The winter is long behind us now, and spring in North Carolina is going to bring plenty of warm, green days. But with this change in season also comes a slew of potential problems for homeowners. The Asheboro pest control experts at Otho's Pest Management know that the warmer seasons bring us the highest insect activity of the year, and the carpenter ant is one of the more common pests you might encounter.
How To Identify A Carpenter Ant
Carpenter ants are different than other ants because they like to nest in wood. While they don’t digest the wood like termites, they chew away at it to make networks of tunnels where they can set up nests for their queen. To identify carpenter ants, look for:
- A heart-shaped head
- A rounded thorax (middle section)
- A thin waist
- Dark-brown, red, or black colors on their body
Carpenter ants in Asheboro can range quite a bit in size, so it isn’t always the best way to identify them. In addition, black carpenter ants can look a lot like various other species, so the thin waist and round thorax are important distinguishers. Watching where an ant goes is a good idea, too. If they are headed for woodwork, it might mean there are many others creating a nest in your walls. Another clear indication is carpenter ant frass in your home. This will be piles of sawdust or removed wood debris from mining tunnels.
Carpenter Ants Destroy Wood And Contaminate Food
Like all ants, carpenter ants build large communities in convoluted colonies. But this specific type of ant likes to gnaw into the wood. They still eat the usual ant diet of proteins and sugars, so this makes them just as likely to get into your cupboards. Carpenter ants in your house cause many problems, including:
- Structural damage to the house
- Contaminated food
- Power outages from chewed wires
- Fire hazards
Wood isn’t the only thing these ants chew. If they find a wire, they will gnaw through the insulation and cut it with their incessant bites. This can cause fire damage if it gets out of hand. Sometimes these pests take over from a previous infestation. Prior termite infestations might lead to carpenter ant infestations, and these new insects will carry on the torch of ruining your property. These ants forage everywhere and can potentially contaminate food, so throw away anything they've gotten into.
Factors That Attract Carpenter Ants To Your Home
Ants are looking for the same thing most organisms need: food, water, and shelter. A combination of these three necessities attracts them even more, like when they find moist wood. Carpenter ants are attracted to:
- Moisture
- Foods like honeydew, sweets, and meat
- Debris, firewood, or logs in the yard
Honeydew is a type of food that carpenter ants farm. They will protect aphids, mealybugs, or other smaller insects on plants to reap the honeydew they produce. They will also forage at night for any source of sustenance left unattended. Firewood and rotting wood in the yard attract these pests as well.
Who To Call About Carpenter Ants In Your Home
A carpenter ant infestation is not easily managed on your own. They will have several satellite colonies, and spraying them in one location might just scare them off to a location you didn’t even know they’d already installed. Sprays are toxic and can cause many safety issues for your home. Even if successful, there may be carpenter ants in trees in the yard that are waiting to venture back to the house to replace what you thought you'd eliminated. You will need professional ant control assistance to make sure you fully get rid of carpenter ants in both your house and yard.
At Otho’s Pest Management, we have helped Asheboro, NC, keep peace of mind for over four decades. We offer annual plans to ensure your property is safe from the myriad pests of every season. Give us a call today for prompt, convenient pest control.