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Home Remedies for Carpenter Ants

October 29th, 2008 Posted in Ants & Roaches, Wood Damaging Pests

More than 90% of U.S. homes are wood-framed, and carpenter ants can do significant structural damage. They are one of the most common, yet most difficult ants to control.

Watch a pest control expert talk about carpenter ant control in the following clip:

This article will answer:

• What are carpenter ants?
• How do I know if I have an infestation?
• What are some easy home remedies to get rid of these pests?
• Can I stay green while ridding my house of these pesky creatures?

How to Identify Carpenter Ants:

• Larger than the normal ants, from ¼” to 1” in size.
• Have distinct coloring from black to orange to yellow to red, depending on the species.
• Winged ants are a sure sign that they are in mating season.
• Have elbowed antenna and pinched waistlines.

Are Carpenter Ants in my Home?

Some sure signs that you have carpenter ants are:

Frass

Carpenter ants nest in wood (they do not eat the wood) and can leave sawdust-like piles called “frass” they create when making “gallies” in wood around the household, including the frame of the house.

Sound

Carpenter ants rustle and/or scratch within the walls of your home as they communicate and create their nests.

Contact

• Seeing carpenter ants swarm when winged reproductives emerge from the nest to begin new colonies.
• Spotting a carpenter ant scavenging for food or similar necessities inside or around your house.
• Keep in mind that you typically only see 5% of the total number of carpenter ants around your home.

Wondering how ants entered your home in the first place? A pest control expert tells you how in the following video:

Home Remedies: Being Resourceful and Skillful in your Carpenter Ant Hunt

Bait

One of the home remedies that may be sure-fire is mixing something carpenter ants love with something that will knock them dead.

To make a homemade bait, do the following:

1. Gather some honey and boric acid.
2. Put a dash of honey on a small plate.
3. Mix honey with a hint of boric acid, for a bittersweet delight.

Carpenter ants will be attracted to the honey, because of their love for sweet foods, and then will sip up the boric acid, which will cause them to cease and desist.

Be careful with this method, though. Be sure to keep this material away from children and pets. It can be harmful to their health if breathed in deeply or swallowed.

Cleanliness

The cleaner your house, the less likely you are to have an ant problem.

• Keep your house clean and free of excess lumber and logs.
• Store food in covered containers.
• Put damp or wet wood outside.
• Plant marigolds, which turn them away quick.

Additionally, you should eliminate standing water and high-moisture conditions within the household. Carpenter ants crave moisture and keep coming back for more.

Scents

One more quick fix may be to wash everything around in peppermint soap. Ants are repelled by this smell, and they will flee when faced with this rather refreshing scent.

Lavender oil, vinegar, and Febreze are also said to keep they away.

And how about aromatherapy can heal your mood and rid your house of ants?

Try mixing lemon juice and jojoba oil. You could also try lemon juice and witch hazel or eucalyptus and lemon eucalyptus.

Spread or spray these combinations at entry points and make your house smell sweet. These deterrents work to steer ants away from your home, because these scents repel them.

Traps

One quick recipe I found is as follows:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup baking yeast
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 6-3×5 inch index cards

Mix all of these ingredients and smear them on the index cards. This will make a sticky sheet that the ants will get stuck on.

Lay the index cards where you have seen carpenter ants in the household.

Another handy one is mixing talcum powder and white pepper. Mix these ingredients for a toxic trap and sprinkle it where they walk.

Natural insecticides

1. Black pepper is said to be the guaranteed trick. This natural spice is found in the majority of households and can be spread around ant-filled areas.
2. Cream of tartar has the same kind of natural insecticidal effect on ants. Use this around ant sightings, also.

Now, this one is my favorite. Get a bottle of Coca-Cola. Let it go flat by leaving this fizzy drink sitting out for a while. Next, pour it in their ant trails.

First, they get drunk from the flat pop, then it poisons and kills them.

Plan on Plants to Deter the Ants

Here are some plants that are said to deter of ants:

• Marigold flowers
• Mint leaves
• Bay leaves
• Lavender
• Spearmint
• Pennyroyal
• Tansy

Some Seemingly Outlandish, but Working Natural Methods

Water and vinegar
A method not unlike one previously mentioned is wiping down your counters and other hard surfaces in the house with vinegar and water. This is an old method used to clean house, but at least ants are not attracted to this strong smell.

Drowning them
You know the old tale about the ants gathering at picnic lunches. If this happens to you, try putting each leg of the picnic table in a bucket of water, if you can get the table to balance this way, that is.

Cinnamon sticks
Placing cinnamon sticks around ants’ entry points is also said to do the trick. They do not cross this line, because of the strong smell of this easy-to-find spice.

Sterilizing
Another recipe is 40% water, 40% rubbing alcohol, and 20% dish soap is two parts crafty and one part deadly.

With this approach, you will see the ants die on contact right in front of your eyes. This one can also aid in eradicating the chemical trail left behind by ants.

This helps so that other ants cannot follow this path into your home.

EcoSMART: The Easy and Green Method

One product that works and keeps the environment safe, is EcoSMART Organic Ant and Roach Killer. This product keeps children and pets unharmed.

The ingredients include natural ones like peppermint and rosemary oil, which are known deterrents for ants. This organic insecticide is a great, natural way to keep carpenter ants out all year round.

Chelsea Roeser