Carpenter ants can be a big problem. This type of ant loves to chew on wood and can cause some serious damage to the wood surrounding and inside of your home. These ants can also damage trees in your yard as well. If you see large black carpenter ants around your home, it's best to take action and get rid of them. See below for helpful tips on how to get rid of carpenter ants.

Find the Ants Entrance

Carpenter ants don't just appear out of thin air — they are entering your home somewhere and you need to find their entrance, or you'll just end up with more. Keep an eye on the ants to see where they are inside your home and then look around your home's foundation, around windows, doors, in the basement and even in the attic to see if you can spot the ant’s entrance.

Once you find the entrance you can seal the area to prevent any more ants from coming inside. Seal foundations, siding or doorways with caulk or silicone. Also, look around for reasons why ants may be attracted to your home, these reasons can include a water damaged roof, or brush or wood piles close to your home or a tree with limbs hanging down over your house that they ants may use as a bridge to get to your home.

Make any necessary repairs to prevent the ants from coming inside your house.

Kill the Ants You See

After you've found their entrance to prevent any new ants from coming inside, start killing any ants you can find in your home. You can use a pesticide or even bait traps to kill any ants that may be hiding in a nest inside your

You can also use a mixture of one part boric acid and five parts sugar substance such as powdered sugar, syrup or jelly to attract the ants. The mixture will kill the ants, and it is a safe and natural alternative to pesticides. You can also sprinkle diatomaceous earth around your home, this substance will kill the ants, but is not harmful to pets or children.

Take Care of Ants Outside Your Home Too

If you have a lot of carpenter ants outside your house, you should try your best to control them to prevent them from attempting to return to your home. These ants can do quite a bit of damage to wooden decks, porches, fences and trees.

You can use an insecticide outside of your home as well. There are a number of insecticides on the market, and you should go with whichever is best for your situation, especially if you have small children or pets. After spraying or sprinkling the insecticide, it will most likely need to dry before you should allow anyone outside in the yard.

A little maintenance can go a long way in preventing carpenter ants and other pests from entering your home. Be sure to inspect your home every season to look for entry ways that pests can use to get into your home and make repairs as needed. You should also keep your lawn maintained, trim back trees and landscaping so it isn't growing over your house and remove brush piles where pests like to hide.

Call in a professional pest control specialist such as Nick's Pest Management Inc., if you are experiencing issues with carpenter ants or other pests such as mice, termites, bed bugs, roaches or spiders. Their professional team has the tools and knowledge to get the job done right, and they will remove these pests from your home and prevent them from returning.