Summary:
The signs of carpenter ants include damaged wood, noises coming from inside your walls and finding foraging ants in your kitchen at night.
Have carpenter ants infested your home and you are wondering if they can cause any damage to it? The answer is yes, they can cause extensive damage. Carpenter ants love wood, but they especially love damp wood. So, if you have recently had any leaks or water damage in your house, check for signs of the ants in the damaged areas. It may not be instantly obvious to you if carpenter ants have invaded your home because they could be deep in the wood.
Mating season for carpenter ants is in early spring. They will be most prevalent in and around your home during this time. They are most active at night, so
Swarmer
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what for them in kitchens and bathrooms where water is readily available. Look for them in walls and wooden doors that have small holes or gaps. One trick to find out if there are carpenter ants in any hollow wood in your home is to tap the handle of a screwdriver against the surface. If there are carpenter ants behind the wood, they will make a sound that can be heard by the human ear. Be aware that the ants may be searching for food inside your home, but may live in wooden areas outside your home.
If you think you have carpenter ants taking a vacation in your home, observe them closely. They often are present when termites are most active, as well. Look for some distinguishing characteristics. For example, carpenter ants have pinched waists while termites have straight waists. Carpenter ants have elbowed antennae that termites lack. Carpenter ants are quite large compared to other types of ants, measuring up to ½ of an inch in length, with the queen carpenter ant growing even longer. Also, the wood on the carpenter ants' nests tends to be smooth, whereas termites' nests consist of rough wood.
Contrary to popular belief, carpenter ants do not eat wood. They only nest in
Damaged wood
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it. So, even though they don't eat wood like termites, it is a bad idea to ignore a carpenter ant infestation. If you do not take action, carpenter ants will begin reproducing at a very rapid rate. A carpenter ant colony can consist of a few thousand carpenter ants. Having an entire colony of carpenter ants can decrease the value of your home.
Carpenter ants like to eat syrup, jelly, honeydew, and other insects. They even eat termites! However, I do not recommend planting termites in your home as prey for carpenter ants!
Tips to Avoid Carpenter Ant Infestation:
- Never put firewood against the siding of your house. It is an invitation for carpenter ants and other pests to find a way in! Keep firewood as far from your house as possible. Also, elevate it off the ground for extra precaution on a
well made
firewood rack.
- Cut down any branches or tree limbs that are touching your home.
- Seal any holes or crevices in the foundation or doors of your home.
Once you identify where the carpenter ants' nests are, drill small holes into the wood. Take boric acid and dispense it into the wood. This will spread throughout the hollow area where the ants are nesting and kill them. If the ants are living behind a wall, apply the boric acid at least three feet on either side of the suspected nest area. If there are wires or electrical cords, be sure not to use a metal tipped duster or you may get a 110 volt message.
Comments
Rob
12 Jun 2009, 00:54
I recently was looking at a home to purchase that we fell in love with,
only problem is, we were there for 2 minutes and I noticed a carpenter ant
on the window (one that you could sit on the sill) I inspected the sill
itself and did not notice any holes where it could have come from, killed
it because it wouldn't go anywhere but the seat that they had there and
flushed it. We went downstairs for about 20 minutes looking for an
electrical box and came back up and my daughter comes in and drops another
one on the floor. I grew up with carpenter ant problems and am fearful of
going into one again. How common is it for carpenter ants to be in the
house and an inspection not find them?
C. Meyer
15 Jun 2009, 17:22
For whatever reason this last few weeks, we have been killing several
carpenter ants a day by the door in our basement. I just killed two in my
kitchen cabinets, and we find on average two or three a day in our kitchen.
We cleaned our gutters, as they were stopped up. But I cannot seem to
find evidence of a nest anywhere. Is there any powder we can use? We have
been using an insecticed from the store.
Joe
20 Jun 2009, 01:17
Over the past 10 days or so I have seen 3-4 carpenter ants per day in my
kitchen around my dogs food and trash can. The activity is mostly at
night. They also are around dishwasher (which I never use) and the sink.
We have never had any water issues in either place and I have lived here
for five years. I live about 20 yards from a wooded area. Is the nest in
my house or are they coming from the woods? Also I have never seen them
before about 10 days ago. Should I contact an exterminator?
MONICA
23 Jun 2009, 16:48
Every year it seems we get these in our kitchen, not alot of them, maybe 5
month, i spray liquid in kitchen and they go away.. im just worried they
are in my walls or something..i have newer house and i dont think wood is
wet in house. We do have wood mulch are the house, would this bring them
in?? thanks
Steve
24 Jun 2009, 11:12
Last night I saw a long line of small ants (they looked like regular ants
to me) going up the siding of my house toward the second floor wooden
balcony. I killed them with a spray, but then noticed some coming out of
the siding. Is this something to worry about? Based on what I've read,
they don't appear to be carpenter ants, but I can't be sure. I haven't
seen any other evidence, but thought it was disconcerting that ants would
climb up the siding of my house. Thanks!
Tom Janoski
25 Jun 2009, 00:55
This information on carpenter ants is very informative. I was allways
wondering what was going on with the wood on a very old tree in our front
yard and now I know. My question is about their activity and what they do
during the day. I just went outside and see a bunch of them up in the tree
and will be getting some insecticide to deal with them but I wonder what do
they do during the day? Do go out at night looking for food and then all
huddle up at the end of the night and hang out in their nest during the
day? Please let me know if you know.
Sami
29 Jun 2009, 21:50
I have seen carpenter ants in my house for the past few years 10 - 20 of
them per year. (did not know they were carpenter ants at the time...had no
idea what they were called).
95% of the ant seeing was in the bedroom not in the kitchen or washroom.
