Carpenter ants are considered a pest. It is hard to make them leave. Contrary to what most people think, it is easy to get rid of carpenter ants only if you can find their nest. To find food, ants have one that will scout and hunt for food. If it finds food, it will leave a scent for others to follow. The scent is what they use to go to the food and go back home. A mistake when trying to get rid of carpenter ants is to wipe the surface. If you do that, the scent will be wiped off and the ants cannot go back to their nest. They will loiter inside your home.
The best solution is to see where they are headed. The ants travel in single file. There are only two possible directions. One is the food source such as bits of food you weren’t able to clean or food that you did not seal properly. The other is their nest. Of course, the ants that are already carrying food are the ones that are going back to the nest. Follow them. You might see that there is a hole in your window, door, or wall that serves as the entrance and exit for the ants.
Continue following the trail of ants to find their nest or the ant hole outside your house. There are times when the carpenter ants truly invaded your house; they created their nest inside your home. You may find it under cabinets or beds or even behind the wall. Finding a carpenter ant nest is easy. Do not remove the scent that the ants follow and they will take you to their nest. When you find it, it is time to eradicate it. Pouring water is no good. It is better to pour soda water into the hole.
Other options are sprinkling corn grits or pouring a mild solution of boric acid and sugar around the nest. This is recommended only if you are dealing with a single colony. Call a professional if you found several colonies.
Pest control for carpenter ants is not easy. Contact us if you are having difficulty dealing with the issue.