Many homeowners think that because carpenter ants in Aiken don’t cause as much damage as termites, they don’t have to worry about these big, black bugs. However, saying you don’t have to worry about carpenter ants because they’re not as bad as termites is a little like saying you don’t have to worry about hail because it’s not as bad as a tornado. One is worse than the other, but you need to have a plan to deal with both. That’s why you cannot ignore carpenter ants when formulating your Aiken pest control plan.
How Can I Tell If It's Carpenter Ants On My Property?
One of the good things about carpenter ants in comparison to termites is that it’s easier to spot them. Carpenter ants do not eat the wood they infest, which means they have to forage for food. This, in turn, means you’re likely to start noticing a carpenter ant problem long before you would notice a termite problem. If you notice one or two carpenter ants around your property, don’t panic. They may be foraging from nests that aren't in your house. However, if you start seeing tons of carpenter ants in your house, that’s a sure sign of a nest nearby.
Other signs of carpenter ants in Aiken may be similar to termite signs and include:
- Inexplicable wood damage
- Walls that sound hollow
- Windows and doors that don’t fit
- Piles of sawdust
- Bucked or loose floorboards
If you start seeing these signs, it’s vital to act before the carpenter ant damage gets out of hand.
What Problems Can Ants Create In My Home?
While carpenter ants in Aiken cannot wreak the same havoc as termites, they can still do severe and costly damage to your home. This is because carpenter ants build their “anthills” in wood rather than dirt, meaning all the tunnels, chambers, and ant superhighways you’d find in a normal ant colony will be in whatever wood the carpenter ants infest. If that just so happens to be the wood that makes up your home, carpenter ants can cost you thousands of dollars in repairs. They might even threaten your home’s structural integrity if they make it into its structural components. Thus, carpenter ant control is not something to take lightly.
Why Are There Carpenter Ants On My Property?
Carpenter ants are attracted to wood that’s easy to infest. They’re not going to infest young, strong, living trees but rather dead and dying ones. They follow the same pattern when invading your Aiken home. They won’t go for dry, hardwood but will instead go for the rotten and water-damaged stuff that’s easy to carve and tunnel through. One of the best ways to make your home less attractive to these ants is to keep all its wooden components fresh by replacing rotten or damaged wood right away.
Other ways to prevent carpenter ants in Aiken include:
- Trimming trees and shrubs away from your home’s exterior.
- Make sure that firewood is not touching your house.
- Keeping mulch away from your home’s foundation.
- Covering all trash cans on your property.
- Storing food in airtight containers or the fridge.
Following these carpenter ant best practices can help prevent you from having to deal with an infestation in the future.
How Can I Get Rid Of Carpenter Ants Permanently?
The only way to get rid of carpenter ants permanently is to call the pros here at Aiken Pest Control. Our tools and techniques run circles around store-bought carpenter ant sprays and baits. So don’t waste your time or risk further damage.