Carpenter Ant Infestations and How to Get Rid of Them

Pest control may include tackling infestations of a wide variety of crawling critters. Some of the most damaging pests in Louisiana, however, are carpenter ants, whose presence can range from annoying to structurally condemning. If this wood-destroying insect decides to establish its colony in the walls of your home, it is essential to address the problem as soon as possible.

​Identifying Carpenter Ants
 
One of the first steps of preventing or eliminating carpenter ants is to correctly identify them. Pest control is only possible when the pest and its habits are known. Carpenter ants are the most common variety of ants found in the Baton Rouge area, and they are also the largest ant species in North America. Thus, if you can see ants crawling your home or yard, they are probably carpenter ants.
 
Carpenter ants come in different colors, depending on the colony. Many are black, but some are red, orange, or brown. They are noted for the small hairs around the abdomen, and for their large jaws, which aid them in chewing away wooden structures. Because they make their nests in damp and rotted wood, they are likely to be seen along the branches of trees and bushes, in tree stumps, around piles of firewood, around wooden door or window frames, along fences, near baseboards, and in the joints in walls with interior plumbing. As nocturnal insects, the ants are not as active during the day. Keep an eye out for crawlers during the evenings and mornings when you first turn on the lights.

Signs You Might Have a Carpenter Ant Nest
 
When dealing with pest control of carpenter ants, there are a few signs to look for if you suspect a nest in your home. These include the following:
 

• Frass: Carpenter ants do not eat the wood that they chew away to make room for nesting. Instead, they expel it, along with any dead ants or shed wings from the colony outside the nest. This looks like small piles of sawdust, known as frass, near places where the ants are inhabiting.
• Worker Ants: If you have a colony inhabiting your house, you will almost surely see worker ants out scavenging for food. They will travel far for sustenance, however, so be sure to not assume if you spot them in your kitchen that their nest is somewhere in the walls of that room.
• Swarmers: In the springtime, carpenter ant colonies produce a new category of ant, the swarmers. These insects have wings and fly beyond the nest to create new satellite colonies. A preponderance of flying ants during spring months may indicate a carpenter nest nearby.
• Rustling: If you suspect a nest in a particular wall, give it a good tap and listen for the rustling of ants scurrying away. You may also hear them at night as they chew and crawl through their nest in the walls.
• Hallow Wood: Tapping on the wall should also reveal a sound difference, as carpenter ants carve out hollow galleries for their nest. A non-infested wall, when tapped, sounds solid, while an infested wall has the ring of hollowness to it.

 
Infestation Prevention
 
If you live in a particularly moist area or are otherwise susceptible to the wrath of carpenter ants, you can prevent infestations with some effective Baton Rouge pest control tips, such as:
 

• Trim trees and bushes away from the house. If the ants are living in the branches, they can more easily access your home if the plants are touching the building.
• Insulate your home appropriately to keep cracks and holes sealed, and to keep moisture out.
• Maintain your home to reduce leaks and other plumbing issues that lead to moisture buildup in your walls.
• Use a perimeter insecticide around your house to deter ants from entering.

 
Carpenter Ant Bait
 
When you know you have a colony of carpenter ants in your house, pest control strategies recommend using bait to get rid of them. Bait is used as food for worker ants, who are attracted to a sugary compound laced with a chemical poison. The workers carry the bait back to the colony where other ants feed on it and die. The most effective way to distribute bait is to set it along the paths that the ants usually use for finding food. When using store-bought bait, be sure to select one that is water-resistant and targeted especially for carpenter ants. Otherwise, it might accidentally get washed away or eaten by some other critter, and your ant colony will never receive the sugary toxin.
 
Carpenter Ant Pesticide
 
Instead of bait, you may prefer to use pesticides. This can prevent ants from colonies that have inhabited your yard from entering your house. If you feel confident in your Baton Rouge pest control techniques, you may also consider using a foam, dust, or aerosol insecticide to attack an indoor nest at its source. To do this, be sure that you have properly and correctly identified the nest location and drill a few small holes in the wall at least two feet from where you see the ants entering the wall. Spray the insecticide around the holes as well as any other opening the ants are using. This should effectively wipe out the entire colony. 
 
DIY Extermination
 
For those families that have children or pets at home and may prefer a less chemically toxic solution to carpenter ant extermination, there are some easy DIY methods you can also use. For natural Baton Rouge pest control, use boric acid, an affordable, natural, and relatively safe-for-humans poison, and combine it with 10 parts sugar water. Add this solution to any food you chose and set it out appropriately as bait. Boric acid can also be used as a pesticide by spraying it in or near the nest, or along the paths the ants travel. Diatomaceous earth is another natural product that is effective in pest control. DE is a sedimentary rock that insects cannot ingest, and dusting it over the nest kills off your carpenter ants.
 
When dealing with particularly large or aggressive infestations, consider calling a professional exterminator to get rid of the ants with strategic Baton Rouge pest control. The carpenter ant, as a wood-destroying insect, is one of the biggest threats to the stability of home. When you spot the signs, take action immediately.