Dealing with Carpenter Ant Damage

Carpenter ants found in Bristol TN - Leo's Pest Control

Carpenter ants might not be the most destructive pests in the world, but they make up for what they lack in speed and volume with stealth and strategy. These ants nest in our wooden walls, so unlike termites, they never have to leave the home. As they steadily build their numbers inside the wooden structures of our buildings, carpenter ants break off into satellite colonies and continue their tunneling in different parts of the property. Do you think you’ve found carpenter ant damage in your home or business around Bristol TN? Read on for advice from the Leo’s Pest Control ant exterminators!

Did I Just Find Carpenter Ant Damage?

It’s hard to catch carpenter ants before their infestation grows to considerable sizes because they nest inside our walls. As they tear through the wooden structures of our buildings, they split off in different directions to spread their damage all throughout the premises. Watch out for these signs of carpenter ants if you believe you’ve found their damage:

  1. Little piles of wood shavings in unforeseen places
  2. Tiny holes near striated structures in wooden beams
  3. Faint rustling sounds coming from ants in the walls
  4. Winged ants entering and exiting cracks in wood

Carpenter ants are black to dark red in color, ¼-⅜” in length, and their swarmers are winged. Finding these ants around wood damage is a sure sign of an infestation.

What to Do When You Find Carpenter Ant Damage

If you’ve found carpenter ant damage on your property, you should immediately take action to get rid of the ants and prevent any further damage. There are a few carpenter ant removal methods that you can do on your own:

  • Use window cleaner or a soapy water to flush ants out with a liquid that won’t have toxic repercussions
  • Mix borax with sugar water to make a poisonous bait that ants love
  • Spray a citrus-based cleaner, lemon eucalyptus oil, or cinnamon around areas of activity

The problem with these strategies is that although they might take care of a portion of the problem, you’ll never rid your home or business of carpenter ants without wiping out every nest in the building.

Carpenter Ant Extermination in Bristol TN

If you want to be 100% sure that carpenter ants are gone and never coming back, you can rely on your local ant exterminators. Our team at Leo’s Pest Control has helped many home and business owners restore order on their properties. Over the years, we’ve developed efficient and environmentally responsible carpenter ant extermination strategies, and we pair these practices with tips and advice to help you keep carpenter ants out of your home on your own. Learn more and get a free quote by getting in touch with us today!

Protecting Your Firewood from Home Invading Pests

One thing that comes to mind when we think of the wintertime is a warm, crackling fire burning in the fireplace. Although this seems comforting and cozy, if you’re not careful, being too lazy with your firewood storage can lead to pest problems that ruin your holiday season. Fortunately for you, we know the best ways to keep pests out of your woodpiles and out of your home as a result. For the best pointers on winter pest control in Bristol TN, read on—we’ve asked our technicians at Leo’s Pest Control for their advice!

What Kinds of Pests Do Woodpiles Attract?

There are plenty of bugs that you might find around your woodpile that should be no cause for alarm. Earwigs, moths, boxelder bugs, some species of spiders, and other pests will simply be an annoyance in your home, not a direct threat to your family or your property. On the flip side, there are a few pests that you’ll want to keep an eye out for, those being:

  • Termites
  • Powderpost beetles
  • Carpenter ants
  • Carpenter bees and wasps

Of course, bees and wasps in your home come with the fear of being stung, but there are long-lasting issues that arise with the presence of the aforementioned wood-boring insects. Termites, powderpost beetles, and carpenter ants all tear through the wooden structures of our home in the interest of nutrition or nesting. Termites are the worst of the bunch—subterranean termites alone cause over an estimated $5 billion in property damage in the United States every year!

How to Keep Pests Out of Your Firewood Piles

To avoid a pest infestation spurred by woodpile haphazardness, you have to be extra careful about the way that you store and transport your logs. Here are Leo’s Pest Control’s three greatest tips to stop infestations of firewood-dwelling pests:

  1. Keep your firewood high up and covered: Termites and carpenter ants live underground, so woodpiles at ground level become easy sources of food and shelter. Keeping your woodpile protected and stored high will reduce your chances of bringing in pests.
  2. Keep a distance: Your woodpile should not be resting up against the outer walls of your home. In fact, the further away, the better.
  3. Burn older wood first and fast: When you take wood inside to start a fire, choose older logs and burn them right away. Older logs have a greater chance of being infested, but if you burn them quickly, there’s no need to worry about pests spreading out of them.

Winter Pest Control in Bristol TN

If you want to be sure that you’re taking the right steps to keep pests out of your home this winter, reach out to your local pest control company about your concerns. At Leo’s Pest Control, we pride ourselves on offering holistic pest control programs for every season, performing inspections, conducting treatments, and keeping up with prevention plans tailored to each of our customers’ homes. Don’t wait until it’s too late to stop pests this winter—reach out today for a free quote!