Finding The Right Carpenter Ant Pest Control Products
Ants are generally considered a nuisance, since they do not do much damage to the home or to the health of its inhabitants. However, there is one ant species, the carpenter ant, which tunnels through wood, and which can cause thousands of dollars in damage. On top of that, this species also very hard to get rid of. However, there are a few products on the market which can work very well at thwarting an infestation in certain scenarios.
How to pick the best carpenter ant killer
In order to pick the right ant killer for your situation, you need to understand how the different products on the market work. Since there are quite a few options out there, let’s try to categorize them according to type, active ingredient and application method.
In terms of type, you have two categories: kill-on-contact and baits. The kill-on-contact insecticide, as the name would suggest, will kill the insects as soon as it touches them, and these products usually come in the form of sprays. These insecticides may also leave residue behind, which will create no go zones for the insect. However, this product has the drawback that it cannot really destroy a colony, uness it is applied directly on an ant hill. Baits on the other hand are designed to destroy the colony.
Baits can come in the form of a sticky liquid or as dry pellets. The ants will be attracted to the substances within the bait, and they will look at it as food. They will then take the bait back to the colony, where it is shared. The goal when baiting is for the insecticide to eventually reach the queen, and thus kill the entire colony.
In terms of active ingredients, there are many options on the market such as borax, hydramethylnon, indoxacarb, avermectin, lambda-cyhalothrin and fipronil. Borax is one of the more popular options, since it is not very toxic to humans but it is lethal to ants.
You can then categorize ant killing products based on the application method. You have bait stations, granules, sprays and dusts. Bait stations are usually plastic containers that have small holes in them which allow the ants to travel freely and gather the bait inside. These are popular products because the toxic insecticide is not out in the open.
With all these products at your disposal, you can tailor a DIY pest control program that is specific to your problem. However, getting rid of carpenter infestations can be tough, and a colony can cause a lot of damage in a short period of time, especially if it is large enough. If you are having problems getting rid of the carpenter ants in your home, contact us today.