Taking it one step further, carpenter ants are not only a nuisance pest but they are capable of causing major structural damage to your New York home. If you are seeing small ants foraging through your home, you may shrug them off simply as common ants when they may in fact be carpenter ants looking for wood sources to carve galleries and form a new colony. Carpenter ant infestations can be serious and are often similar to the damages of termites.
When it comes to ants in your home the most important thing is to learn how to identify carpenter ants, how to prevent them, and how to treat for them if you do in fact find an infestation. To make your life easier, the Long Island pest control pros would like to share that very information with you.
Identify carpenter ants
Carpenter ants can be red, black, or a combination of both. They are a little larger than most other common ant species found in homes measuring from about 1/8 of an inch up to 1/2 of an inch in size whereas most other ant species are only around 1/8 of an inch.
Prevent carpenter ants
The best way to control carpenter ants and avoid their damages is to prevent them from getting into your home in the first place. Here are some of the top carpenter ant prevention tips:
- Keep all open food sealed in air tight containers
- Wipe up crumbs and spills right away
- Be sure that all window screens are intact and free of any holes or tears
- Seal off any cracks or holes on the exterior of the home
- Remove moist, decaying wood from your property as this is their favored nesting area
Treatments to get rid of carpenter ants
Despite your best efforts to prevent carpenter ants from crashing in on your home, the fact is that sometimes they do find their way inside. Unfortunately most store bought sprays are not going to take care of your carpenter ant problem. So if you happen to find an infestation in your home, then it is best to call in the pest control professionals.
Providing Long Island pest control service as well as pest control for Westchester County and parts of Connecticut, Parkway Pest Services is ready to identify the source of the ant problem, get rid of ants and the entire colony, and work with you on ways to prevent any future infestations. To get rid of carpenter ants today or to learn more about Parkway’s exterminating services, please contact us today!