It’s summertime and that means ants are everywhere. While some may be a mere annoyance, others—specifically carpenter ants—can result in a summer invasion causing thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to your home or business. That’s why June 23–29 is designated as Carpenter Ant Awareness Week, and why we’re offering information about signs of an infestation and the treatment options available.
Signs Carpenter Ants Are Attacking
It can be tricky to determine if the ants you’re seeing are destructive carpenter ants and where they are coming from. That’s why calling in the experts is important. We’ll conduct a thorough inspection and talk to you about what you’ve seen to determine if the nest is in your home or if the ants are coming in from outside to forage for food.
Signs you may have a carpenter ant infestation include:
- The presence of large ants (1/8 to 1/2” long), usually black, some of which may have wings
- Small sawdust piles that reappear after being cleaned up
- Faint rustling noises behind walls
- Wooden beams, door or window frames that sound hollow when tapped
Most of the large ants we find here in New England do turn out to be carpenter ants. They are usually black, but can also be brownish or red. They don’t actually eat the wood; they excavate it, which can cause a lot of structural damage. They are especially attracted to wood that is already damaged due to water, mold or fungus.
Stopping a Summer Invasion
We’ll develop a treatment plan for your property. Extermination may include inside and outside applications of insecticide dust or aerosol, depending on the location of the nest, access points and areas of high activity or susceptibility.
We use the least amount of insecticide necessary to effectively treat the structure, and guarantee the service through spring of the following year.
Carpenter ants can live in colonies that surpass 5,000 members, so if you suspect an invasion, call us right away.