What are carpenter ants?
Carpenter ants are a small invasive insect, typically measuring about a half-inch in length at their longest and less than an eighth of an inch at their shortest.
Carpenter ants are typically black in color, though some will feature red and even yellow hues on their bodies. Another unusual characteristic that can help distinguish them from other varieties of ants is that they are a winged, flying ant.
What makes them similar to other varieties of ants (and many other insects) is that they are social creatures, meaning they live and breed in colonies consisting of queens, workers, males, and larvae.
What’s the difference between carpenter ants and termites?
Carpenter ants and termites are often confused for one another, but they are distinctly different insects. Termites actually consume wood, meaning that they get their nutrients from cellulose, one of wood’s primary components.
Termites’ guts contain special protozoa and microbes that help them break down and digest wood and other components of the dead plant matter that they crave.
The key difference here between carpenter ants and termites is that termites consume wood for food, whereas carpenter ants burrow into wood in order to make their colony’s nests.
An easy way to spot whether or not you have termites vs. carpenter ants is the level of cleanliness found at a site where the insect can be found. Are the tunnels clean and smooth? Is there a fine, sawdust-like powder where the ants are entering the wood? You probably have carpenter ants.
Take another look. Are the entry ways dirty, almost muddy in appearance? Then you’re probably dealing with termites. The reason? Carpenter ants don’t consume the wood. They’re making tunnels by using their unusually large jaws to gnaw into the wood, but the wood needs to go somewhere, thus the sawdust outside of the wood. Termites, on the other hand, are consuming the wood, but they’re also creating waste, thus the mud-like substance you might see in or around the wood.
Either way, you need professional help!
Will carpenter ants destroy my home?
Well, “destroy” is perhaps too dramatic a word, but carpenter ants can cause significant damage to your home if the infestation is left untreated and the colony is allowed to continue to grow.
Termites are connected to damage to home and property estimated in the several billions of dollars – while carpenter ants aren’t typically responsible for damage that falls into that range monetarily, they can still cause significant damage if they’re left untreated.
The longer a colony goes untreated, the larger it will grow, and the more likely it will grow into several sub-colonies, each with its own queen, workers, and males, all connected to the larger, primary colony.
Will carpenter ants cause me physical harm?
While it is possible for carpenter ants to bite people, it is unlikely that this will become a common issue for a person who is facing a carpenter ant infestation.
The harm that carpenter ants are most likely to cause are those to your home and property, which is what makes professional intervention so crucial to the effective control of their populations.
Please note that if you or a loved one does experience a bite from a carpenter ant that causes an unusual level of discomfort or allergic reaction, to seek out medical care immediately. Timing is crucial. Take good care of yourself and your loved ones by seeking attention swiftly.
Why do I have carpenter ants in my home?
The short answer is that you have carpenter ants in your home because the conditions are ideal for them to nest in your home. Does your home have any rotting or decaying wood in need of repair? If so, then this might be attracting the interest of the carpenter ants.
If you do have carpenter ants in your home, then this also likely means that you have a much larger colony somewhere outside your home. Carpenter ants tend to build satellite colonies inside homes that are nearby their primary outdoor colony.
When you call Aspen Pest Control to assist you with your infestation, we’ll take all of these factors and more into account during our inspection and recommendation.
Do I need professional pest control for carpenter ants?
In a word, yes! Professional pest control, like you’ll get when you choose Aspen Pest Control, is your most reliable resource for getting the service you want and the results you need for your carpenter ant infestation.
Every pest control technician on the Aspen Pest Control team is licensed, insured, and thoroughly trained on delivering the most effective treatment for carpenter ants and other nuisance pests here in the Pacific Northwest.
When you choose Aspen’s Home Protection Plan for your pest control needs, you even get the assurance that if carpenter ants come back after your scheduled treatment, that we’ll return as many times as we need to in order to give you the results you expect.
That’s why Gresham chooses Aspen. We’re committed to delivering the highest quality service with each and every pest infestation we face. If you’re ready for pest control you can rely on, call Aspen today!
