There are so many types of bugs that are commonly found in residential neighborhoods that it can be hard to identify what kind of pest you are dealing with. Grasshoppers, cockroaches, mice, termites, bed bugs, ants, and more are all hard to keep straight. You may know that you are looking at an ant but no idea what type of ant it is. If you are trying to get rid of the incorrect species of ant your efforts can be in vain. Today Stewart Termite and Pest Control wants to help you identify one of the common types of ants called the carpenter ant.
Carpenter Ant Nest
The carpenter ant is different than odorous house ants and pavement ants. All of the species of ants have characteristics that are specific to their species. Carpenter ants like to build their nests inside of wood. That is how they got their name. They will excavate the wood and build smooth tunnels inside of the wood. They do not actually eat the wood; they just chew the wood to create their nests.
Identification of Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants range from ½ inch to 5/8 inch long. They are one of the larger ant species in the United States. They have six legs and antennas. Depending on the species of carpenter ant you have their color can be black, red, brown, yellow, or orange. Most frequently they are black though.
Signs of Carpenter Ants
If you have carpenter ants there are some signs of an infestation that you may notice. Since the colony of carpenter ants will need food to eat you may notice the worker ants looking for food around your house. They will eat parts of other dead insects, honeydew produced by aphids, nectar from plants, and sugary liquids like honey, syrup, or juices. They tend to forage at night but you may notice them during the day as well. Another sign of carpenter ants is the swarmer ants on your property. Swarmer ants are in charge of finding a new home for their ant colony. Swarmer ants are formed when a colony matures and they are ready to form some additional colonies to accommodate all of the ants in their colony. Swarmer ants have wings on them. If you see swarmer ants you either have a thriving carpenter ant colony or one is hoping to infest your home soon. As carpenter ants begin building a new colony they chew through wood to make tunnels for their colony to travel through. Since they do not eat the wood they leave behind sawdust-like shavings and fragments of insulation behind. If you notice debris and holes in your wood you likely have an active carpenter ant infestation. They like to build their nests in wood that is already softened by fungus or excessive moisture. If you have soft or rotting wood you will want to be extremely careful that carpenter ants aren’t building a colony in it.
Ant Control
If you notice any signs of carpenter ants on your property you will want to try and get a handle on it as quickly as possible. They can be hard to get rid of on your own. Give Stewart Termite and Pest Control a call today and we can come out and devise a plan that will help you get rid of the carpenter ants in a timely manner.