Get Rid Of Carpenter Ants

A natural insecticide, boric acid, is a substance you can keep at home that can be used to kill ants, roaches, termites, beetles, fire ants, fleas and many more insects.

It is is an inexpensive product found in most drug or discount stores. As a white powder that is odorless it can be purchased in different size bottles. This chemical is used in most of the store bought baits and commercial pesticides.

It is ‘deadly’ to insects because it shuts down their nervous system causing them to go into ‘shock’ while dehydrating them.

Boric acid has been used for many years for things we would not even think of. Did you know that it is used to help flame retard cotton fibers? It is placed in the mixing machines along with oil and a chemical surfactant before garneting of the cotton fibers begin. The properly treated cotton is flame retardant which is then used in mattresses, upholstered furniture and some carpets.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, boric acid is an odorless, inorganic safe product to use.

Of course, it is never to be ingested. Be sure to always wash your hands thoroughly after using along with surfaces.

Click below to find out how a "peanut butter sandwich"will literally kill ants. Really, yes, it will!

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It is an expression which is heard all too often — flying ants termites is used many times to refer to a swarm of ants and sometimes even to a swarm of termites as if the two are one and the same. However, the phrase is an oxymoron. That is because they are not the same. In fact, ants and termites are fierce enemies. Termites have soldier insects whose sole mission and duty are to protect the colony from invading ants.

There are compelling reasons why you should want to learn the difference between these two species of insects so that you can tell them apart. For failure to know which one is invading your yard, home, or both, could cause you to spend lots of money on needless repairs and extermination treatments. Moreover, you could in fact make the problem worse by treating one as the other and allowing the real culprit to escape and continue to do damage to your home.

There are recognizable differences in the bodies, antennae, and wings of these two pests which are very distinct and which you can learn and identify readily. And you should take the time to do so if you want to avoid the mistakes that so many others make by not being able to identify these home invaders.

Of course, you can always call out an expert but that could cost you money for a house call and or an inspection. And even if the inspection is free, if you do not know which pest you are dealing with, you could be taken advantage of by overly aggressive and sometimes even unethical salespeople.

Flying ants termites is an oxymoron which unless you take the time to learn this fact and the differences between the two could end up taking a bite out of your finances.

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Fire ants also known as red ants are one of the must aggressive and violent insects, and they will attack almost everything that can possibly threaten and harm them and their colony. Not many people know that the fire ants are an important member of the hymenoptera order in which you can find also insects such as bees and wasps.

The most awful and long-lasting bite it is possessed by the South American Bullet ant, and can cause great sufferings and pains, but it is not causing death.

The most deadly ant bite from Australia is the Jack Jumper ant bite that can easily kill animals and even humans.

The most agonizing and burning ant bites, are possessed only by two types of fire ants

The most aggressive and violent ant bite is held by the Red Imported ants. Their highly deadly poisonous blow contains a highly toxic substance called piperidine alkaloids. The blows can produce on the skin awful white fluid filled bumps.

The bites of the Southern Fire ants can easily produce itchiness and blisters that are usually very painful and annoying.

Although ants are considered as been one of the most important threats for the modern society we live in now, there are still used in many ways. Their destructive behavior that have been to us our enemy it can become our friend, because in many parts of the entire world ants are use to control other threat full insect populations such as the carpenter, pharaoh and argentine ants.

The home-made antidote for ants and ant bites

In order to have an ant proof home, the first thing you need to do is to seal up all the cracks and crevices, especially the little ones, from where ant can easily break in the home and infest you and your family.

Keep all the time of the year your lawns mowed and clean your garden.

Mint is a very powerful insecticide, so you can plant mint inside and outside your home as well.

You can put on your windows and doors solutions based on citronella, citrus, cinnamon or even peppermint, combined with water.

You can also use non-toxic powders that you can find in specialized stores all around the world, such as the Diatomaceous Earth, that can easily destroy exoskeletons, but take care when you use this product. It will be indicated to use a mask for a better protection.

Another old method of cleaning your home by ants and their painful ant bites is to pour boiling water on the ant hill. It can be effective in some cases, but it can make them only retreat temporarily and after that they will come and attack very violent and aggressive.

