Carpenter Ant Treatment
How Do I Identify A Carpenter Ant Infestation?
Appearance- Carpenter ants are usually large and black colored, with bent antennae, a narrow waist, and longer front wings. Carpenter ants are often confused for termites which have straight antennae, a thick waist and four wings all the same size.
Behavior - Swarmer carpenter ants have the ability to fly, and often are sent out from an existing parent nest to create a new satellite colony. When they find a location to nest, you may start to see holes in the wood of your home, such as in the walls or on your porch. Termites will leave mud in the excavated areas, so it does not look smooth. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood and will leave wood bits and dust behind as a sign of their current residence in your walls.
Why Could I Have Carpenter Ants?
Carpenter ants seek out damp and rotting wood to live within. They like to live in tree stumps or fallen, rotting logs where moisture is present. Parts of your home that are exposed to the elements are most susceptible to carpenter ant damage.
Why Should I Treat My Carpenter Ant Problem Immediately?
Carpenter ants tend to be a nuisance, and an untreated colony can pose a threat to the stability of your residence. Too much burrowing into the wood could compromise the integrity of some housing structures. Satellite colonies may pop up if a nest is left untreated for an extended period.
Getting rid of carpenter ants ensures that your home will stay safe from their burrows. Professional carpenter ant control is the most effective way to kill carpenter ants and stop their colonization in its tracks.
Call us today to treat or prevent your carpenter ant problem so you and your family can rest assured the foundation of your home will be safe. We are the #1 carpenter ant control company.
How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are a type of ant, but they present a unique set of problems. It is important to discuss carpenter ant identification and removal as its own topic. You don't want this ant species in your home. Unfortunately, they can cause structural damage to your house similar to termites.
Prompt identification of a problem and quick removal of the carpenter ants is key to keeping your home and family safe.
How Do I Spot a Carpenter Ant Problem?
Carpenter ants are found all over the United States. They nest in wood—they do not eat it like termites. Their nesting sites can gradually become bigger, which can put a strain on the structure of your home. Thankfully, there are some clear signs that you have a carpenter ant problem.
- You see the carpenter ants.
A good sign that you have a carpenter ant problem is actually seeing carpenter ants. Sometimes carpenter ants are spotted outdoors. However, if you ever see them in your home, you need to have them removed immediately.
Carpenter ants are dark-colored. They range from about 3/8 to ½-inches long. Worker ants have wings. Sometimes other large ant species can be mistaken for carpenter ants. But it is better to be safe than sorry when dealing with this pest.
- You find fine sawdust (called frass) in your home.
Frass is common around floorboards or on the ground at the bottom of walls. This fine sawdust is caused by the carpenter ants drilling into the wood. It is a clear sign of a carpenter ant problem. - Your floors or walls sound hollow when tapped.
This sign could mean carpenter ants or termites. However, if the wood in your home sounds hollow, you need to call in the professionals right away. - You hear soft noises, like a crinkling, coming from your walls, especially at night.
Carpenter ants tend to be more active at night. They will cause a crinkling or rustling noise to be heard in your walls.
How Do I Get Rid of Carpenter Ants?
Once you identify a carpenter ant problem, it is time to get rid of them. They do not destroy a home as quickly as termites, but over time their nests can cause huge problems. The following list describes the best way to get rid of carpenter ants.
- Use an over-the-counter bait trap.
You can find bait traps in most box stores. They have uneven success rates but could be worth a try. The ants take the poisoned bait back to their nest, which kills the colony. - Clean up all food and water sources.
Carpenter ants are likely in your home because they found easily accessible food and water. Fix any water leaks. And make sure all food is stored properly and crumbs cleaned up. This helps with prevention and can make your home less appealing to the pest. - Contact the professionals.
This is our top recommendation. Even if you manage to destroy the entire colon of carpenter ants on your own, you will still need a professional to assess any damage. Contacting a pest removal company at once will save you the call later on. At GoLocal Pest Control, we can help you find a carpenter ant removal company that will get rid of the pests and provide next-step instructions for fixing any damage to your home.
How to Prevent Carpenter Ants
Although they do not work as quickly as termites, the damage that carpenter ants can cause is immense. They do not eat wood, but they do nest in it. The result is the same and with termites. The wood structures of your home will be prone to hollowing out and becoming unstable. This can lead to thousands of dollars' worth of damage or even condemn your home.
Clearly, a carpenter ant infestation is a problem. The best way to solve this issue is to prevent it from ever happening.
Why Do I Have Carpenter Ants?
To fully prevent carpenter ants from invading your home, you need to know what attracts them. Here are a few reasons why your home may be perfect for carpenter ants.
- There is rotting or damp wood.
Carpenter ants build their nests in damp or decaying wood. They can also use sound wood, but if there is rotting wood around, they would prefer that. If you have rotting or damp wood around your home, you are asking for a carpenter ant problem. - You have moisture issues.
Just as carpenter ants are attracted to damp wood, they will like any home with moisture issues. These issues could be caused by a leak, bad drainage, or your foundation not being sealed tight enough. This is also why carpenter ants will build their nests near doors, windows, bathrooms, or your home's foundation. These are all areas that are prone to moisture issues. - There are a lot of entry points.
Carpenter ants will choose homes that are easy to get into. If there are lots of unsealed openings, carpenter ants may become a problem. They especially like unsealed areas around pipes and wires.
How Do I Prevent Carpenter Ants?
Prevention is a big part of the cure for a carpenter ant problem. You don't want these annoying pests to gain a foothold in your home. Instead, that the following measures to prevent an infestation from happening.
