Pest Time for Carpenter Ants

It's that time of year when carpenter ants and wood destroying insects start making their appearance in Dallas. While both termites and carpenter ants are destructive, they are different.

Instead of living in a colony under the ground, carpenter ants nest in trees, walls or foliage. Usually, several active groups come from one nest. They are found in foliage, doors, wood or old termite decay. They are nocturnal, so you generally don't see them during the day.

You cannot spot treat carpenter ants because they will send more ants from the nest. There are four steps to eradicate Carpenter Ants:

• Cut back all foliage that touches the house because it creates a "bridge" from trees and landscape where most nests are located.
• Bait with chemical pellets in the attic and around the foundation of the home and in dense foliage. If you have a pier and beam home, you must treat the crawl space under the home as well.
• Treat infected area with a chemical that kills on contact.
• Chemically Dust areas that are in high moisture locations.

Typically the chemicals to treat carpenter ants will also eradicate other bugs at the same time. It takes about 3 months for the chemicals to work (just like termites). Now is the time to treat for these distructive pests.

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