Bliss Will Get Rid Of Carpenter Ants

Carpenter Ants cause millions of dollars of damage annually to homes and buildings.

The damage is not the result of an invasion of swarming Carpenter Ants, but rather from the proliferation of well-established colonies and satellite colonies in walls and adjacent trees, shrubs and bushes. Since Carpenter Ants multiply in geometric progression, it does not take long for a full-blown infestation to develop.

Carpenter Ants do not eat wood as termites do; Carpenter Ants chip out wood in order to make a nest inside of walls, beams, sills and joists in a house.

They expel a frass like sawdust from their nests.

The main nest for carpenter ants is usually outside in a live tree or landscape timbers.

Carpenter ants set up satellite colonies in the walls, sub floors and void spaces in our homes. According to university research structures with carpenter ants can have 10 to 12 satellite colonies.

They lay eggs in the walls twice a year, in the winter and the summer. The eggs can take 2-10 months to mature.

The ant goes through 4 stages of growth (egg, larvae, pupae and adult) until it becomes a foraging adult. Thus their development is taking place all throughout the year. The crawling ants you see are out foraging for food to bring back to the young.

* A recent survey in the State of Connecticut found that there were an average of 10-12 carpenter ant satellite colonies in structures with carpenter ants problems.

Carpenter Ant Treatment

OUTSIDE: We will treat the areas where carpenter ants enter and exit the house.

-around the foundation
-under the first row of shingles
-around doorframes and window frames
-where pipes and wires enter the house.

In the warmer months ants go back and forth from the satellite nest to the main nest so we want to get them as they travel in and out of the house to feed.

INSIDE: All areas they come in and out of the walls are treated.

-the gaps by the baseboards
-around window frames, doorframes
-where pipes come in and out of the walls
-basement sill plate and other entry points
-accesible attics
-garage

NOTE ABOUT THE INSECTICIDE WE USE: The "Signal Word" (which is an Environmental Protection Agency measure of toxicity) for the material we use is "Caution". It is the same Signal Word assigned to other products in your home such as Windex, Mr. Clean, dishwasher soap and boric acid.

Carpenter Ant Management for Homes

Our carpenter ant service will control infestations in homes and help prevent new infestations. However certain conducive conditions make a home more vulnerable to carpenter ant infestation.

There are non-chemical measures homeowners can take to make a home less likely to be reinfested by carpenter ants and less vulnerable to other insect and rodent pests as well.

Some of the measures you can take include:

• Correcting exterior and interior moisture problems including leaking flashing, clogged gutters and downspouts, roof leaks, plumbing leaks.
• Trimming trees and bushes at least three feet away from buildings.
• Removing tree stumps within 50 feet from a building.
• Sealing knotholes in damaged trees.
• Making sure that the grading of the soil is tiled away from foundation walls.
• Keeping leaf litter away from the foundation of building.
• If you use mulch keep it six inches away from the foundation and do not overmulch.
• Storing firewood off the ground and away from buildings.
• Only bring firewood in the house that you will use that day.
• Eliminate wood to soil contact.
• Replace any rotten wood.
• Weather-strip exterior doors.
• Caulk crevices around doors, windows, vents and outdoor plumbing entry points.
• Screen all windows and vents.
• Reduce condensation in attics and crawlspaces by making sure there is proper ventilation.
• Keep food, garbage and birdseed in sealed containers.
• Eliminate standing water outside in old tires, kiddy pools and birdbaths

For Carpenter Ant control the most important of these steps is to correct any moisture problem in the structure. Moisture buildup in the walls, ceilings and/or sub floors of the structure will attract carpenter ants and allow them to build up. Moisture problems can obstruct and inhibit our treatment process.

Contact the Bliss office near you or email us your request for more information on our carpenter ant program for your home.

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