Feasterville provides an ideal climate for colonies of carpenter ants. While this is good news in forests, it is not beneficial to the residences and commercial properties that are inundated with these pests every year.
When found in forests, carpenter ant colonies provide useful services as far as breaking down dead trees. Those same habits become expensive and destructive when they are turned toward man-made structures of all descriptions. The damage can become catastrophic if it is not promptly addressed.
Carpenter ants seek out wood that is damaged or frequently wet because this material is easier to excavate. Consequently, any properties that have suffered flood damage in the past or that have had other pest infestations are particularly prone to carpenter ant infestations. These issues also are likely to occur if a property has plenty of unpainted or unstained wood because these surfaces similarly are easy to excavate.
It is never wise for property owners to attempt to control carpenter ant populations with a spray or other treatment that may be found at a hardware store or garden center. Such methods may kill individual ants, but they are not formulated to get to the root of the problem.
By contrast, pest management companies use specialized products that are designed to be carried back to the carpenter ant nest and ultimately eliminate the colony's queen, and the rest of the population soon follows.
WHAT DO CARPENTER ANTS LOOK LIKE?
Some members of a mature carpenter ant colony are equipped with wings. Capable of reproducing and establishing new nests, these carpenter ants are seen in the spring. For many property owners, the appearance of these flying ants either inside or adjacent to a building is the first clue they have that an infestation is underway.
Soon after mating, the females lose their wings and become queens of new colonies, which tend to be placed close to existing colonies. The queen may be black, brown or red, but she will not be seen once she enters her new nest.
The colony's workers soon may be spotted inside buildings or gathering around the foundation outdoors. The majority of the workers are black, though it is possible to see some that are red or have numerous colors. Minor workers in the colony measure approximately three-eighths of an inch while the major workers may attain a size of one-half inch.
WHAT DO CARPENTER ANTS EAT?
Wood does not form any part of the carpenter ants' diet. The wood that the insects chew is expelled as frass. Nutrition is gained from eating other insects, which provides essential protein, and honeydew, which satisfies the pests' hunger for sweet foods.
Because people and pets eat a variety of foods that contain protein or sugar, kitchens, pantries, cafeterias and dining rooms all are common places to find carpenter ants foraging for food. Some of the items that are most likely to be contaminated include sugar, baked goods, candy, bread, meat and pet food.
WHERE DO CARPENTER ANTS LIVE?
Females that have recently mated and need to establish a new nest look for any wood that is damp or otherwise damaged. This type of material promises the easiest digging. She will seal herself inside the wood before producing her first offspring. When in a natural setting, she may select a dead tree or a rotting stump as her nesting site, but when man-made structures are near she will nest in wall voids, soffits, crawl spaces, basements, attics, siding, fencing and decks.
It is relatively common for the queen to choose an outdoor nest initially. However, as time passes and her colony grows, it may become necessary to establish one or more satellite nests. It is these satellite colonies that are more likely to be established within buildings. Wherever wood on the structure makes contact with soil, it is particularly vulnerable to infestation.
Carpenter ants in Feasterville can be exceptionally adept at hiding their nests. This is just one of the reasons why it is sensible to ask a trained and experienced pest control technician to locate all nests so that they can be treated.
DAMAGE CAUSED BY CARPENTER ANTS
Any damaged wood on a given piece of property is susceptible to infestation by carpenter ants. In fact, these pests appear to have a knack for seeking out even the most well-hidden damaged or unfinished wood. When they do, they quickly begin excavating their nest. This construction project continues virtually unabated until the colony is stopped by an exterminator.
Members of the species construct nests in wood that have smooth and clean tunnels and galleries. Any debris is pushed through access holes, leaving tiny mounds of sawdust on the ground or floor beneath the access holes. These collections of frass may signal a carpenter ant infestation to property owners.
ARE CARPENTER ANTS AGGRESSIVE?
Although they can bite, it is not common to hear of people being bitten by carpenter ants. Instead, carpenter ant aggression is aimed at destroying wood.
DO CARPENTER ANTS CARRY DISEASE?
This species generally does not transmit diseases to people through biting, but they still can make people sick. Frequently, these pests are responsible for cases of food poisoning. This occurs because carpenter ants may march through garbage cans, drains, animal carcasses and other unhygienic places before entering kitchens, pantries and other food storage and preparation places. They scatter toxins wherever they go, including into food that is then eaten by people.
Additionally, people may experience an increase in symptoms that seem to be related to allergies while an infestation is ongoing. All of the coughing, sneezing, watery eyes and runny noses can be attributed to the tiny wooden shavings call frass that the carpenter ants push out of their nest. These shavings may be picked up by HVAC systems from which they can contaminate indoor air.
HOW TO DETECT CARPENTER ANTS
Signs of a carpenter ant infestation may include:
• Tiny mounds of wooden shavings on floors or the ground • Swarms inside or outside during spring and fall • Ants travelling across food preparation surfaces
HOW TO PREVENT CARPENTER ANTS
To help prevent carpenter ant issues the following steps should be taken:
• Fix water leaks and any wood that they damage • Ensure that all wood is painted, stained or pressure treated • Discard yard debris piles or piles of unused lumber • Upgrade to pest-proof food storage containers • Make a habit of keeping doors and windows closed • If doors or windows are kept open, ensure they have high-quality screens
HOW TO TREAT FOR CARPENTER ANTS
Proper carpenter ant treatment involves the detection and elimination of all existing nests, including that of the main colony and all of the related satellite colonies. Failure to accomplish this will often result in re-infestation. Additionally, the complete eradication of carpenter ant populations is typically not possible with most do-it-yourself products.
As such, successful carpenter ant eradication should be left to a professional pest management provider.
Here at Newtown Termite & Pest Control we take ant control seriously. For this reason, we utilize a multi-faceted treatment process, which includes sprays, dusts, along with strategic drilling and sealing.
When implemented by our experienced technicians, our comprehensive treatment plan will work to ensure that your home remains free of carpenter ants.
