In Whitman County over the first week of May, we have seen an unsual swarm of carpenter ants. They are destructive of your home, so an ounce of prevention is necessary now. I encourage my clients to take a few minutes and protect their homes.
These large ants that currently have wings seem to be everywhere right now as they search to set up new nests. These are reproductive queens and males in nuptial flight. Once they mate their wings break off and the queens are in search of setting up a nest.
Suspetible areas are wet wood such as window casings, wet wood from leaks etc. It provides excellent areas for them to create their galleries or tunnels. Wet wood shoud be replaced. And certainly if you have a leak for example under a sink, get that taken care of.
They also love landscaping rail road ties, and rotting trees. And they love to travel on branches that overhang your home as well as cable wires etc. Also, do not keep firewood etc near your home and you might want to elevate off the ground to provide circulation.
You might want to consider spraying now before they set up a nest making it much more challenging to eliminate. The old an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Once you have a nest in your home, you will most likely need a professional help.
It is my understanding that ideally you want something that they will take back to the nest and destroy the nest. I am told that there is a product called Tempo SC which is available at Four Star Supply, Inc in Pullman and Colfax that is child and pet safe once it dries. I am sure there are other products at well availble at the various hardware stores throughout Whitman County.
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