What is a carpenter ant?
Carpenter ants damage the wood within which they have built their nest. These insects live in large colonies consisting of worker ants and a queen ant. The worker ants are about a quarter-to-a-half inch in size. They cooperate to gather food for the entire colony.
A colony of ants is established after a queen ant—that is generally three-quarter inch in size—lays her eggs. The ants usually live near fallen trees in the woods. However, sometimes they make a colony inside a house.
A carpenter ant infestation is generally not easy to identify. Some of the telltale signs of a carpenter ant infestation include the following:
1. Sawdust pileup
Carpenter ants generally excavate through the wood. They tend to kick out the sawdust material. If a carpenter ant infestation is present in the house, if you find the sawdust in the corners, crawl spaces, and dark areas inside the house.
2. Large ants
Unlike drywood termites, carpenter ants typically don’t just tunnel through the wood. They also look for food from other sources. You can see them marching across the kitchen. While most of the carpenter ants are black, some species have yellowish or reddish colorization.
During the early summer and spring months, you might run across the winged ants that fly in search of new colonies. The ants have bent antennae and slender waist, unlike termites that have smaller wings. If you stumble across ants that fit this description, you should call Arizona’s Best Pest Control to look for carpenter ant infestation.
3. Signs of wood damage
You should look for wood damage to identify a carpenter ant infestation. If you see small rectangular holes or a distinct discoloration of the wood, it may indicate an infestation. The damaged wood may indicate the beginning of a tunnel that may run deeper inside the wooden structure.
In the end, remember that a carpenter ant infestation can do major damage inside a home. It is important that you take instant actions to identify and remove the infestation.
If you see any of the above three signs that are described in this article, you should immediately contact a professional pest control company like Arizona’s Best Choice Pest & Termite. We’re an experienced and trusted company of pest control professionals.
Our experts can quickly detect signs of a carpenter ant infestation and take instant actions to remove the nuisance from the home.
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