Carpenter ants are a double whammy. Not only are they a serious nuisance as they crawl about, getting into your food and leaving piles of sawdust and dead ants, but they also damage wood as they tunnel into it to create nesting areas. Their excavation activities can weaken a wooden structure, and can also result in water getting in and causing wood rot. Sometime during the spring, carpenter ant colonies in our area will send out winged “swarmers” in large numbers, and people sometimes see these.
Swarmers are the reproductive ants that fly out of the nests and start new colonies. You may find these ants around window sills indoors because they instinctively fly toward light after emerging from an indoor nest. Other signs of a carpenter ant infestation include “dump piles” of fibrous sawdust, dead ants, and other debris that they push out through tiny slit-like openings. Sometimes you can also hear the faint rustling noises of their jaws, called mandibles, as they click shut. Worker ants crawling about are another sign of a problem. Carpenter ants are most active at night, although some can be seen crawling about during the day.
Their nests may be either inside or outside the home or both. A mature carpenter ant colony often has a main parent colony and several satellite nests; some indoors, and others outdoors. It is important to locate and treat all of these nests. We are the area experts at carpenter ant control. Call us if you see any of the above signs of these troublesome and damaging pests!
