After writing, how to get rid of bed bugs?, how to get rid of cockroaches?, how to get rid of fleas?, and how to get rid of termites?, we are now writing the best ways to get rid of carpenter ants naturally. Be it carpenter ants, sugar ants or any other types of ants, it is always bothersome. They are mostly black and red in color with antennas. Carpenter ants are those types of ants, who make their nest on the wooden substance.
It may be anything from a dead tree to wooden log, wooden furniture, windows or doors. But they do not cause any damage to the woods. They mostly tend to make their nest far from their source of food. To get rid of and to kill the carpenter ants you will need to locate and identify their nest. Once you have discovered their habitat you can easily get rid of the carpenter ants. Here are some of the best home remedies to apply in order to get rid of carpenter ants.
Home Remedies to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants Naturally:
Contents
1.) Locate the Nest
The vary first step required is to identify the habitat of the carpenter ants to get rid of carpenter ants naturally. For that you will need to look outside your house or its surroundings. If any trail of the carpenter ants is noticeable then try to follow it to know where it ends.
Their trail will start from the source of food to their nest. Most precisely, you will have to look out for dead wooden logs or trees, leaked pipes or wooden damages inside your house. They will eventually build their nest over those areas. After locating the nest mark it out so that later on you can identify and destroy it. And you can even kill the ants without pesticides.
2.) Food-Grade Diatomaceous Earth
The best method to get rid of carpenter ants is to use food grade diatomaceous earth. This is an amazing method; the powder is fossilized remains of marine phytoplankton.
In this the microscopic razor sharp edge of DE cab cut through the ants exoskeletons and make the body of ants dry. You just need to sprinkle a thin layer of DE on windowwills, beneath the fridge, under the cabinet and around the garbage and any other place where you can see the ants. This is an effective method that surely kills carpenter ants and keeps your furniture safe. It is recommended to use daily once in a day until the ants are gone.
3.) Cucumber Peel
You can use one of the old tricks to get rid of carpenter ants is cucumber peel. Ant is allergic to cucumber peel as they hate the taste of cucumber peel. You can also make it more effective by using the bitter cucumber that surely works best, but you can also use normal cucumber for this method. You just have to take one cucumber and properly peel it. Notice the area where the carpenter ants can be see or living. Place the peel on the areas where you have seen these ant’s activities. Make sure you have place the pieces of peel on the area where ants activity is going on.
Repeat this method daily with fresh cucumber peel to get rid of carpenter ants. Repeat this procedure until all the ants gone. This method won’t kill the ants but it surely works as it is highly dislike by the ants.
4.) Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne Pepper is one of the best methods that will work an effective ant repellent. As the cayenne pepper is very strong in nature that helps in destroying the chemical signals of the ants that ants rely on to navigate the food, their nest and other places. If the ants won’t get the proper signals, then they will not survive and search for the new place for the food.
You just need to sprinkle some cayenne pepper powder on the area where ant’s activities are going on. Just sprinkle the powder on the area where you notice ants. You can also mix the equal amount of cayenne powder and turmeric powder to make it more effective. The best way is sprinkle it across the access points to make unpleasant barriers for ants. This surely affects the chemical signals of ants and also breaks the navigation towards the food.
5.) Keep Your House Clean
If you don’t want the ants to make home in your home so better to clean the place properly. You just have to make sure that the every corner of the house should remain clean to prevent carpenter ants. Do your best to keep the countertops, cabinets and floor clean and free of clutter to prevent carpenter ants. You just have to make sure the container that you are using for eatable items should be tightly sealed, especially for those which are storing sugar, syrup, honey and other foods that attract the ants. If you are using any sugary items like jam, fruits or juice, just remove the carry utensil right away. Clean up the food spills right away.
If you leave any food on the kitchen counter, make sure you have covered it properly so that it doesn’t attract the carpenter ants. You can also use trick by placing a bowl of food on plates containing a little
6.) Use The Vinegar
Vinegar has a strong essence and has acidic content in it to get rid of carpenter ants naturally. These two reasons are enough to kill the carpenter ants. Any type of ants cannot resist the smell and taste of vinegar. Thereby you can opt for white vinegar to get rid of carpenter ants. All you need to do is to mix some amount of vinegar with 2:1 ratio of quantity. And pour that in a spray bottle. Now spray the diluted vinegar in their path while following their trail to the nest. It will kill the carpenter ants instantly.
7.) Use The Boric Acid
Boric acid is another remedy that you can opt at home to kill carpenter ants. The boric acid will help to keep the carpenter ants at bay. You have to make a mixture of homemade pesticide that is effective to prevent the carpenter ants from your home. All you have to do is add 1 tablespoon of boric acid, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey with 2 tablespoons of water. Mix it well to make a solution. Now pour the solution over the carpenter ants identified areas. The sweet content will attract them while the content of boric acid will kill them.
8.) Use The Chalk
The dust particles present in chalk is helpful to get rid of carpenter ants naturally. There are two ways to use the chalk to keep the carpenter ants away from your home. You can use the chalk in form of dust particles by crushing it. And spread or sprinkle over the carpenter ants identified area. Else, you can opt for the direct drawing of line of the chalk over your house to keep the ants out of reach. with this you can get rid of ants naturally.
