I am a licensed exterminator. I've heard it all, people putting garlic or coffee around there house to deter ants. The only way to get rid of carpenter ants is to find the nest and destroy it. It will always be around water damaged wood. Kitchen and bathrooms are always a hot spot, leaky pipes?, a drip here and there. I wouldn't waste money on ant traps or anything like that. A good aerosol or a dust always works. Don't be afraid to have a beer or two and just watch where they're going. I've had a nest in an oak tree outside my house for years studying them i guess. Didn't notice it until i saw the birds eating the ants at the entrance. Good luck they're a real pain sometimes.