Commercial and Residential Pest Control Services | Dodson Bros. Exterminating Co., Inc.
With cooler weather quickly approaching, pests will begin ramping up their efforts to make their way into your home for shelter from the elements, including carpenter ants. Carpenter ants are indigenous to many forested areas of the world and can be found throughout the majority of the United States.
Today, we’ll discuss a few characteristics and signs of carpenter ants and the different ways they enter your home. We’ll also talk about four effective ways to get rid of them.
Before tackling a widespread problem, you have to be able to actually identify carpenter ants — or you may end up treating an issue you don’t actually have. Typically, they are about 5/8 inch in length. Their bodies are red, black, brown, or sometimes a unique combination of all three.
Because of their wood-boring behaviors, people often confuse carpenter ants with termites. While both insects can cause extensive property damage, one way they can be distinguished from another is their appearances. Termite bodies have two segments and a uniform body width, while carpenter ants have three segments and a pinched waist. Termites also tend to have much longer wings than carpenter ants.
Identifying a carpenter ant invasion early on can save you precious time and money, as well as help protect your home’s wooden structure from damage. Here are 5 signs that you may be experiencing a carpenter ant infestation.
Presence of sawdust-like material: Carpenter ants don’t eat wood. Instead, they excavate it. As they create galleries in wood, they push out excess shavings. This debris looks like sawdust and often accumulates near nest openings.
Carpenter ant nest: Carpenter ants’ nests vary greatly in size and structure. There are two different types of carpenter ant nests that you may notice: parent colonies and satellite colonies. When found outdoors, carpenter ant nests are typically found in hardwood trees. Indoors, carpenter ant colonies tend to make their nests in places that offer them a stable temperature and protection from environmental conditions.
Rustling sounds: If you place your ear against a wall or wooden structure in your home and hear faint rustling sounds, it could likely mean carpenter ants are moving within their galleries. This could also indicate the presence of another pest invasion, like rodents, so if you hear something suspicious, you’ll likely want to get a professional opinion.
Hollow wood: Tap on wooden structures around your home. If the wood sounds hollow, it may mean that carpenter ant colonies have damaged the internal structure.
Visible wood damage: In more severe infestations, you may actually notice visible damage on the wooden structures in your home such as wood shavings or decaying wood. This is a telltale sign that there’s a wood-boring insect or carpenter ant infestation nearby.
Like many other pests, carpenter ants tend to enter homes when the weather starts cooling down, in search of shelter and safety from the outdoor elements.
Here are a few proactive ways to prevent carpenter ants from actually entering your home.
Eliminate excess food sources: Like all ant species, carpenter ants are attracted to food. Make sure to store food in airtight containers and clean up any spills and crumbs immediately to avoid an infestation. Carpenter ants can also be attracted to pet food, so double-check that any wet or dry pet food stays properly sealed in airtight containers.
Seal entry points: Look around your home’s entry ways regularly and inspect them for any cracks or gaps. If you see any spots where carpenter ants may be able to enter your home through, seal them with caulk or other appropriate materials.
Keep your yard well-maintained: Often, a carpenter ant infestation begins outdoors before moving into your home. Carpenter ants like to use branches, shrubs, or dead trees as bridges to enter your home. Keeping your yard well-maintained helps stop them in their tracks.
If you can find a carpenter ant nest outdoors, it’s important to destroy it before the ants make their way into your living space. Finding an outdoor nest is easier said than done, and even if you’re able to locate the source, you’ll need to ensure you properly destroy it. Without the help of a professional pest control company, this can be difficult.
Just like other ants, an effective extermination method for smaller carpenter ant infestations is to bait them with some form of sweet, sugary food laced with boric acid. Worker ants will feed on the bait and carry it back to their colony, where other ants will follow suit. While this can be relatively effective, it is more time-consuming and may take several weeks to fully exterminate the entire carpenter ant colony.
Pyrethrin is a pesticide that works by stimulating the insect’s nervous system, causing paralysis and eventually death. Because pyrethrin is categorized as a neurotoxin, it’s important to use it with caution, especially around children and pets.
While some carpenter ant infestations can be handled with DIY methods, larger-scale invasions require professional intervention. If you suspect structural damage from carpenter ants or a widespread invasion, it’s crucial to call a pest control professional immediately to avoid further damage and costly repairs.
Like any other pest problem, it’s important to catch (and treat) an infestation early on. Or better yet, prevent it from happening in the first place. At Dodson Pest Control, we understand that dealing with carpenter ants can be challenging. These pests require a comprehensive approach for effective and long-lasting control. That’s why our team of experienced pest control professionals has over 80 years of experience dealing with them.
We have offices in Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Reach out to us, and we’ll swing by your place for an initial inspection and provide you with a custom carpenter ant control plan.
