Carpenter Ant DIY Treatment – How To

A smart, environmentally conscious home owner experienced a resurgence of carpenter ants in her home after a 20-year absence of the ants. They were coming up through a dishwasher drain, traveling in numbers and swarming in the home. It was pretty scary, especially to the children.

The homeowner came up with this very inexpensive (less than $1) DIY treatment:

• 1/3 cup of powdered white sugar
• 2/3 cup boric acid

“Boric acid is a colorless white powder that is a mild antiseptic, but certainly not a problem to the health of your family even if you touch it with ungloved hands. It is found in nature in some volcanic environments near Tuscany and Nevada.  Boric acid and its salts are found in seawater and plants including almost all fruits.

Of course, you need to keep it away from small children as it is poisonous if ingested or inhaled in large quantities, but it is probably the least toxic form of insect bait you can use around your home with the exception of diatomaceous earth, which unfortunately doesn’t work as well or as quickly for large ants where I live.”

Credits: Safely Get Rid of Carpenter Ants in a Snap | The Healthy Home …

Carpenter Ant DIY Treatment – Benefits

  The smart homeowner placed a mixture of the treatment in an empty jar lid by the dishwasher drain, the ants took the bait back to their nest, and happily disappeared from the home.

The treatment appeared to have worked, saving a call to the pest control company, and the expense of that professional service.

Carpenter Ant DIY Treatment – Drawbacks

On the surface, this looks like a great solution. There were carpenter ants in the home. $1 and some ingenuity and creativity made them disappear.

However, there’s an all important question that needs to be asked: “What is the original goal here?”

We assume the original goal is to rid the home of carpenter ants, which have the ability to do damage to the structure of a home. This damage will most certainly be discovered during a professional home inspection at some point by a prospective home buyer when the homeowner goes to sell the home. When the damage is discovered, it will adversely affect the selling value of the home. In fact, the loss in value will make a few visits by a professional pest inspector look like the true bargain in comparison.

Carpenter Ant DIY Treatment – More Drawbacks

But let’s delve into this issue a bit further. Carpenter ants seldom live in one colony. A common scenario is a main colony, perhaps outside the home, with as many as 12 satellite colonies both outside and inside the home.

Now let’s fast forward to that home buyer’s inspection of our carpenter ant DIY treatment homeowner’s house. They not only discover the wood damage from the first satellite colony, but, let’s be conservative, they find 3 more active satellite colonies in the foundation and frame of the house that were not noticed by the homeowner. Each satellite colony, as it was left to grow, has created even more progressive damage to the home.

Carpenter Ant DIY Treatment – Even More Drawbacks

But let’s delve into this issue even further. Remember the main colony and additional satellite colonies outside the house? Again, let’s be conservative and say that the home buyer’s inspector discovers that main colony in some rotten stump, rotten fence or wood pile outside the home, along with 2 additional satellite colonies (total of six in all, more conservative than the possible dozen or more carpenter ant colonies).

Now the drop in home value could potentially cut into the children’s college fund or the homeowner’s retirement.

Carpenter Ant DIY Treatment – Benefit or Disaster?

So, on the surface, this smart DIY treatment that cost only $1 and appeared to work potentially ends up costing the homeowner $10,000-$30,000 or more (still being conservative), in the process compromising financial security and well being.

Carpenter Ant DIY Treatment – Here’s the thing.

While a homeowner can possibly eliminate visible carpenter ants with a DIY treatment (and the one we described is one of the best), it really takes a professional to track down every satellite colony and the main nest. You’ll need to follow the carpenter ant scent trails, and that’s a skill that professionals have, along with the tools needed. 

In addition, a good pest control professional will evaluate the damage to the home and suggest necessary repair.

But the value of a good pest control professional does not stop there. A good pest control professional will also discover other issues that need attention such as the hidden presence of termites, mice or cockroaches. 

The happy result of this scenario is that the health of the family is protected (some pests carry very harmful bacterial germs and viruses), and the resell value of the home along with the families greater financial security is also supported.

Carpenter Ant DIY Treatment – Conclusion

So, you as a homeowner have a choice. You can use the great DIY carpenter ant treatment we’ve given in this article and hope you’ve eliminated the problem. Or, you can call a good pest control professional and KNOW you’ve eliminated the carpenter ant pest problem, other possible pest problems and discovered any damage to your home, any leaky pipes, gutters, leaky roof issues that are slowly rotting the wood of your home.

Call ApolloX Pest Control

(888) 499-7378

We care about the safety of your family, the condition of your home and your long-term financial security.

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