Preventing Carpenter Ants from Returning
Ben Franklin smartly said An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is absolutely the truth when it comes to carpenter ants. In our last blog we discussed identifying carpenter ants before they get a chance to be destructive. This week we are looking at things that you can do to help prevent carpenter ants from invading your home and causing damage.Here are a few tips that you can do on your own to make your home less attractive to carpenter ants.
- Keep crumbs to a minimum - Since carpenter ants eat a diet high in protein and sugar they will look for meat droppings or crumbs left by family members most especially in the kitchen but it could be food left out anywhere in the home. Keep floors swept and mopped so that any sweet and meaty food will not be present for them to eat.
- Repair water leaks throughout the house. Ants need water sources to survive. Keep faucets from dripping or wood from getting wet around the house. Standing water around the home should also be mopped up or removed to eliminate the water source.
- Remove debris from around the outside of the house. Cut tree limbs back so they aren't hanging directly over your house. Clean up weeds, leaves, wood piles, and other natural debris that's close to your house and could be harboring an ant population.
- Seal up the house - Seal or repair cracks in the foundation, and around doors and windows. Make it as hard as possible for the ant to make entry into your home.. Remove and repair wet or rotting wood that is a nesting area for carpenter ants.
- Monitor - Periodic monitoring for the ants yourself and by an experienced pest management team can help keep your home from experiencing damage.
