Home Invaders: Getting Rid of Carpenter Ants
By LJ Stewart
Every Spring my kitchen because home to an army of ugly black carpenter ants.
Raid drops, sprays and ant traps. This year they seem particularly worse than usual.
Getting Rid of Carpenter Ants: Inside the House Carpenter ants like moist, wet wood. That’s why you’ll usually notice e carpenter ants wherever there is moist wood — around dishwashers , sinks and bathrooms.
You can find carpenter ant nest it may prove to be difficult- by tapping along wall and listing for a hollow sound. A hollow sound will usually indicate that you’ve found the nest- and you can sometimes hear the sound of the ants scrambling when you disturb the nest,
You need to get rid of the nest. Colonies within the structure should be controlled by a direct application of a pesticide. Boric acid dust, bendiocarb (Ficam) 1% dust, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, bifenthrin, propoxur (Baygon) 0.5% in aerosol spray containers all are registered materials. Nests in wall voids often can be accessed through plumbing or electrical wiring. Electrical plates can be removed and an insecticide applied into the wall void along the outside edge of the electrical box. Ants follow wiring and plumbing routes through the structure. If the colony is inaccessible for direct treatment, a 1/8 inch drill bit can be used to make small holes in the walls so an insecticide applicator wand can be inserted for application of the insecticide. Dust formulations are effective against all Hymenoptera because the dust adheres to the hairy surfaces of their bodies. As they clean themselves and feed other ants and larvae, the insecticide is spread throughout the colony. This formulation is effective as long as it does not become wet, so it is used primarily in wall voids.
drill small holes into the wall with a drill- about 1/8 across. Do this from OUTSIDE the house. Fill the holes with with boric acid. The ants should die off after touching the acid.
Prevent Carpenter Ants from Invading Your Home! Don’t let tree branches touch your house- they will act as a bridge straight into your house. Prune these branches! If you have wood siding, don’t rest things against wood siding- rakes, shovels bags of leaves, firewood, etc. this is a breeding ground for carpenter ants! Fill crack or holes on foundation- these are doorway into your home for carpenters ants. Getting concrete grout at hardware store is cheap and filling in grout is easy to do. Good Luck!
Lisa Stewart is freelance writer in Toronto. For more household tips or to submit your home related article visit HomeGardenandGift.org.
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This post was written by admin on February 9, 2009