9.) Use The Salt Water
The salt water is quite effective in killing the carpenter ants naturally. You will need to boil 1 cup of water as the first step. Now add 1 tablespoon of salt in it. You have to mix it well to make a solution, you can also add pepper in it. And the water set for a while. You can even opt for pouring the boil water but the spills might fall on you while pouring over the ants. That will be harmful. So, likewise you can now use the kept aside solution to spray it over the carpenter ants and their nest as well.
10.) Use The Soapy Water
This is one of the best home remedy to use it in order to kill carpenter ants. The soapy water is a mixture of dish wash liquid, glass cleaner liquid and water. All you need to do is to make the mixture of the mentioned ingredients. And pour it in a spray bottle. The next thing you will need to do is to spray the solution directly over the ants and their path. Try to follow their trail to their nest to destroy them at the origin. With this method you can get rid of ants fast.
11.) Use The Talcum Powder
The fragrance of talcum can be delightful for us to smell but dreadful for the ants. This is one simple way to get rid of carpenter ants from your house. This is one of the simplest methods you can opt for, if you do not want to put in much effort. You will need to sprinkle the talcum powder over the carpenter ants and at their nest while following their trail. Else you can also opt for baby talcum if you are wondering what type of talcum should be used. It will the carpenter ants at bay and will not enter your house.
12.) Use The Pepper
Pepper can be the spice that adds flavors to your food while making the ants uncomfortable to survive. The carpenter ants cannot resist the smell and taste of pepper. For this home remedy you can opt for any of the peppers like the cayenne or the black pepper. All you have to do is spread or sprinkle the powdered pepper on the ants and at their nest. This is one of the simple remedy for ants removal.
13.) Peppermint Essential Oil
Place a few drops on a cotton pad or ball and wipe on baseboards and wooden rakes and other entry locations. You can leave there a peppermint oil dipped cotton balls in kitchen cabinets and other areas of the home. Repeat this process, every few days until ants are completely killed or gone away.
14.) Use The Lemon Juice
The smell and bitterness of lemon juice disturb ant path and discourages them from starting new ones. Pour or spray a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice directly into the hole or spaces that ants are using to enter your kitchen. Then wipe or spray some lemon juice all around the entire area, such as kitchen slabs, window frames, floorboards or doorways, where they have been crawling. You may need to repeat this remedy after a few intervals in order to make your house totally ant free.
15.) Cinnamon Will Help
Ants also hate the aroma of cinnamon. You can sprinkle some ground or powdered cinnamon or place cinnamon sticks, in particular, places wherever you have seen these ants. You can try dipping a cotton swab or sink in cinnamon oil and keeping these balls into cracks and crevices from where these ants have been entering. Cloves also work in the same way you can also try it.
16.) Baking Soda & Powdered Sugar
The powdered sugar or any sugar particles will attract ants and the baking soda will definitely kill them, when they eat it. Combine together 1 part of baking soda and 1 part powdered sugar. Leave this powder, wherever you see or discover ants. They will eat this mixture and backing soda will destroy their digestive system to kill them.
Check the Ants to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants
1.) Check that You are Dealing with Ants not Termites
Before know moving to further step, first you need to make sure that you are dealing with carpenter ants not termites. You can be sure, if the ants are large black or dark brown insects with the three body segments and six legs. They also have bent antennae and light colored bodies. If these ants are not carpenter ants but termites then check you also check the article on how to get rid of termites.
2.) Search for the Frass
You can find carpenter ants easily once you get the frass. Frass is a dust like material left behind when ants bores into the wood to make their nest. The frass contains body part and debris, but will basically look like a plié of light wood shavings. If you see this around your house then you must have ants problem in the house.
3.) Check the Wood Damage
If the wood will come in contact of carpenter ants then it will have slits or holes. You will also see frass scattered nearby as well. Ants like to make the nest in the walls, cabinets, hollow doors, structural wood and beams. Search for the area where the wood is lightly damp since ants like to build their nests in the moist wood.
4.) Place Bait Nearby
If you really want to know the nest of these cunnings ants then you first need to allure the ants with some baits then trail them back to the nest so that you can easily figure out exactly where they are hiding. You just need to set out very small bits of honeydews or another surgery fruits where you think the nest is located.
5.) Trait the Ants to the Nest
When the ants take the baits, you just need to follow it back. When you will follow ants then you must see that they are crawling into the space of the walls, a door, a cabinet. Keep noticing until you will sure about the nest location. If the nest is easily visible and accessible, just get rid of the nest itself by moving to the next step.
If the nest is hidden and very difficult to reach, then you can add toxic into the bait to kill the ants. This is a very effective method that it kills ants as well as the ant’s whole family, as the ants carry the bait to their nest.
water so that ants won’t reach to the food. They signal to fellow work when they find the food and before you get to know there will be trail of ants running into the kitchen.
Few Tips to Follow Regularly:
- Avoid keeping dirty dishes unwashed for longer period. If possible wash it instant after use.
- Cover the leftover food that you are placing in your refrigerator.
- Always keep your sink and kitchen area clean and dry.
- Keep your trash cans or garbage bins fully covered and try to place it little far from your house.
- If any sugary liquid spills on the floor, don’t leave it unattended. Try to clean it immediately.