Overview
With more than 1,000 species in existence, carpenter ants are wood-destroying insects that are often confused as termites. If they aren’t discovered in time, carpenter ants can tunnel out support beams and make their way through entire buildings, sometimes causing entire walls to collapse. The difference between carpenter ants and termites is the fact that carpenter ants do not eat wood, simply tunnel and nest through it—this is something that can help identify a carpenter ant infestation.
Carpenter Ant Habitat
Carpenter ants prefer damp or moist wood. They prefer to infest rotting or dead trees or logs, but have also been found in rotting fences, under stones, and more. Once they’ve begun to nest in a damp location, carpenter ants are able to hollow out any surrounding wood, even dry or hardwood. Although carpenter ants are often found outdoors, they typically make their way inside a building through cracks in a foundation, or even by climbing through plumbing or electrical openings into the home.
Behaviors of Carpenter Ants
A carpenter ant colony contains a queen and young ants. Once they grow to a certain size over the course of a couple years, satellite nests will begin to form and branch out from the original colony. Similarly to termites, carpenter ants will swarm at a certain point in order to mate and establish new colonies. Seeing these winged, flying termites in your home is a bad sign you have an infestation. The other main sign of an infestation include hearing rustling sounds inside of walls or other sources of wood.
What You Can Do About Ants
Can you get rid of ants yourself? Most do-it-yourself ant control products only kill the ants you see, not the colonies themselves. Also, home remedies don’t account for the fact that different kinds of ant infestations require different treatments. The best you can do is to eliminate any potential food sources by keeping your home or business clean. However, if you’re still having issues, you’ll need to contact a pest control specialist like Connor's Termite & Pest Control to seek out and destroy nests to help prevent these pests from returning.
Ant Control Solutions
When you schedule ant control service with Connor's Termite & Pest Control, your technician will:
- Determine the type of ant
- Conduct a full property inspection that includes your yard, attached & detached structures, driveway and home
- Directly treat all nests and trails on the outside
- Install ant stations to monitor activity
- Discreetly apply ant baits for interior nests
- Seal small common entry points if they are contributing to the infestation
- Create a full report describing the treatment and how you can protect your home from further infestations
Don’t wait until your home is overrun by ants. Contact Connor's Termite & Pest Control today!
