As if having home-destroying termites here in South Carolina isn't bad enough, we also have destructive ants that can cause extensive damage to homes, given enough time. Today we are talking about carpenter ants. Incidentally, there are many things about termites and carpenter ants that are similar, so all of the tips and tricks we offer here to keep destructive carpenter ants at bay will also help to deter termites as well.
Damages Carpenter Ants Cause
Just like termites, carpenter ants prefer to chew through soft, water-damaged, and rotting wood around homes. (However, unlike termites, they do not tunnel through softwood only but have also been known to tunnel galleys through hardwood.) This tunneling can, over time, lead to serious structural damage throughout a home. The more they tunnel through the structural wood of a home, hollowing it out, the more severe this damage will become.
Prevention Tips For Homeowners Looking To Keep Carpenter Ants Away
Keeping wood-destroying pests such as carpenter ants and termites out of your home can be done in a few ways. Here are some great places to begin:
- Check the exterior of your home for any softened potentially water-damaged or rotting wood. As much as possible have this wood repaired or replaced.
- Seek out and fix leaks that could be negatively affecting the wood of your home.
- Seal up cracks and gaps in your home's foundation.
- Keep firewood and other wooden debris a good distance away from the walls of your home.
- Trim back tree branches and keep shrubs trimmed away from the walls of your home.
- Make sure all of your gutters are in good working order and properly diverting water away from your home.
DIY VS. Professional Services
Although all of the above steps can help in deterring carpenter ants (and termites), they are not a perfect solution. Even if you followed all of the above precautions there would still be a chance that carpenter ants could find and chew away at your home.
When you choose professional treatments with Aiken Pest, you get a guaranteed solution. That is to say, if you hire us to keep carpenter ants away from your home and they still get inside, we will come back and treat them for no additional cost to you.
Want to learn more about our carpenter ant control plans? Contact one of our team members today.