Carpenter ants in New Haven invade homes and wreak havoc before you know they're there. These ants tunnel through your house and destroy the internal structures until expensive repairs are needed. To help you understand how to get rid of carpenter ants, the New Haven pest control experts at Connecticut Pest Elimination have put together this handbook with prevention and control tips.
What Do Carpenter Ants Look Like?
Carpenter ants are one of the more distinctive types of ants, which makes them easier to identify than other ant species. Carpenter ants grow up to half an inch long and have black-colored, segmented bodies. There are three different carpenter ant castes in a colony – workers, soldiers, and reproductives. The workers and soldiers don't have wings and rarely leave the nest, but the reproductives occasionally fly away to start new colonies.
While carpenter ants prefer to nest in moist or decaying wood, they make themselves at home and cause significant damage as they tunnel through internal wooden structures.
How To Tell If Carpenter Ants Are In Your Home
As this pest moves inside, there are certain signs of carpenter ants in your house you'll start to notice. We recommend using your five senses to look for the following indicators of an infestation:
- You find carpenter ant frass in your home. These droppings look like wood shavings around baseboards or other holes in the wooden areas of your property.
- You spot large numbers of these ants walking around your property or home.
- You hear rustling or chewing sounds in the walls of your home as the ants tunnel through wood.
- You see discarded wings coming from reproductive "swarmer" ants around windows, doors, and baseboards.
Seeing one or more of these signs can indicate a severe carpenter ant problem, so you should contact Connecticut Pest Elimination for information on how to get rid of carpenter ants in your house.
How Much Damage Can Carpenter Ants Do To Your Home?
Carpenter ants are among the most difficult ant species because they leave behind so much damage. These ants will tunnel through internal wooden structures and hollow out any wooden area. Eventually, this will result in weakened wooden items, visual wood damage, moisture and rot issues, and risk of structural collapse.
If you want to avoid carpenter ant damage to your home, you should be taking carpenter ant control and prevention seriously.
How To Deter Carpenter Ants In New Haven
Deterring carpenter ants from your home is a vital step in preventing infestations and reinfestations.
Here are some tips to start with:
- Seal up entry points that carpenter ants may use to invade, such as cracks around windows, doors, and the foundation.
- Ensure your home doesn't have moisture issues such as poor drainage and leaks. High humidity leads to the moist conditions carpenter ants love and creates water-damaged wood.
- Keep your yard free of debris and cut grass low to reduce outdoor ant hiding spots.
- Store firewood, lumber, and woodpiles at least ten feet away from your home and elevate them to prevent ant invasions.
It is important to note that if you are dealing with an active carpenter ant infestation, you should reach out to the experts at Connecticut Pest Elimination as soon as possible. Only expert home pest control and commercial pest control treatment and removal of your carpenter ant problem can prevent the damages these pests cause.