When you start to see plenty of large black ants in your property, this could be a sign of concern. This is especially true if these turn out to be carpenter ants. They could start to work their way under various wooden materials in your home. There are various methods that you can use to solve this problem.

1. Use concentrated liquid pesticide: This may not be a recommended method, because you can contaminate your home and introduce toxins around your living space. But if you choose this method, you can apply liquid pesticide on foundation, roofing frame, deck and other areas that can be affected by carpenter ants. Before applying at larger amount, you should test the solution. Put a drop of liquid pesticide at heavy traffic locations where ants typically march to chew away wooden parts of your home. If you notice a big pile of dead ants around the spot, then the solution should quite effective.
2. Get suggestions from friend and family: It is likely that friends and family know about the best treatment options to get rid carpenter ants from your properties. Upon being informed of the problem, a friend or two could come up with ideas that you should do, which is much cheaper than a full home treatment. Based on their past experience, they could point out the likely problem spots in your home. If these people live in the same area with you, then there’s a good chance that they are affected by carpenter infestation as well. Depending on the methods and the severity of the problem, it may take between 7 to 10 days to solve the problem.
3. Do border and area treatments: If you live in places with many trees, it’s likely that you will be affected with carpenter ants problems. There are also granular treatments that can help to solve the problem. Regardless of the solution used, make sure that it’s applied outward to keep ants out of your property.
4. Look for the ant nest: After checking all the signs, you should be able to determine the likely spot of the nest. Trace your way to the actual nest, by looking where the traffic seems to intersect. You may start to find many ants in a small area and check whether it’s the actual nest.
5. Check your interior: Water damage could soften up the wood and cause it crumble. This will allow carpenter ants to gain access in the area. Any damp and discoloured area could actually be damaged with water. Presence of sawdust is also an obvious sign that there are carpenter ants, although it can be caused by termite as well. This could happen when ants bore through the wood and it’s easy to do when the wood is softened enough by excess moisture. After your dry up the area, seal the holes up with putty or caulk. If the water damage is extensive, you may need to replace the wood.