You have seen numerous ants around your home and starting to wonder if you may have a problem with carpenter ants, and if so, the best plan for carpenter ants extermination. First of all you need to determine if the species you are seeing are really carpenter ants. This particular species is large averaging between .25 to 1.0 inches in length and either red or black in color and found throughout the United States. Unlike the termite, it does not eat wood but instead gets its name because they prefer to build their nests in moist, decaying, or hollow wood that is located either indoors or outdoors. They cause damage by removing wood from an area when they are creating their nest and this can be particularly damaging if structural wood is affected.

A sign that you having problems with these particular insects are sawdust-like materials (referred to as frass) at or near the site of their nest. Frass is normally found in a cone-shaped pile near the entrance of the nest. Outside nests tend to be built in rotting trees or stumps, tree roots, semi-buried wood, or stacks of firewood. Areas of the home that are most likely to be preferred nesting sites are roof eaves, decks, porches, subfloor insulations, attic, crawl space, around windows, around bathtubs, sinks, showers, or any wood that has been damaged from condensation, poor air circulation, or a water leak. Hollow spaces such as doors and walls are also preferred nesting sites for these insects.

Just because you see a few carpenter ants in your home does not necessarily mean they have created a nest, this species will travel up to 100 yards from their nest to forage for food. The most common food foraging time is between sunset and midnight during the spring and summer seasons.

Obviously, once you determine you do have problems with these insects in your home, you need to learn about the different extermination methods to get rid of them. The elimination of a colony of this ant species can be a challenging and difficult task. You may want to consider hiring an experienced pest control company to take care of this problem for you because they have more experience and access to pest control products that you may not be able to obtain. For example, if the nest is located in a wall void or subflooring, a professional pest control agent can drill holes and insert insecticidal dust into the area. The general public is not able to purchase insecticidal dust or some types of bait because they can only be obtained by a professional pest control company.

If you prefer to rid your home of carpenter ants yourself, you can purchase a liquid or spray insecticide such as permethrin, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, or deltamethrin. This method works best if the nest is found and exposed. If the nest is not exposed, you can spray along the baseboard or in cracks and crevices in the floor or walls where you have frequently seen these insects.

Author Bio: Stewart Wrighter is in need of carpenter ants extermination for his downtown hotel. They have found evidence of carpenter antsat that location.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: carpenter ants extermination,carpenter ants