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Signs of Carpenter Ants

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

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

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!

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Signs of Carpenter Ants

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