Toronto Pest Control: Tips to Keep Carpenter Ants Away From Firewood

It gets cold in Toronto during fall, winter, and parts of spring. It is common for homeowners to burn firewood to cozy up their living spaces. Unfortunately, bringing firewood indoors may also invite unwelcome pests. Carpenter ants may burrow and live in firewood. Without thorough inspection or treatment from carpenter ants pest control in Toronto, every fire for warmth brings the risk of an insect infestation. Carpenter ants are dangerous insects to have around your home. The insects can burrow into decking, framing, and other wooden structures, weakening their integrity and risking your family's safety. Protect your firewood to protect your home and family.

Tips To Protect Firewood and Your Home

Carpenter ants are not intentionally destructive. The insects want what all living things want: food, water, and shelter. The insects have innate attributes that allow them to burrow through wood easily. They do not eat the wood; they excavate it. Wooden burrows provide ample protection from predators, keeping the colony safe. When carpenter ants discover a structure sufficient for a large burrow, they spread, branching off to create satellite colonies. Your home represents a salvation to a growing ant population. Firewood, when not cared for properly, can become a vehicle to the interior of your home. If carpenter ants live in the wood, they will not burn with it. As they sense the heat, the ants will escape and seek a new home within your walls; therefore, you must protect and inspect your firewood.

1. Store Away From the House

It is understandable to want to store firewood next to the house. Storing it against a back or side exterior wall means easy access when snow falls. No one wants to trek across their yard in mid-winter to gather a few logs for the fire.

Still, storing firewood against the house is among the worst things you can do. If carpenter ants are already inside the wood, they now have easier access to your home, meaning you are one step closer to needing carpenter ants pest control in Toronto. While storing wood away from your house does not spare the wood from an infestation, it can spare your home.

2. Keep It Dry

One of the signs of carpenter ants in house structures is the presence of tiny sawdust piles near holes, which typically occur in damp wood like exposed decking or porch posts. Carpenter ants prefer damp wood because it is easier to chew through. The ants can chew through dry wood, but it is more energy and time-consuming.

You can reduce the risk of carpenter ants invading your firewood pile by ensuring the pile stays dry. Store the wood above ground level and consider covering it to protect it against the elements. Ensure there is plenty of ventilation to avoid moisture buildup.

3. Inspect It Before Use

Learning how to get rid of carpenter ants in your house is more challenging than avoiding them in the first place. You can reduce your risk of infestation by thoroughly inspecting firewood and piles before bringing it into your home. Look for holes and signs of sawdust near logs.

Also, inspect for ants. Carpenter ants are among the largest ant species. They have dark-coloured bodies. Also, the species has antennae with bends or elbows and narrow waists.

Carpenter Ant Removal Services

Carpenter ants are destructive. It is not the insect's intention to damage your property, but it is the result. Firewood represents a perfect gateway into your home. Do not permit infestations. Contact Truly Nolen Canada to discuss carpenter ants pest control in Toronto and discuss treatment and prevention options. Ask about the service's four-season plan for your property.