CARPENTER ANT PREVENTION 101
Carpenter ants are not just a serious cottage living pest issue. They can be present in any home or business.
Carpenter ants, as their name suggests, like wood. Unlike termites who eat wood, carpenter ants burrow into wood, especially wood that is rotten or wet which is easier to tunnel into, to build their nests. As carpenter ant colonies grow, they tunnel further into undamaged wood, which increases the structural damage to your home, cottage or business. Depending on the size of the carpenter ant infestation and where they are nesting, the severity of the damage can be serious.
Learn more about carpenter ants and how to identify them in our pest library.
The best defense against carpenter ants is preventing them, so we asked our expert pest management professionals to share their tips for how you can prevent carpenter ant issues. Here's what they recommend:
- Repair or replace damaged or damp wood on the inside or outside of your structure.
- Repair leaking faucets, sprinklers and hoses.
- Seal all exterior cracks and crevices.
- Repair or replace torn screens.
- Install door sweeps and weather stripping on doors and windows.
- Cut back tree branches and bushes so that they don’t brush up against your structure’s exterior.
- Remove decaying tree stumps from your property.
- Clear away damp and decaying wood piles.
- Store firewood away from your home, cottage or business and elevate these piles so they are off the ground.
- Store your dry goods in containers with tight-fitting lids.
- Don’t leave out food that is uncovered, especially foods that are high in protein or sugar.
- Keep eating areas, especially counters and sinks, clean, dry and crumb-free.
- Sweep, vacuum and mop daily to keep your floors clean and crumb free.
- Clean up water spills and sticky spills as soon as they happen.
- Regularly empty and clean out garage, recycle and compost bins.
We hope you find these tips helpful in preventing carpenter ants from damaging your home, cottage or business.
If you have a carpenter ant infestation or are concerned that you may have one, don’t hesitate to contact the experts at York Pest Control. We’ve been helping resolve carpenter ant issue since 1983.