Ants are a part of most of our everyday lives this time of the year. From seeing ants scurrying along the sidewalk to the occasional little pest crawling on our legs when we are trying to enjoy a bit of sunshine in the yard, ants have become so common that we barely even notice them anymore. We don’t even kick up too much of a fuss when we see one looking desperately for an escape route when we catch them hanging out in our kitchen. Most of us brush it off as one and coming in for a snack to take back to their nest. We often step on it or ignore it and then move on. After all, what harm can one ant do?
A single, small, black and that we find might very well just be getting something to take back to the nest that is hopefully outside somewhere in the yard. However, what about that big black ant? That guy might just have something else in mind. The bigger black or reddish-colored ants that we occasionally see and ignore as they make their way across the deck are carpenter ants. The difference between the carpenter and its smaller cousin is their choice of homes.
The carpenter ant has been wreaking havoc in homes across the country for years, building nests inside the wooden structures of homes and outbuildings. Each spring, a nearby overcrowded nest will produce winged offspring called swarmers whose job it is to identify a new nesting spot. These ants swarm together until they find a nice rotting tree or a damaged area of someone’s home to burrow into so they can move right in. Their wings then drop off and the carpenter ant will begin to breed a new queen and new workers. As their new nest expands, the worker ants will tunnel through more of the wood to accommodate their growing population damaging more and more of the structure of the home they are in.
As you can see, ignoring the carpenter ant that has found its way into your home, or even too close to it, can become a major problem over time. Don’t let your home be one of the millions across the country that will be damaged by these pests this year. Give Big Blue Bug Solutions a call if you suspect that carpenter ants have come too close for comfort. Let our trained technicians inspect your home to make sure that carpenter ants are not living inside or around it. If we see signs of an infestation, we will work with you to make sure that it is contained and eliminated, and we will let you know how you can protect your home all year long from carpenter ants and other damaging pests.