Carpenter Ant Treatment

Carpenter ants are a social insect, meaning they live in colonies of up to 5,000 members! Although black is the most common color, carpenter ants can also be brown, orange, red or even a combination of red and black. They have several classes: workers, queens, and winged reproductives. Workers excavate wood to create nesting sites, defend the colony from intruders and forage for food to feed all members of the colony; queens lay eggs; and the winged reproductive males and females disperse to propagate the species and form new colonies. The workers come in many sizes but can be anywhere from ¼ to ½ of an inch long. The winged females (which become queens) can be very large at around ¾ of an inch in length. If you spot any of these variants, you may be in need of carpenter ant treatment.

Although carpenter ants can and do nest in homes, it is not unusual for them to just enter a home while seeking food. They can also infest a home when a colony grows in size and has to create a satellite colony. In either of these scenarios, ants will enter the home through electrical wires, pipes, telephone lines, cracks and gaps in the foundation or by crossing overgrown tree limbs that are in direct contact with the structure. Once they enter your home, you’re going to need a carpenter ant removal service.

Carpenter ants are often compared to termites for their ability to cause serious damage to structures made from wood. Unlike termites, they don’t actually eat wood; they excavate it to create galleries for nesting, usually targeting moist wood with weakened structural integrity.

These are the top signs that your home is in need of carpenter ant control or carpenter ant treatment:

• Medium-to-large black ants in your home in springtime
• Recurring piles of sawdust with bits of insect pieces
• Faint unexplained rustling noises from inside of walls or woodwork
• Presence of numerous large-winged carpenter ants
• Wood beams that sound hollow when tapped

Treatment for carpenter ants involves several steps. Our technician will determine if the ants have a nest in your home or if they are foraging from a nearby nest and will then use a method of carpenter ant nest removal.

If we believe we know where the nest is, we will attempt to treat it directly. If we are unable to treat the nest itself, we will treat the interior and exterior of your home to protect it from carpenter ants that might be coming from the outside. We may also try to remove carpenter ants from home interiors in areas where ants have been seen or those areas that are historically susceptible, such as near doors, plumbing fixtures or where there is evidence of moisture.

If you’re interested in how to remove carpenter ants permanently we offer options of a one-time service with a 90 day warranty or you can choose our MultiPest plan which runs from April 1^st – March 31^st.  Please contact us at 800-338-6757 for more information.