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Carpenter ants are among the largest ants in the United States, measuring up to 20 mm—or roughly ¾ of an inch. Most often black but sometimes red or yellow, carpenter ants live both indoors and outdoors, nesting inside moist, decaying wood (like old tree trunks, or rotting wooden boards in human structures). This can make it hard to get rid of carpenter ants. While they burrow and colonize inside wooden materials like termites, unlike termites, they do not consume wood. Instead, their diet is like that of other ants, consisting mostly of sweet foods and meats. Because they do not eat wood, carpenter ants are not nearly as damaging to homes as termites. However, if given enough time, a highly developed and mature colony can cause extensive damage to nearly any wooden structure. With queens living up to 25 years, it’s not hard to imagine how costly a carpenter ant colony can be to a homeowner. If you’re seeing these little carpenters crawling throughout your home or just looking to prevent an infestation before it takes hold, here are 10 Non-Toxic Tips to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants. 1. PREVENTIONPrevention is always the best form of pest control. Follow these simple guidelines to keep carpenter ants out of your home.
2. FIND THE NESTThe most effective methods for ridding yourself of carpenter ants all involve locating and treating their nests directly. Carpenter ants nest in moist, decaying wood. These nests can be located either inside or outside the home, and unless you actually follow the trailing ants back to their origin, it’s not always easy to determine which. However, in general, if you find carpenter ants inside your home during late winter or early spring, chances are the colony is located indoors. Here’s some tips for locating a carpenter ant colony:
3. BOILING WATERIf you were able to find the carpenter ant nest (and it was located outdoors), this natural method is a way to attack the ant colony directly. It’s simple: boil a few liters or more of water and then pour it directly into the nest (this can be dangerous, so please exercise extreme caution). Adding a natural and water-soluble insecticide, essential oils, or soap to the boiled water will make this approach even more effective. You may have to repeat this process two to three times to completely eliminate the colony. 4. SUGAR & BAKING SODA BAITA simple and natural carpenter ant bait can be made by mixing equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar. Strategically place this mixture in shallow dishes in the locations with the most ant traffic. These can also be placed outside, particularly near doors and windows. The sugar in the mixture attracts the ants, while the baking soda naturally kills them (for chemical reasons, baking soda is deadly to ants). 5. ESSENTIAL OILSLike most ants, carpenter ants use pheromone trails for navigation and communication—it’s also how they find food. Essential oils can be used to disrupt these trails, which ultimately disorients and deters ants. Lemongrass, peppermint, clove, cedarwood, tea tree, orange and lemon oil are all effective. Dampen a cotton ball or kitchen towel with an essential oil of your choosing. Use this to wipe windowsills, baseboards, the perimeters of countertops, door frames, and any potential entry points. Repeat daily until ant population disappears. Your chosen oil can also be diluted with a carrier oil to create a natural ant-killing spray. 6. SOAP & WATERA simple mixture of soap and water is toxic to carpenter ants. Mix one part natural dish soap to two parts water in a spray bottle. Spray as needed to kill ants and eliminate their pheromone trails. Continue to treat problem areas until the ants no longer return. 7. DIATOMACEOUS EARTHMade from crushed algae fossils, Diatomaceous Earth is a well known natural pesticide. This abrasive material damages the exoskeleton of ants that come into contact with it, eventually killing them. Spread DE throughout ant problem areas and directly on the colony’s nest if possible. Diatomaceous Earth is especially effective for combatting carpenter ants, which regularly die from consuming it. 8. NON-TOXIC INSECTICIDES: BOTH INDOOR & OUTDOORFor carpenter ants, it's best to treat both outside and inside your home. Kill any ants you see indoors with a quick spray of All-Purpose Bug Spray and repel future ants by spraying trouble areas like windowsills, doorways, countertops, and baseboards weekly until the issue improves. Using PCO Choice, spray your entire lawn monthly, including bases of trees, shrubbery, along fence lines, and your home’s foundation. This will create a repellent barrier that helps keep ants from entering your home. 9. VINEGARVinegar is an extremely effective natural carpenter ant deterrent. It disrupts their pheromone trails and the smell prevents them from returning. Mix a 1-to-1 ratio of water to vinegar in a spray bottle (both apple cider and white vinegar will do). Shake the solution and then spray along baseboards, door frames, window sills, countertops, and directly on the nest if possible. Repeat the process daily or as needed to repel carpenter ants. Vinegar is a natural disinfectant and multi-surface cleaner—so feel free to use the spray liberally. 10. CINNAMON & CINNAMON OILNot unlike the previously mentioned essential oils and vinegar, cinnamon and cinnamon oil deter ants by interfering with their pheromone trails. Dispense the cinnamon in whatever form throughout ant problem areas and directly on the nest if possible. When used around windowsills, baseboards, near doors and alongside countertops, cinnamon helps prevent carpenter ants from entering your home. What kills carpenter ants the best?The most common solution is to use an insecticide that contains pyrethroids. The trick is getting insecticidal spray or dust into the nest. You should never spray liquids around electrical outlets or junction boxes, but insecticidal dust can be used in these areas.
How do pros get rid of carpenter ants?A pest control professional can do things like use dust material treatments, which flush out hidden ant nests and remove carpenter ants, perimeter treatments around the outside of your home, and nest and barrier treatments to directly treat the nests, she says.
Will vinegar kill carpenter ants?Vinegar—whether white vinegar or apple cider vinegar—is a common ingredient in many kitchens. That's probably why many homeowners hope that vinegar or a mixture of apple cider vinegar and dish soap will kill ants. Unfortunately, it doesn't work.
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