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Long Term Protective Measures Against Carpenter Ant

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Implementing long term protective measures against a variety of pests can save you a lot of headache and a lot of money. In this article, we’re going to go over these measures and how they can be used against carpenter ants.

Why carpenter ant infestations are hard to prevent

Carpenter ants will build their colonies inside wood exclusively, and the colonies are started by swarmers. Swarmers are winged ants that can fly and land anywhere, so it’s hard to implement exclusionary methods that are effective 100%.

Carpenter ant prevention methods of a chemical nature

With that being said, there are some chemical prevention methods that can either prevent a colony from being started, or prevent the workers from reaching food. In the first category, you have wood treatments that can be applied to any wooden surface in order to protect it from pests. These treatments can get expensive when applied to the entire home, and they will lose effectiveness fairly quickly.

In the second category of prevention methods, you have options that are longer lasting, options such as residual insecticides, baits and broadcast treatment insecticides. Residual and broadcast treatment insecticides are used to create no-go zones that will instantly kill any ant that comes into contact with them, with the former being used to protect areas indoors and the latter being used outdoors. Baits can be used for both prevention and control. They are great for stopping carpenter ant colonies when they are young. Basically, workers will come across the bait, which is a piece of food laced with insecticide, and they will bring it back to the colony and share it around. Eventually, the poisoned bait reaches the queen and it kills it.

Getting rid of carpenter ant infestations

Even with the best prevention methods, there’s still a small chance that a carpenter infestation can pop up. As such, it’s best to know what you need to do in such a situation. For the most part, the best option is to call over a pro to help remove the infestation. Pros will be able to ensure that an infestation is removed fully and as quickly as possible. This will greatly lower the odds of re-infestation.

If you have any questions about the control and prevention measures that can be used against carpenter ants, or if you are currently dealing with a carpenter ant infestation, contact us today.

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