Will Carpenter Ants Eat a home

Carpenter ants are one of natures most aggressive wood destroyers. Similar to termites, carpenter ants damage wood. Unlike termites however, carpenter ants do not eat wood for food. Carpenter ants only bore into wood to establish and/or enlarge their nest. They can do lots of damage to wood. Because of their ability to excavate wood and cause moderate amounts of localized damage,, they are of economic importance to the pest control industry and to homeowners alike.

Carpenter ants do not eat wood. Carpenter ants eat aphid and other sweet sugary insects. Aphids are their #1 choice of food. Carpenter ants will care for, groom, raise and nurture aphids within their colony in special "aphid" chambers. Carpenter ants do this to derive "honeydew" from the Aphids. Aphids secret honeydew which is the Carpenter ants favorite food. Carpenter ants take care of Aphids to get their honeydew. Its nature's way of allowing ants and aphids to live in harmony with each other. What happens when the Aphids stop secreting honeydew? They become carpenter ant bait!

It has often been thought that in order to get rid of Carpenter ants, all one has to do is to get rid of the Aphids. Aphids will attack all kinds of outdoor plants, so by spraying the plants you get rid of the Aphids. Unfortunately, this often provides poor control since Carpenter ants can forage several hundred yards looking for Aphids.

CARPENTER ANT DAMAGE
 Big Black Carpenter Ants
Big Black Carpenter Ants Excavating A Nest

Carpenter Ant Damage
Carpenter Ant Damage To Pole

Carpenter ants can be considered wood destroying pests because of their ability to cause damage to wood. The amount of damage carpenter ants cause is usually far less in comparison to that of subterranean termites, however, if carpenter ant nests are left untreated and undisturbed, the shear numbers of ants can be enormous and the resulting damage caused by "mining" of wood to increase the nest can be substantial.

Carpenter ants cause damages to wood primarily due to nest construction. In other words, damages are only a result of their nest building efforts. As a general rule, carpenter ants do not damage wood as heavily as subterranean termites, but given enough time and a large enough nest, damages can be severe. Carpenter ants have a habit of cleaning and polishing the galleries in the wood. The galleries are smooth in appearance and do not resemble the rough jagged appearance of subterranean termite galleries.

During the mining or excavation phase of nest building, Carpenter ants make small "kick-out holes" out of which all the trash and debris accumulated within the nest are tossed out. The tossing's which consist primarily of wood chips, insect particles, dead ants, etc, often form small scattered piles. These small scattered piles are often referred to by professionals as "frass". If frass is found, then it should be carefully inspected with a magnifying glass to determine that it is carpenter ant frass and not the frass of drywood termites. Drywood termites (only found in southern coastal regions) will toss frass out of small kick out holes too. The difference is that drywood termite frass is made up of their excrement and does not contain any insect particles, wood shavings, etc. Drywood termite frass only contains drywood termite fecal pellets which if viewed under a magnifying glass resemble a small football with 6 concave sides.

Any wood destroying insect damage should be a cause for concern and should be carefully evaluated. If you discover that carpenter ants are the problem then the appropriate action needs to begin immediately - and preferably during the early stages of colony development. If you let the carpenter ants continue to populate and the nest to grow, then control becomes much more difficult and in some severe cases almost impossible to achieve.
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It’s only a myth that Carpenter Ants will eat through a house in no time.
Carpenter Ants will damage the structure of a building if not treated right away, Some ants control expert have referred to carpenter ants as silent destroyers, the moment you notice its advisable to take action right away with the experience of pest control . Carpenter Ants prefer to establish nests in hollow areas and inside moist wood. Beware because the pests love to make nests in trees. Using a professional Pest control Service is the wisest way to go. Call AMPM
Exterminators for a successful elimination of Carpenter Ants infestations.

Buildings of age or type of construction, are vulnerable to infestation and damage by carpenter ants. Carpenter ants are very difficult to control.carpenter ants winged individuals often indicate a well-established colony. Sign of carpenter ant activity is the debris they produce from tunneling in the wood. Rough wood shavings mixed with parts of dead ants from the colony indicate carpenter ant nesting activity. Sound sometimes heard as the ants go about their activity in the home’s wood.

