Unlike other ants, carpenter ants don’t simply annoy us, they also cause destruction. They are capable of causing damage by getting into the walls of your home. The damage repair is often an expensive affair. Even after trying all D-I-Y friendly tips, you see them roaming in your kitchen, yard, and basement.
So, what attracts them to your home? Well! To find the answer to this question, you will have to keep scrolling.
We are about to find out the 6 common mistakes homeowners make that attracts carpenter ants.
So, without much ado, let’s dive in.
1. Stumps
Most of us are unaware of the fact that carpenter ants adore stumps. They often forage around stumps and nest inside them. The more decomposed the stump, the more carpenter ants you see. Therefore, these stumps must be removed at the earliest to keep the nuisance away.
2. Overgrown Branches
Carpenter ants can crawl to your home from different directions. It can be the sidewall of your home, the overgrown tree branches that touch the roof of your home. These branches act as a bridge giving them entry to your homes. Trimming branches that touch rooflines regularly can keep carpenter ants away.
3. Water Pooling
Carpenter ants need water to survive and thrive. A pool of water around your home can attract these ants. Water can pool due to many reasons such as broken drainage systems, plumbing, and air-conditioning leaks, compacted ground and leaf litter, and much more. Fixing these issues can encourage carpenter ants to go to some other place that may interest them more.
4. Stacked Wood
If you stack firewood against your home, you are inviting carpenter ants as they love wood. They mostly prefer soft, rotting wood, but they are also drawn to untreated wood, exterior steps, stacked construction materials, wood borders around flower beds, deteriorating wooden fencing, decks, and other wooden structures.
5. Old Trees In The Yard.
Old trees in your yard can become a harbourage for carpenter ants. They prefer old trees with knots, holes, or hollow cavities. If you have an old tree in your yard or near your foundation perimeter, inspect pest issues and treat it regularly to prevent unwanted attention from carpenter ants and other insects, bugs, and rodents.
6. Entry Points.
Carpenter ants cannot chew walls or doors to sneak into your home. They gain entry through any soft spot available like a gap, crack, or hole. Over time, many entry points can begin to appear in your home. The foundation can crack or chip, weather stripping and door sweeps can wear out, screens can get ripped or damaged, window and door frames of basement or attic that have been damaged by any existing rodents, and more. All these existing entry points are further exploited by the carpenter ants, as they start to make these small holes larger.
To keep carpenter ants away from your home, you will have to avoid the mistakes listed above that attract them to your home. It is also wise to look for early signs of carpenter ants to make sure that any kind of infestation hasn’t taken root yet. If you suspect carpenter ant infestation, let a pest control expert address it before carpenter ants invade the walls of your home.