If you experience damaged wood due to an insect, it may not be termites. Termites might be the only insect that eats through wood, but not the only one that can do extensive damage to wood. The problem may be carpenter ants, and they can be just as damaging as termites! However, carpenter ants don’t actually eat through the wood but rather they burrow through it, casting out sawdust as they go, like tiny excavators. The workers use their large mandibles to do the job. They can also cause quite a pinch if you interfere with their work.
Carpenter ants eat similar items that other ants eat, but they mostly like sugar and protein. They also eat honeydew and other insects when outdoors. Carpenter ants can vary in color from red, black, yellow or a combo of those colors. They can be up to a 1/2 -1” long with an oval segmented body with 6 legs, and 2 antennae. If you come across a few carpenter ants in or around your home, you can be assured that there are many more where they came from. These ants like rotted moist wood to nest in, like wood piles and tree stumps. They go into homes to look for food, but once they are in they will infiltrate any wooden structure to establish nests for their colonies. Carpenter ants can cause a lot of damage in a home, resulting in costly repairs. They need to be controlled before they get out of hand.
To lessen your chances of being infested by these wood-damaging pests, there are some things you can do around your home.
Seal up all entry points by replacing or repairing damaged doors, windows, vents, chimneys, cracks, holes, crevices and utility gaps around wires and pipes.
Remove branches, trees, shrubs, wood piles, stumps and brush from around your home.
Fix or replace pipes and fixtures that have leaks that cause moisture and damaged wood, in areas including attics, crawl spaces, basements, laundry rooms, bathrooms and kitchen.
Most importantly, you should enlist the help of a professional pest control service like Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators. We can protect your home from carpenter ants. Our knowledgeable technicians are experienced in conducting thorough property inspections, identify problem pests and their locations. After a complete assessment, a treatment plan will be recommended. In essence, we can eliminate a current infestation of carpenter ants and prevent them from returning again with our year-round control. Give us a call today at Quick-Kill Pest Eliminators, and put an end to carpenter ant damage today!