Tag Archives: Carpenter Ants

Carpenter Ants, Insect Control

When Carpenter Ants Attack

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Do you hear a rustling sound, something akin to crinkling cellophane when standing near a wall in your home? Do you find that you keep killing ants, only to have them return again and again? If so, you may have carpenter ants. These industrious insects hollow out walls and can cause structural damage to your home if the problem is not corrected swiftly.

Carpenter ants are large, black ants that prefer to build their nests in moist wood. They often settle in kitchen and bathrooms. Some homeowners find that they can spray to no avail: the ants keep coming back. This is because the only effective way to rid your home of carpenter ants is to destroy their nests. Then you must correct moisture problems to avoid their return.

Carpenter ant communities operate through a system of parent and satellite colonies, with nests inside and outside of a home. So it is essential to find the nests because even if you are able to kill the ants you see, others continue to reproduce.

It is possible to bait the ants yourself using sugar or honey. Instead of killing them, you can feed them and follow them to their nest. Afterwards, the nest must be destroyed. This method takes patience and time. Late nights are prime time for worker ant activity, so you could find yourself sacrificing sleep to do some of this detective work.

If you find that trailing ants is not for you, or if your efforts to find and destroy nests are unsuccessful, then it is time to call in the professionals. Bear in mind that it may take more than one visit to complete the task, but it will be well worth it. Your walls will stop talking and you’ll sleep a lot easier.

Carpenter Ants, Insect Control, Pest Control, Pest Eradication

How to Find Carpenter Ant Nests

Carpenter ants build their nests in wood, and they are difficult to locate because they do not leave tell tale signs of their presence in a home or building. Although they are not as destructive as termites, they can cause considerable damage if they are allowed to infest wood structures for an extended period of time.

Carpenter ants usually set up their colonies in damp wooden pieces that have previously been damaged by other types of insects. Some of the places in a home where carpenter ant nests are commonly found include door frames, windows, sinks, chimneys, and bath traps. With the right level of moisture, temperature, and protection from environmental changes and predators, the colonies of carpenter ants will thrive.

One way to find carpenter nests in a home is to tap the surfaces of wooden structures. Listen for a hollow sound as this will indicate that the wood is damaged. By tapping on the wood, you will also cause the carpenter ants to panic, and they may flee their nests and emerge from the wood.

If you are experiencing carpenter ant problem in your home, you can call NY, NYC, and NJ pest control experts.

Carpenter Ants, Insect Control

Fast Facts about Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are one of the most common types of pests in New York and New Jersey, and they can cause great damage to homes and wood furniture if no measures are taken to control them. Here are some basic facts about carpenter ants.

1) Carpenter ants are ants that belong to the genus Camponotus, and they are given their common name because they set up their colonies in wood.

2) The size of carpenter ants range from a quarter inch to slight more than half an inch.

3) Depending on their species, carpenter ants can be black, dark brown, red, orange, light brown, or yellowish tan.

4) Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not consume wood. When they dig galleries in wood to create colonies, they will collect the wood debris and leave them outside.

5) Carpenter ants play an important role in the natural environment as they can help in the decomposition of wood and control the population of small insects.

6) Carpenter ants usually establish their colonies in parts of wood that are moist.

7) There are two types of carpenter ant colonies, namely, the parent colonies and the satellite colonies. The parent colony houses the queen, her offspring, and a group of workers, while a satellite colony is made up of thousands of worker ants.