Two months ago I saw one and I decided to follow it. Finally, I saw it went
through a gap close to the sliding door in my bedroom.
I ripped out the piece of wood and I saw about 20 - 30 ants coming out, I
sprayed them and killed them all. I decided to dig deeper so I took out the
insolation and I saw hundreds of them which I sprayed and killed. At the
sametime I went down to the basement and ripped out the ceiling just
underneath the sliding door and I started spraying from underneath. I
killed hundreds as well.
I had a variety of sizes, small medium and many large ones. Winged ones and
unwinged ones.
It seemes that the ants were coming in through a gap beside the sliding
door. I made sure this gap is sealed very well now. couple of days after, I
hired a pest control professional which came and sprayed my house from the
inside and the outside. He placed baits as well close to the area where I
found them.
After the treatment, I kept on seeing 10 - 15 a day. As for the past 2
weeks, I am only seeing 1 a day or 1 every 2 days.
Could this be it and I have won the battle? At least I would like to think
so.
The weather is still warm for the next couple of months so they should
still be active!!!
What else can I do to find out if they still live in my house? I tried
listening, tapping on walls spraying all bushes outside the house, placing
honey outside and following them, clearing all house surrounding.
Give me some good advices. I need help please!
YC2010
22 Mar 2010, 12:27
Sami- Activity increases after baiting. That is a good sign. Decreased
activity is also good news. Typical baits only last for 2 weeks. I would
call your pest control professional and validate whether an additional
application of bait is needed to completely get rid of the issue.
Tracy Bloch
20 Jun 2010, 13:39
I can hear what sounds like buzzing, boroughing and drilling sounds in the
ceiling and walls to exterior. I live in a condo on the top floor. I have
not seen a signs of insects on the interior of the residence. However, the
sounds are very pronounced during the day and not at night. Can you hear
insects burrowing and drilling?
Ask the Exterminator
22 Jun 2010, 11:38
Sure, you can hear insects at work. Carpenter ants make distinctive sounds,
as do wasps and carpenter bees.
Teri Smith
21 Mar 2011, 21:28
Recently I have noticed large black ants around my kitchen counter and
hovering around the garbage can. There were a few in my cabinets, but now
they are gone and only around the garbage can. There are probably 10 a
day. Are these carpenter ants and how can I get rid of them?
Ask the Exterminator
22 Mar 2011, 08:09
They are probably carpenter ants, but why guess? Just collect a couple and
take them to a local pest control company for a free ID. There are lots of
articles about carpenter ant control on this website. Click on "carpenter
ants" on the left side of any page.
linda
02 Jun 2011, 13:58
I have been noticing a few large black ants in my house the past couple of
days. they appeared last year too, around the same time. Not alot, just a
few here and there. I've been sprinkling cinnomin around the floors. It
seemed to work last year. What do you think of thisremedy, and why just a
few ants, and why the same time each year??
Ask the Exterminator
03 Jun 2011, 07:01
The presence of carpenter ants indicates a moiture problem. The ants tunnel
into soft wood to set up their colony. The application of cinnamon will
repel the ants, but won't kill the colony. You need to put out carpenter
ant bait to help resolve the problem. And, you need to find and fix the
moisture problem.
Robert F. Gazda
10 Jun 2011, 12:06
WE have an old home which is up fpor sale...... we have a number of tiny
holes located in many of the floor joists, these were wood where some bark
had been present but has come off a long time ago... .... there is NO sign
of any insect activity ....no sawdust or tunnels etc.....
Any idea of what may have caused these tiny holes and is it a current
problem or something which has resolved itself over time....
Ask the Exterminator
10 Jun 2011, 12:09
Could be powder post beetles. Look it up on this website to compare photos
of the damaged wood.
Robert F. Gazda
10 Jun 2011, 12:10
We have a older home which is up for sale...we have discovered tiny holes
in many of the floor joists...these old joists are native lumber which had
some bark which has come off over time.... there is NO sign of any insects
or any insect activity: mud tunnels, sawdust etc....... What would have
caused these holes and is it likely to be a current issue or something that
has resolved itself over time???
Thanks for your help!!
Wendy
04 Aug 2011, 20:13
I live in an older apartment building where every units have a wooden
balcony. This evening I took in my new hummingbird feeder to empty it and
clean it when I noticed a few little striped ants on it. I had never seen
those types of ants before, so I looked it up and I'm pretty sure they are
carpenter ants. I went outside to put the hummingbird feeder back when I
noticed a bunch of those ants on the hook. Like I mentioned the balconies
are all made of old wood. I've never seen any in our apartment or near our
balcony until today. Should I be worried?
sharon abbott
05 Aug 2011, 07:50
we pulled up our old carpet to redo our original wood floor now all of a
sudden we see black ants.we never had a problem with them before.are these
carpenter ants my husband went out side could not find anything. we even
put a fog bomb off too no avail.?? whats next
Ask the Exterminator
16 Aug 2011, 11:31
Could be carpenter ants, or not. Fogging for ant control is a waste of
time. Get the ants properly identified before trying to treat.
Linda Denton
24 Aug 2011, 06:20
We too pulled up old carpet to redo the wood floors. There is a gap between
the flooring and the trim that big black ants are coming in. Our fear is
not only the ants coming in but mice coming in when the weather gets cold
(the house is near a river on a big lot). We were thinking of taking foam
insulation and filling the gap in. Good idea or bad idea?
Ask the Exterminator
24 Aug 2011, 12:24
Foam insulation won't stop carpenter ants or mice. Take a look at a product
called Xcluder at this link:
http://shop.asktheexterminator.com/xcluder-outdoor-4-x10.html. It's
inexpensive, easy to work with and lasts forever.
