Carpenter Ants are invasive pests that can be prevented.
Carpenter ants like excavating wood material which has been affected because of water to build their nest. Unlike the termite carpenter ants really do not consume the wood; they will chew right into the wood to create passageways identified as galleries inside of the wood. They’ll live life inside these galleries and come out in the open during the night time to look for groceries. Carpenter ants are likely to move close to two-hundred ft. away from the nest in order to forage for meals. Throughout the fall they choose to prey on sweet things along the lines of honey, jelly, not to mention fruit, in the spring they like protein for instance various meats. If they can’t come across these food types they will eat living or even deceased pests and other organic matter.
Carpenter ants are a nuisance insect but also are typically destructive to wood. These guys don’t possess a stinger nevertheless they can nibble utilizing their mandibles (designed for gnawing into wood) when picked up. This species of ants are one of the larger types of ants around they are about 1/4 to 1/2 in. long and are generally blackish or even reddish orange in color.
Tell-tell signs that you might have an issue with carpenter ants might be ant tracks in the kitchen area where food items are saved. Restrooms near the toilet or below the sink should there be a leak present. You may even discover small hills of saw dust that they’ve pushed out of the galleries. Occasionally at nighttime if it is really quite you might even notice them in the wall space chewing on the wood.
Here are several of the items that you can try around you house to assist in preventing carpenter ant concerns:
o Address all of the roof leaks, plumbing related leaks and also any other types of leaks you can see around the home
o Cut back all tree limbs away from the house as well as the roof
o Close off all the cracks and openings contained in the foundation
o Store fire wood away from the house and garage
Prevention is the key but if you sense that you have a carpenter ant problem don’t hesitate to phone an experienced pest control company to come and have a look.
Remember, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of repairs.”