective killer whether you have sugar ants, fire ants, carpenter ants, or almost any other type of ant in your home.
Dish soap: Combine two parts water and one part liquid dish soap, mix it up, and pour it into a spray bottle. The soap is toxic to carpenter ants and will kill them. As a DIY solution, you can also spray it around entry points to help ward off ants from getting into your home.
They are most active at night. Workers emerge from the nest about 15 minutes after sundown. Like other ants, they follow chemical trails in search of food -- sometimes hundreds of feet from the nest – and often create permanent, well-beaten trails like cow paths through the grass.
Make sure that your toothpaste, shampoo and soap bottle in the bathroom are sealed. Ants are also attracted to the fragrance from these toiletries!
Other ant species such as carpenter ants or red imported fire ants may prefer fatty or oily foods such as nuts, peanut butter and meat when available.
Mix equal parts powdered boric acid and a sweet food such as peanut butter, corn syrup and powdered sugar, and then add water. Make sure the mixture is viscous and still somewhat liquid so that the ants can eat it without drowning. Place mixture in small containers along all active chemical trails.