- Fix any leaks or other moisture issues.
Because moisture is so important to carpenter ants, fixing any leaks or moisture issues in your home is essential. - Remove any damp or decaying wood.
Similarly, make sure the wood in your home is not water damaged or rotting. This includes wood beams and walls. Also, you should never store firewood in or near your home. Doing so increases your risk of termites in addition to carpenter ants. - Seal all entry points to your home.
Carpenter ants are looking for easy access to your home. Seal any potential problem spots, such as around external wire or utility pipes. This will go a long way towards making your home less appealing to carpenter ants. - Contact a good carpenter ant exterminator.
Exterminators can help you prevent carpenter ant problems. They are not just there to stop an infestation after it has started. If you want to keep carpenter ants out of your home, you need to find the best exterminator in your area. GoLocal Pest Control can help with that. Contact us today to learn more.
What Do Carpenter Ants Look Like?
You may think that there is only one type of carpenter ant. They are just the large, black ants that can cause significant damage to your home. You would actually be mistaken. As you'll see, there are many different species of carpenter ants. Most look similar. Because of the significant damage they can do to your home, you need to be able to identify carpenter ants quickly.
This post will tell you what carpenter ants look like. Once you identify them, you can start implementing a good carpenter ant removal plan.
How Many Species of Carpenter Ant Are There?
As we mentioned above, carpenter ants are not just a single species. In fact, there are about 1000 species of carpenter ant worldwide Of those thousand, twenty-four species are common in the United.
Twenty-four species is a lot. The good news is that all carpenter ant species look similar. They also have similar habits, feeding behavior, and colony structure. The biggest difference between them is the size of the carpenter ants themselves.
The most common carpenter ant species is the Black Carpenter Ant, or Camponotus pennsylvanicus. It was the first ant species in the United States to be named. It was first discovered in 1773. The Black Carpenter Ant is found in the Eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. Other carpenter ant species include Camponotus herculeanus, Camponotus floridanus, Camponotus nearcticus, Camponotus modoc, Camponotus americanus, and Camponotus vicinius. Carpenter ants are part of the Camponotus genus, so if you see that word at the beginning of their Latin name, you know it is a species of carpenter ant.
What Do Carpenter Ants Look Like?
Although they come in different sizes, all carpenter ants have similar physical characteristics. They are either black or red and black. Their body has one node on the waist. There is also a rounded thorax behind their head. Their head is heart-shaped.
Most carpenter ant species are between 3/8-1/2 inches long. However, all carpenter ant species are polymorphic. That means the size of the ants varies depending on their job in the colony. Queen and reproductive male carpenter ants are the largest. Some queens can be an inch long. Queen and reproductive male carpenter ants also have wings. You will usually only see these ants in the spring or fall. Once the queen ants are fertilized and start a new nest, they lose their wings. There are also major and minor worker ants that vary in size. The major workers are larger than the minor workers.
Carpenter ants are often mistaken for termites. Termites also have wings and destroy wood. However, termites are usually a pale color. No carpenter ants species are pale. Plus, worker termites do not have the nodes or waists of carpenter ants.
If you suspect a carpenter ant problem, make sure to contact a good exterminator immediately. These annoying pests can cause expensive damage to your home. Let the experts at GoLocal Pest Control help you find the top companies in your area. Contact us today to learn more.
How to Find an Exterminator to Help with Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants may not cause as much damage to your home as quickly as termites; however, they are just as much a pest. Carpenter ants live in wood, they do not eat it. But, as they burrow deep, they still destroy the wood. Eventually, your home will have structural problems.
The best protection against carpenter ant damage is to spot the problem early and immediately contact a good exterminator.
What Should I Look for in a Carpenter Ant Exterminator?
Carpenter ants are a fairly common pest. Most exterminators will likely have experience treating them. But some companies will still be better than others. Look for pest control providers who warranty or guarantee their services. Another plus is for the inspection and estimate to be free.
If you want to weed out the good carpenter ant exterminators from the bad, you should ask the following questions.
- What's the difference between carpenter ants and termites.
- What is your carpenter ant treatment?
- How long will it take for me to see the results?
- Can I prevent subsequent carpenter ant infestations?
- Do you fix carpenter ant damage?
Often many of the answers to these questions can be found on the company's website. Also, make sure to have a conversation with a potential exterminator before hiring them. This will help you determine if the company will work for you.
What Should I Expect from Carpenter Ant Exterminators?
The first step in carpenter ant extermination is to find the nest. This will likely be part of the inspection. You need to find the nest and remove it to completely get rid of the carpenter ants.
Once the nest is found, the technician will either remove the nest or use insecticides on it. The goal is to kill the colony. Then the nest and the damaged areas of your home can be removed and repaired. The technician may also recommend repairs that will stop carpenter ants infestations in the future. The best companies will even schedule follow-up appointments to ensure that your carpenter ant problem is actually solved.
How Do I Find an Exterminator to Help with Carpenter Ants?
When you are looking for the best carpenter ants exterminator, make sure to focus on your area. Carpenter ants can invade all over the country. But a local company will know the best treatments for your location. They should know the species of carpenter ant common to the area and how to specifically treat those pests. Plus, you will likely get more individualized service. Local is always better when it comes to carpenter ant extermination.
At GoLocal Pest Control, we can help you find the best carpenter ants extermination near you. Just use the location finder on our website. It is a quick and easy way to get access to pre-screened, quality, and qualified pest control. You can learn more about our process here or by contacting us. Let us help you find the best carpenter ant removal no matter where you live.