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Getting Rid Of Carpenter Ants, A Professional Guide

Carpenter ants are known to be some of the most problematic insect and indeed pest species that can invade your home. Probably the most used approach in terms of domestic carpenter ant control is the random spraying of aerosol pesticides. While this may succeed in killing the immediate evidence, it is quite a disservice considering that the pesticide spraying act often serves to randomly scatter the ants’ satellite nests. With time the presence of the ants becomes more pronounced and one inevitably has to ask for professional services. Looking for the right technique to get the job done? Read on.

What does the Carpenter ant look like?

First up, it is important to know what the carpenter ant looks like. An individual ant measures anywhere between one-quarter and three-eighths of an inch and is usually black or dark brown in color. Sometimes the color may be yellow or red. There are several species of carpenter ants that are common in the United States. The variety found in most of the eastern US has an all black color. Toward the west carpenter ants also have black bodies but their legs have a dark red tone. In Florida and other southeastern regions the ants have red heads while the rest of the body remains black.

The habits and diets of Carpenter ants

The carpenter ant is a nocturnal insect which means that its activity is mainly restricted to the night hours. These insects will mostly construct their nests in wood that has been made soft by moisture much like termites but the nests or galleries as they are also known will tend to be smoother and will not contain the mud-like structures synonymous with termites. In the indoors you should generally expect the galleries to be in close proximity to areas around which water leakages are most likely for example near sinks, bathtubs, behind dishwashers etc. Outdoors, the nests are most likely going to be found in tree stumps, fencing posts, and hollow logs. The damage to wood courtesy of carpenter ants is less severe as compared to damaged caused by termites.

Carpenter ants build two types of nests i.e. parent colonies and satellite nests. The former type is the one that contains th 1000 e queen ant, her eggs and larvae, and worker ants. The latter type will only house worker ants. The ants thrive on a variety of both animal and plant foods and they also have a knack for sweet things.

Inspecting your home for carpenter ants

By virtue of their nocturnal behavior the best time to look for telltale signs of carpenter ants infestation is in the wee morning hours or evenings. An inspection should be focused on locating nest sites by following forage trails. It is wrong to assume that your inspection is over upon locating just a single nest; it may be just one of the several colonies that litter your home’s compound. You can start following the ants sometime after sunset and having marked out some trails you can follow up using a flashlight. The main evidence of carpenter ant activity is the deposit of frass which is the fine sawdust produced after galleries are made in the wood. The frass may sometimes be hard to notice but if you suspect that a piece of woodwork hosts a gallery you can just tap on it using a light rod or screwdriver tip and see if any frass will drop off. Nest activity can be confirmed by listening for a crinkling sound akin to that one made when cellophane is crumpled.

After your inspection it’s time for remedial action

Depending on the results of your inspection you will have established if the ants have a colony within the house, if they merely forage inside, or if they are based in the compound.

When dealing with foraging carpenter ants it is best advised that you use a residual, non-repellent insecticide that is either wettable-powder based or liquid based. These are specifically intended for outside use only. Carpenter ants are known to create trails away from chemically treated areas. A non-repellent insecticide will won’t be noticed by the ants and they will walk straight to their doom. The residual benefits imply that you only have to spray the insecticide every three months or so. Not only will the insecticide be effective against the ants but the population of other insect pests will be kept in check.

When an ant colony is suspected to be within hollows and voids inside the house the nest(s) can be targeted using aerosol pesticides which can be directed to the exact location using a suitable crevice and crack tip. These tips enable you to hold the spray can upside down when the target location is difficult to access otherwise; a good dispersion of the chemical is also ensured. Best results are guaranteed when the spraying is directed at the nest’s exact location as this will eliminate the queen ant and by extension the entire population. In the absence of an aerosol you can use insecticide dust that has a long residual effect. This option is however quite cumbersome as it may involve some drilling to get access to the wall voids. Liquid preparations are not recommended for this particular scenario as there is always a risk with electrical outlets.

A very suitable alternative to the powder, aerosol, and liquid pesticides is ant bait that can be used both inside and outside the house. When the bait is placed in the path of the foraging ants they will naturally take the ‘food’ back to the queen(s) whose elimination will sound the death knell for entire colonies. Carpenter ants mostly feed on proteins and sweets and there are baits that are made using both of these. Try to use both types of bait to avoid the ants from trying to look for other food sources elsewhere. In placing the bait ensure that there are also no other food alternatives like crumbs which may distract the carpenter ants and prevent them from taking the bait.

By: Samuel Muriithi

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