Carpenter ants tend to nest in structures, houses and wooden buildings, so as to nest inside wooden structures. This can also expand to mulch outside where it might be a gateway to the interior. Knowing how to get rid of them before it’s too late is essential. The problem with carpenter ants, unlike other parasites, is that they not only make the environment unpleasant for those who live there, but can cause serious damage to homes. A nesting job that heavily damages all the wooden structures infested by these insects with formation of ant frass. If you have any doubt that you have an carpenter ant infestation, the best thing you can do is call a professional ant extermination service. Before ants do even more damage to your home.
What is the difference between treated wood and pressure treated wood? A greater presence of chemical agents in wood and, usually, more aggressive chemical agents for parasites. But not for all parasites.
The pressure treated wood is subjected to a very powerful vacuum to eliminate the air present in the wood and to a strong pressure to ensure that the impregnating agent penetrates much deeper into the wood. Although, to tell the truth, “in depth” is a relative term. In any case, it penetrates only minimally, up to the outermost part of the wood.
The answer, as in the case of treated wood, is always no. Carpenter ants don’t eat wood and pressure treated wood is also much more resistant to their attack. Replacing old, decaying or damp wood with pressure treated wood (or even with borate treated wood) is a great way to discourage carpenter ants from infesting your home.
Again, though, the fact that it’s a treated wood doesn’t have to make you feel completely safe. Firstly, over time there is still a need for maintenance. Secondly, it is a wood with biocide treatment, but which has two problems with carpenter ants:
- Biocide treatment: It is a treatment that kills parasites that eat wood. But carpenter ants don’t eat wood. As a result, pressure treated wood can kill termites, but it is unable to kill carpenter ants.
- Lack of waterproofing: This type of treatment is biocidal, but it is not waterproofing. It can kill several pests that eat wood and fungi, but it cannot do anything against the elements, water and humidity. Consequently, if the wood treated under pressure is exposed to water and humidity, with time it risks to moisten and rot, which would make it ideal for carpenter ants and for many other types of parasites. On the contrary, the cracks present in pressure treated wood creates channels in the wood through which water and humidity can reach even the innermost parts of the wood, thus attacking it in depth and damaging it more quickly.
The two things to consider when you have this type of wood, therefore, are two: it is not perfect protection and must in any case be kept away from water or humidity. Also because, consider that pressure-treated wood is “resistant to pests”, not “immune”.
If the ant infestation is even found in pressure treated wood, calling a professional extermination service is the only thing to do for several reasons: the infestation is extensive and with DIY methods it would be impossible to solve it; check the safety of the home, prevent a possible return with all the appropriate solutions. Call The Exterminators – Pest Control Toronto.
