While some pests in your home are a slight nuisance, others pose a serious threat to your property and require immediate pest control services. One of these is carpenter ants. With their relatively small size, they can easily find their way inside your home, and unless pest removal experts handle the issue quickly, your house could sustain extensive damage. Here’s more about these insects and the threat they present.

How to Spot Carpenter Ants

These ants are indigenous to many parts of the world with a forest ecosystem, so they are a danger for many homeowners across the country, but the most common is the black carpenter ant. They can survive both outside and indoors and prefer moist, decaying, or hollow wood. If you spot them anywhere on your property, you should contact pest control services.

Carpenter ants feed mainly on plant nectar, honeydew, and dead insects. While they’re similar in appearance to the less dangerous black ants, there are some telltale signs that separate the two.

Only carpenter ants have a distinctive, heart-shaped head with a larger jaw and elbowed antennae. They also have a smooth upper thorax along with one segmented petiole. If you see stingers on the ants on your property, don’t panic, because carpenter ants don’t have these, so it’s more likely a normal black ant. The clearest signs that your property is in danger is seeing frass accumulating on your floors and walls. This is sawdust that is created as they burrow through the wood.

Why Carpenter Ants Require Pest Control Services

Residential pest control experts say that carpenter ant removal is as important as termite treatment because these pests cause structural damage as well. While they don’t eat wood like termites, they cut galleries into wood which serve as connecting tunnels to different parts of their nest.

While they prefer soft or rotting wood, they can cut into healthy wood when they need to, and this weakens the structural support of your home’s foundation. They’re most commonly found in areas of the home where you have moisture problems, such as around dishwashers, laundry rooms, and bathrooms. However, they’ve also been known to infest the foam insulation in homes and open cavities around hollow doors and window frames.

 

If you have carpenter ants on your property, avoid costly structural damage by scheduling pest control services with the experts at Extermination Services in Port Orchard, WA. Their highly trained team of exterminators have the tools and experience needed to identify the cause of your infestation, efficiently remove them, and prevent future problems. They also offer a 90-day warranty for added peace of mind. Schedule an appointment by calling (360) 895-1890 or learn more about their services online.