Carpenter Ants Have Designs on Your Home
by
Dr. Richard Kramer
(NPCA) - Carpenter ants may be little more than a nuisance outdoors, but if they have designs on your house as a nesting area, they can pose serious problems.
These large black ants tunnel through soffits, wall studs and other wooden portions of a house chewing out a honeycomb of "galleries" in which to live.
Large numbers of ants or piles of sawdust under window sills and baseboards, says the National Pest Control Association, may indicate a nest in the wall or enclosed space.
Carpenter ants prefer wood that’s been damaged by water, so try to avoid moisture problems. Don’t stack logs or damp wood against your house, and repair leaking pipes or damaged caulking around windows.
Other suggestions are:
- Seal cracks around doors, windows, vents and the foundation.
- Trim trees and bushes away from the house.
- Remove tree stumps and dead limbs.
- Replace rotted wood on the exterior and interior of your house.
- Place screens on windows and vents.
(Dr. Kramer is the director of research, education and technical resources for the National Pest Control Association.)