Carpenter Ants – When to be concerned

Carpenter ants are large ants that generally build their nests inside of the wood of rotting or dead trees.

They work their way through the wood by using their mandibles. They can often be confused with termites but the difference is that they don’t consume the wood like termites do but discard the wood into piles of sawdust.

Don’t be fooled though, they can still cause structural damage once they have found their way into your home and built their net inside. Once you have seen more than a dozen with the telltale signs of sawdust in piles around wood areas then you know it is time to take action as there will definitely be a colony.

Eliminate Carpenter Ants Before Any Serious Damage Occurs

Damage Caused By Carpenter Ants

Out of the 13 000 species of ants, carpenter ants are one of the most common and the most problematic.

They can cause devastating damage to the structural support of homes and buildings if left untreated. Carpenter ants, chew through wood to build their nests, this creates smooth tunnel-like formations within the wood.

They will mostly chew through decayed or softer wood but have been known to chew through solid harder wood as well.

When they chew through the wood it results in the structure becoming unsound. This can ultimately cause irreparable and costly damage to your home.

Signs of Carpenter Ants

When the carpenter ants has chewed through the wood, they do not ingest it the way termites do but carry the sawdust like material otherwise known as “frass” outside of their tunnel.

This will be evident as small bundles of sawdust are found in the areas affected.

High moisture areas are often an attraction for the carpenter ants and some of the most common areas are the support beams of patios or decks, bases of fence posts, borders for flower beds etc.

How to Deal With Carpenter Ants

By making sure there is no moisture build up and using stone or rock instead of mulch or wooden bordes is a way of keeping your home safe from carpenter ants.

Breaking up ground that does not easily drain is another preventative measure that one can take. Essentially making sure there is no rotting wood close to or touching the border of your home or inside your home as well as keeping moist areas dry.

If you already suspect a carpenter ant infestation has occurred, contact us immediately for a treatment to prevent any further damage occurring.