Carpenter Ant Control: DIY vs. Professional Pest Management

When it comes to your home, you want to protect it from all pests, including carpenter ants. These pests can cause significant damage and controlling them is crucial to preventing structural damage. If you see carpenter ants in your home, your first instinct might be to try a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to save money. Unfortunately and most often, DIY doesn’t always work well when it comes to carpenter ant control. Enlisting a professional pest management company often produces better results.

5 Reasons Professionals Deliver Better Results than DIY

DIY approaches always seem like the best approach, and that method can work for some pests. But carpenter ants aren’t something to take chances with. They are known for excavating wood to build nests, which can quickly damage your home. Here are the five key reasons a pest professional can deliver better results when it comes to carpenter ant control than attempting to do DIY.

1. Proper Identification:

According to the National Wildlife Association, there are more than 12,000 species of ants. That makes identification difficult. Carpenter ants are larger in size than a typical ant you see in a household, and they do a lot more damage. A professional pest technician knows what to look for and can quickly identify the carpenter ants and locate their nests. 

2. Targeted Treatment Plans:

Carpenter ant infestations can vary in size and severity. If you don’t know what you’re dealing with, the one-size-fits-all product and approach you researched may not be effective in controlling your infestation. Plus, DIY treatments can pose risks to your health and the environment if not used properly. With their expertise, professional pest technicians can implement targeted treatments to eliminate the ants at the source, preventing further damage to your property. From conducting thorough inspections to assessing the extent of the infestation, a professional pest management company will create and implement a treatment plan that delivers the results you want. Plus, they provide helpful recommendations based on extensive experience for long-term prevention measures.

3. Professional-grade Products:

The products professional pest technicians have access to are not the same as the brands you pick up at the local hardware store. These products are specifically designed to be incredibly effective in controlling carpenter ants. Professional grade products have unique active ingredients and are applied using specialized equipment that ensures proper coverage. In an effort to protect health and safety, the pest control products that are available to the general public often have lower concentrations of certain ingredients and most often aggravate & repel ants. This can send ants into a frenzy, making things much worse. That means they often result in less effective control of your carpenter ant problem.

4. Cost Savings:

DIY projects always seem more cost-effective initially, but often cost you more in the long term. The same is true for pest control. From researching treatment options, to buying more and different products, to the potential damage to your structure while you try to solve the issue, the costs can add up. Hiring a professional pest control company can save you time in the long term. Pest control technicians are trained to efficiently and effectively deal with carpenter ant infestations, reducing the likelihood of re-infestations and preventing costly damage to your property. Plus, Ford’s Hometown Services offers a warranty that saves money down the road.

5. Time Savings:

As with many DIY projects, the time you invest grows exponentially, especially if you don’t take care of the problem on the first try. Whether through less effective products, or misapplication, you might not control your carpenter ant problem on the first try, resulting in more time invested in a situation you just want to be resolved.