Summer is the perfect time to start seeing ants in your home. While most ants are harmless to humans, not counting the stress of seeing ants walking across your kitchen counter, Carpenter Ants can cause damage to your home. Usually recognized because of their large size, 1/4" to 1/2" long, carpenter ants cause damage to buildings and other structures while tunneling to create their nests.
Carpenter ants feed on other insects, nectar, and honeydew created by other plant sucking insects. Normally carpenter ants enter homes looking for nesting sports, or moisture. Nests created by carpenter ants indoors can contain thousands of ants, and are in most cases satellite colonies for larger outdoor nests. The winged male and female carpenter ants are sometimes confused with termites, but can be distinguished by their differing antennae, waist, and wings.
Carpenter ants also differ from termites in the way that they deal with the wood in your home. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not consume the wood they exavate for their nests. Their colonies consist to multiple tunnels, often starting where there is damage from water or wood decay. As these tunnels continue to expand they can cause structural damage to your home. Carpenter ants also love to create nests in wall voids, hollow doors, and insulation.
Although carpenter ants can be destructive there are some steps you can take to protect your home.
- Seal any cracks in your home.
- Keep bushes and trees trimmed back from home.
- Store firewood off the ground
- Keep any food sources (sweets, carbohydrates) in sealed containers.
If you feel like you need carpenter ant control contact Senske Services and our technicians will complete a free estimate, and deal with the issue quickly and professionally.
