One of the top questions we get is about carpenter ants. These ants can be picky about what they want to eat and it sometimes can be difficult to pinpoint their tendencies. This question most commonly comes up in regards to our TERRO Liquid Ant Baits. While sugar-seeking ants love the baits, will the carpenter ants?
Does Liquid Bait Work On Carpenter Ants?
Our liquid ant bait is made up of three main ingredients, Borax, sugar and water. This combination works to attract sweet-eating ants on the hunt for a food or water source. Although it is not their primary diet, carpenter ants do occasionally feed on common sweets such as syrup, honey, jelly, sugar, salt, and fruit and would be attracted to the sugars in TERRO® liquid bait during these times.
Once the ants drink the bait and share with the rest of the colony, the bait works it's magic. So with carpenter ants, it's a matter of catching them in the right phase of their feeding cycle, when they are actively on the lookout for sweets.
Other ant species that will be attracted to the liquid bait are Argentine ants, pavement ants, little black ants, odorous house ants, crazy ants, ghost ants and big headed ants.
If Liquid Bait is not attracting the Carpenter Ants...
If liquid baiting doesn't seem to be attracting the carpenter ants in and around your home, we suggest treating the problem areas with a contact killer, such as TERRO® Carpenter Ant & Termite Killer spray. With this line of defense, you can treat the carpenter ant nests and surrounding areas directly. You can also treat the places where ants enter your home, like windows and doorways. Plus the extension tube is the perfect tool to inject the spray into wall voids and small openings in the infested wood.
Do you have any other questions about ants? Let us know when you visit TERRO® on Facebook. Learn more about ants in our insect library, too. For more on fighting pests or to exclusive updates on TERRO® products, subscribe to our eNewsletter.