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Preventing Carpenter Ants From Damaging Your Lewisville Home
Of all the ants that can get into your Lewisville home, there is no ant quite like the carpenter ant. It is a wood-destroying pest that starts by tunneling in rotted wood and spreads to sound hardwood. If you have these insects in your home, you could be in trouble. Over time, they can do a lot of damage. And many homeowners let them do more damage than they should. This is because they lean toward carpenter ant detection rather than carpenter ant prevention. While it is certainly important to know what carpenter ant damage looks like and how to detect the signs of a carpenter ant infestation, it is better to make your home and yard resistant to carpenter ants. That's what we're going to talk about today: How you can prevent carpenter ants from damaging your Lewisville home.
Step 1: Control Moisture
When you have moisture issues, you inevitably have wood rot. Dampness allows fungi, mildew, mold, and other spores to attach to the wood of your home and begin the process of wood decay. As wood decays, it becomes more and more appealing to carpenter ants as a source of harborage. Some ways that the wood of your home can be damaged by moisture are:
- Overflowing gutters
- Broken gutters or downspouts
- Trenches or depressions near your basement walls
- Leaking exterior spigots
- Leaking pipes
- Dense shade caused by a thick tree canopy or dense vegetation
Addressing conditions that promote moisture and wood rot can go a long way in protecting against carpenter ants and other wood-destroying organisms.
Step 2: Remove Harborage Options
If your yard has dead or rotting wood, you're going to lure carpenter ants in. An obvious example of deadwood is an old stump or log in your backyard. These are a playground for carpenter ants. You may quickly recognize an old fence or deck as a potential attractant. One that often goes under the radar is heart rot. When a seemingly healthy tree has heart rot, it can have hundreds or thousands of carpenter ants inside. If a tree with heart rot is near your home, carpenter ants can quickly become a threat to your equity. Do an inspection of your yard and remove any sources of dead or rotting wood.
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Why Choose Adams Exterminating?
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Our team brings a deep understanding of insect biology and behavior to create targeted pest control strategies. We're equipped with the latest techniques and technologies to effectively eliminate pests.
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Recognizing that each space is different, we customize pest control services for every home or business. Our approach involves targeted solutions, addressing specific needs for your environment.
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With a legacy dating back to 1947, our pest control company brings decades of experience with a proven track record to keep your space critter-free.
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As a locally owned business with offices in both Denton and Lewisville, we are rooted in the community and dedicated to serving our neighbors with personalized service.
Step 3: Remove Food Sources
Carpenter ants have a varied diet. Their primary source of food is the honeydew from aphids, scale insects and whiteflies. This honeydew is a sweet liquid that comes from the sap of plants. If you have plant-eating insects in your landscaping, you're going to attract carpenter ants. Reducing unwanted vegetation can help reduce these insects and the sweet honeydew they create.
Step 4: Seal Entry Points
Carpenter ants don't always chew their way into Lewisville homes. Sometimes they find a gap, crack or hole. Once inside, they gravitate to cool, damp areas where there is suitable wood for harborage. Do an inspection of your exterior walls and use a caulking gun to seal things up. For larger holes, you may need an expanding foam of some kind. Cracks in foundation walls can be sealed with a foundation repair kit.
Step 5: Get Some Help
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