If you’ve lived in the area long enough, there’s no doubt that you or someone you know has had the misfortune of a pest invasion at one point or another. With the spring weather we’ve been getting, it’s no surprise that many homeowners are dealing with all the pest pressures that the warmer temperatures encourage.
When Are Carpenter Ants Most Active?
Carpenter ants are wood-destroying insects that use our homes for shelter and raising their young. They make themselves comfortable in our homes and properties by tunneling through wood and creating a space to live. Unfortunately, they are capable of being a year-round problem, and that problem only gets worse as the weather continues to get warmer. The increase in heat warms the colony, encouraging them to become more active and begin producing reproductive members of the colony. These winged reproductive carpenter ants travel a short distance from the original colony to create their own colony nearby. Over time, your property is damaged as carpenter ants chew through the structural components of your home year after year.
Prevention Tips For Carpenter Ants
Now that the carpenter ant population is increasing with the warmer weather, it is extremely important to begin focusing on prevention steps you can take to keep carpenter ants away from your property.
- Trim back branches and brush from the exterior walls of your home. For carpenter ants, branches and brush are bridges into your home.
- Like all pests, carpenter ants must have a source of water to survive. Removing plants and items that collect water can discourage carpenter ants from staying on your property.
- Keep your grass trimmed short. Tall grass and weeds attract pests of all sorts, including carpenter ants.
- Make your property as dry as possible by reducing shade. If your property is too hot and dry, carpenter ants will look elsewhere to raise their new colony.
- Avoid using mulch in your flower beds, as mulch is attractive to carpenter ants and other wood-destroying insects.
- Call a professional pest control expert immediately if you spot signs of an existing carpenter ant infestation.
Professional Pest Control Is Your Best Bet
Preventative measures to exclude carpenter ants from your property are handy when it comes to keeping them from settling in your home, however, they rarely work if there is an existing infestation on your property. The only way to be 100% sure your home remains protected this year is by contacting a licensed pest control expert, like the ones here at Big Blue Bug Solutions, to handle your carpenter ant problem. Our team of highly trained pest specialists can equip you with one of our effective year-round pest control plans to keep your property free of pests all year long. Don’t wait until carpenter ants have already taken up residence in your home, reach out to Big Blue Bug Solutions today for the best pest control solutions available.