Every once in awhile in February, we get a beautiful day that almost feels like spring! The sun is shining, the snow is starting to melt and we all get a little bit of spring fever. These warm-ish days are here to remind us that spring really is just around the corner and with spring comes ant season. Carpenter ants, specifically, will be looking to make your home their own as soon as the weather warms up so even though it’s only February, it is never too early to prepare for carpenter ants!
What Are Carpenter Ants?
Carpenter ants are the large black ants that you might see in your home, or crawling around the deck. Sometimes these ants are red, or a combination of red and black. Carpenter ants don’t usually bite humans and they are not venomous, but they can be dangerous when they are in your home because they hollow out the wood of your home’s structure to create their colonies. They become more active in March, so you could be seeing them soon!
To prevent carpenter ants from invading your home this spring, here are some helpful tips from the Rhode Island pest control specialists at Big Blue Bug Solutions.
- Carpenter ants require wood and moisture; eliminate the availability of these in your home to make your home less attractive to these pests. Move wood away from the exterior of your home and make sure that any wood in your home is sealed.
- Limit moisture in your home by running a dehumidifier and having leaky pipes fixed and unclogging gutters.
- Eliminate openings in the structure that may allow ants indoors. These can be cracks in the foundation, gaps around doors and windows and spaces where utilities come into the home.
- Cut back tree branches and shrubs from touching the exterior of your home; these may act as a “bridge” for carpenter ants looking to get inside.
- Eliminate readily available food sources in your home by never leaving food on the counters and keeping spills and crumbs cleaned up regularly. You should also protect food in your cupboards by storing in heavy duty air-tight containers.
The prevention tips can help prepare you for the upcoming season of ants, but if you are seeing these pests in your home already, it’s time to take action! The best way to eliminate these pests is to destroy their parent nest once located. This requires the help of professional carpenter ant control services, which are available from the professionals at Big Blue Bug Solutions. Along with carpenter ant control, we offer a year round home pest control service that will help keep your home free from pests throughout the year. Contact us today for more information on carpenter ant prevention and control and to schedule your first appointment.