How to get rid of carpenter ants?
Some things in life are apparent, like your roof leaks and needs to be repaired. If your sink is clogged, you know you need a plumber. Even mice are predictable because they scratch and leave traces, which makes them easy to detect.
Sadly, carpenter ants are a bit different. They can eat away at the inside of your walls silently without you being any the wiser. It doesn’t mean they’re not destructive, as they can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage before you even notice their presence.
In fact, it’s often the damage that alerts you to a problem. These insects are frequently mistaken for termites but are not even related in the insect world. Both insects can cause severe structural damage to your home, but that’s where the similarities end.
Most homeowners in the Garden State are educated about termites and their draining effect on your wallet, but few comprehend the issues with carpenter ants. The key to controlling these destructive insects is to watch for the signs of an infestation. If you can catch the problem early in the game, you can prevent costly repairs.
Is It a Winged Ant or a Termite?
Carpenter ants are often called winged ants because they come out during their nuptial flight. When they’ve invaded your home, there are many clues. Some of the clues are a bit more obvious than others. These giant black ants will move about in your space, but you won’t usually encounter the termite, as they prefer to stay hidden.
So this is your first example that what you’re seeing is an ant and not a termite, lest there be any confusion. The carpenter ants send someone from the colony to look for food for the others. Herein lies the difference between the termite and the ant, as the termites feast on your wood, but the ants just chew through it to make nests.
They don’t use any of the wood for sustenance, so they must leave the colony to go out and forge to keep the ants in their relatives healthy. The termite has no reason to leave the confines of the wooden structures they claimed as home. So this is why so many people don’t even know they have an issue until a beam collapses or a porch crumbles to the ground.
If you see a flying ant in your home, it’s likely the worker ant. You can tell them due to their size and color. They are about 10-13 mm long, and their hue is typically brownish black. Unlike termites, they only have one section between the abdomen and thorax area.
Looking at the termite and winged ant up close shows remarkable differences. Now, the problem is that if you see 1-2 of these winged creatures wandering about in your home, there are thousands more than you don’t see. They lurk inside your walls and are chewing their way through the structural beams in your home.
Be on The Lookout for Frass
If you have carpenter ants invading your space, you’ve probably encountered frass. While you may not know the technical term, it’s a sawdust material that piles up in locations where they chew. Frass can be apparent or hidden in places you can’t see, and you just hope to find some of this before things progress.
It’s one of the few indications that these insects leave behind. When you see frass, it will be in the windowsills, piled on the floor, in wall voids, or down in the damp crawl space areas. This is nothing more than wood shavings from something inside your home, and you’re seeing the evidence that there’s a lot of chewing going on. So don’t discard that pile of sawdust material you see, as it’s not something you should overlook.
The Nuptial Flight
Why are you seeing flying ants inside your home? Well, it’s likely mating season. If you see these alates or flying insects in the fall or springtime, they’re on their nuptial flight. There are many names to refer to them during this time, including swarmers and male and female reproductives.
Think of it as guys and girls going out and hitting the town to find a partner for the night, as it’s the same thing happening in the bug world. Once a colony has matured, it must create satellite colonies, sending ants out to look for partners. The settlement is built with new members, so mating is how this is accomplished. They only appear for around 30 minutes to an hour before they likely find a mate to take into a new area and begin their work.
You might find these flying ants in mulch or near wood piles outside the home. You may miss the winged ants but see typical carpenter varieties. The reason is that the wings are a temporary thing. Once the flying ant mate, they will shed their wings.
They only need them to travel faster to find someone to couple with, and they’re a hindrance beyond this point. Winged or not, you don’t want to see these giant ants anywhere near your home, as their presence spells trouble.
Protecting Your Home from Carpenter Ants
One of the first areas that will attract carpenter ants to your home is the gutters. Since this area has a lot of moisture, the wood around this region can rot quickly. Rotting wood is perfect for the winged ants as it’s easier to chew through to make a new colony. Remember, it provides no nutritional value, so they just want to find a place to call home.
Source: https://www.purdue.edu/uns/
Ensure Your Basement is Waterproofed
A basement or crawl space inside your home is the perfect place to set up a new colony. Moisture and basements go together, so you need to make sure you have proper drainage systems in place to keep moisture at bay. Do you have a sump pump, a well-ventilated area, and no water lying near the foundation and walls?
These things will attract not only the winged ant variety but also termites. If you have overgrown bushes around your foundation, it won’t allow it to dry out properly after a storm. You want to ensure that you let the sun penetrate and dry the soil closest to your home, as it’s the perfect recipe for moisture in your basement.
Seal Holes or Cracks in the Foundation
Every foundation has some cracks or holes from age. Any gap is the perfect invitation for an ant to squeeze its way through. Sealing any gaps in this region can prevent them from coming inside. If you can fit a bobby pin into this hole, the ant can also get in.
Caulking is an excellent item to seal these gaps as it’s waterproof and lasts a long time. It would also help if you did this with your windows and doors, as they can be an invitation for the winged ant and other insects.
Clean Up Food Sources
Many things on the outside of your home will draw them indoors. Things like bags of dog food, barbecues with spills and debris around, and trash cans that don’t have locking lids are like a buffet for the ant. Anything that can feed them will be like rolling out the welcome mat.
Again, it won’t be just the ant that shows up, as any of these things can draw rodents, raccoons, and many bugs. Investing in tight locking trash cans and hosing down a barbeque area is advisable after use. If you must keep your dog food outside, you must also put it in a locked can.
Getting Professional Help
There are some insects where doing a DIY method might be acceptable, but termites or winged ants are neither something you should battle alone. If you ignore the warning signs, they won’t go away on their own. The problem is only going to get worse. It would help if you eradicated the colony before they did extensive damage to your New Jersey home.
When it comes to all things bugs, give us a call. We know how to quickly eliminate these pesky insects and keep your home intact. We can identify areas of damage that are structurally unsafe and rid your home of rodents, spiders, and bugs of all kinds. If you have a carpenter ant problem in your home, you need professional help sooner rather than later to minimize the hit to your wallet.
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