Carpenter ants are some of the most common and troublesome pests known in the United States. An infestation of carpenter ants can lead to a lot of problems for a homeowner. While ants will not harm you or your family, they can do serious structural damage to a house, so it’s best not to ignore them.

Information on Carpenter Ants 

Carpenter ants have hundreds of species in the United States. These ants are large, and can measure up to half an inch long. They are also nocturnal and have a habit of hollowing out wood – like the wood in your homes – for their nests.

While these ants hollow out wood for their homes, they do not eat the wood. Instead of eating wood, they eat sugary foods such as honey, syrup, honeydew, and other types of sweets. These ants are usually black, but some are red, yellow, or brown.

These ants are quite remarkable creatures. They can have colonies of up to 15,000 ants with a hierarchy of queen ants and worker ants.

These types of ants build nests by hollowing out their wood. They prefer damp or moist wood, and especially wood that is rotting or dead. The major concern about carpenter ants infesting the home, is that it is a telltale sign that there is something wrong with the structure of the home.

A telltale sign of an ant infestation is piles of coarse sawdust near openings in baseboards or walls.

Preventing Carpenter Ants 

Getting rid of carpenter ants is a very difficult task to take on, so steps can be taken to prevent infestations in the first place.

Start by eliminating things that carpenter ants desire or would attack in your home. These ants will seek out moist or damp wood, so it follows that you should fix your leaky windows, gutters, walls and roofs. This will prevent your home from becoming attractive real estate for carpenter ants.

Trees that are close to a building can also lead to ant problems. Carpenter ants like to build colonies in the openings of trees, because the wood inside is moist just like that of the kind they desire. As well, when trees are too close to the house, ants may use the tree as a natural bridge to put them directly into the home. Cutting down trees can prevent this problem.

Getting Rid of Carpenter Ants 

These ants are pesky and difficult to get rid of on your own. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to be done for carpenter ants without involving the help of a professional pest control specialist. These professionals will know exactly what to do in order to get rid of the ants. They can set certain traps, using insecticides, and baits. Baits are likely the slowest option to use, so be wary if that’s the only option a professional offers. As the pest control is put into place, it is also wise to do the preventative measures as well. Talk to pest control professional today.