If you have seen carpenter ants, or even a small sign of their existence inside your New England home, you need to take action right away. Just because the temperature is dropping, that doesn’t mean that these pests will go away anytime soon.
Let’s face it, your warm home is the perfect place for them to settle in for the winter if they have enough food. You must be aware that carpenter ants are a potential threat all year long. They can quickly wreak havoc on your home and on your bank account.
Sometimes carpenter ants go into a type of hibernation called diapause where they become dormant, or much less active, on and off throughout the winter months. Outdoors, they are apt to survive in their colony, which is buried deep within the ground. Here they are insulated, especially if a nice layer of snow is covering the ground.
Carpenter Ants can survive without food while they are in diapause. However, indoors, they will continue to feast on anything they can find as they forage in kitchens, pantries, trash cans, on counters, and floors. Unlike Termites, Carpenter Ants do not eat wood. Rather, they excavate the wood to make nests and tunnels so they can easily travel back and forth.
You don’t need to worry about diseases or infections from these ants, nor do they go out of their way to bite. Though they will bite if they feel threatened, their bite usually doesn’t cause any real harm.
The significant harm carpenter ants can do is to your home itself by hollowing out wood structures, beams, and furniture. This damage can be costly and weaken the structure of your home.
How do I Identify Carpenter Ants?
- To determine whether or not you have a carpenter ant infestation, look for these signs:
- Holes in wooden structures.
- Small sawdust piles ('frass') below openings
- Large black ants.
- Hollow-sounding wood when tapped on.
How Can I Get Rid of Carpenter Ants?
If you think you have a carpenter ant infestation or have noticed any one of the above signs around or inside your home, you should call on the professionals at Big Blue Bug Solutions. Our professional technicians will get rid of the current carpenter ant infestation before they cause further damage to your home.
Our professionals will then help you to keep carpenter ants from returning ever again. Give us a call for more information about our residential pest control services in New England. We are here to help you!