Don't Cohabitate with Carpenter Ants

If you see huge black ants scurrying along the baseboards of your home, call the exterminator. You're sharing your home with carpenter ants and that's not good.

Black carpenter ants (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) are quite common in our area. They make large nests in dead trees or in moist, rotten wood. Ants don't eat wood, they just burrow into it to create tunnels and hollow out spaces to lay their eggs. An ant colony with a large nest in your home could lead to structural damage. If you have an infestation it is critical that you treat it as soon as you can. Your exterminator should try to locate and destroy the nest if you want to get rid of the ants for good.

Preventing carpenter ant invasions is not difficult. Clean out gutters to prevent water running down your walls. Repair any rotten window and doorsills. Wood that has contact with the ground is a potential entry point for ants, so keep mulch and soil away from low shingles and clapboards. Carpenter ants are omnivorous, which means they eat anything. This includes foodstuff that you might normally leave lying uncovered in your kitchen -- pet food, sugar a fruit bowl. Keeping your kitchen spotless will mean no food for the ants. Who knows - they may move out by themselves!

Have you had problems with carpenter ants? Or any other pests? I'd love to hear your story. Email me at fpearson@mainstreetconnect.us.

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