Ants of the genus Camponotus are known as carpenter ants because they prefer to establish their colonies in galleries excavated from damp or damaged wood. Carpenter ants do not eat wood has termites do, but instead remove wood and deposit the debris outside of their nests in small piles.Carpenter ants clean their nesting sites, and their galleries are not lined with mud or moist soil as termite galleries typically are. Carpenter ant workers keep their galleries as smooth as sandpapered wood.

Big Black Ants marching and flying in the house problems of pest control:

There is one thing most people don’t think about. That is the home getting infested with a damaging ant species. But the moment came when the big Black Ants infiltrated into the home. Exactly what type of ant or bug is it. Recently, the Greater Seattle area has been plagued with Carpenter Ants. Homes and commercial business owners are great targets for this type of invasion. A Seattle homeowner saw the first big ant in the garage and then on the sundeck. But unsure of what the pests were, the owner decided to investigate by taking a picture to submit to a pest control expert. An emailed photo was sent to a professional Pest Control company for verification. All known facts about what had been observed were included in the email. The number one choice was to contact AMPM Exterminators.

Seattle homeowners fight and kill carpenter ants nightmare about to become reality:

The homeowner pulled into the garage. Happy the work day was over and looking forward to getting some rest. But something flew by like a bat out of hell. It came to a stop right at the entry door to the home. The owner was able to capture the bug with a paper towel and took a picture. As soon as the owner entered the house the wife was clearly distraught about big black bugs out on the patio and flying through the open door. One of the kids had forgotten to close the screen door. The husband took a look around inside and outdoors. The Carpenter Ants were working on the patio big time. Annoyed and stressed decision was made to notify a professional pest control company. AMPM Exterminators was sending out a technician shortly.

Identifying Carpenter Ant Control problems in commercial business buildings:

The nest may be located by careful observations of worker ants, especially between sunset and midnight during spring and summer months when carpenter ants are most active. To follow carpenter ants without startling them, use a flashlight with a red film over the lens—ants cannot see red light. You can also cover part of the flashlight with your hand so the light is more indirect and is not as bright. You can increase your chances of following workers to their nest by setting out food that is attractive to carpenter ants. Place food in areas where you find workers.

Many foods are attractive to carpenter ants, including honey or other sweet foods. During spring, carpenter ants are particularly attracted to protein sources, such as tuna packed in water. (Carpenter ants are not attracted to tuna packed in oil.) Set out small pieces of tuna for the ants to take back to their nest. It is easier to follow the ants when they are carrying food. With patience and perseverance, you can follow the ants back to their nest. If you put pieces of fish in many areas, food placed closer to the nest or trails will be found sooner.

It is not the norm to be able to identify species of bugs, much less all ant species. The Queen Carpenter ants measure about 3/4 inch are large and Workers around 1/4-1/2 inch. Winged Carpenter are the aces and are always in flight to establish new colonies. Different colored carpenter ants found in the State of Washington. Some of which are red or black. However, the most common Carpenter Ant is black with reddish legs. Carpenter ants actually do not eat wood. The pests gnaw on wood like a planer smoothing out wood. The Big Black ants can enlarge nests by tunneling into the wood. The scary thing is that the infestation may be more widespread throughout the structure than realized.

Get Rid Of Carpenter Ants – Do It Yourself Pest Control being destructive:

A Carpenter Ant infestation is something a homeowner dreads. The pests create a lot of damage to structures simply through the nesting process. The pests’ complex life cycle and nesting habits are big threats to residences and commercial businesses. Mutual feelings were shared by the homeowners that the big black ants had to go. How to get rid of the Carpenter Ants was put into the hands of experience. It was the perfect time to contact a Pest Control Exterminator.

carpenter ant commercial home pest control

An assessment would be done to locate where the Carpenter Ants were nesting. A pest control work plan would be drawn up to exterminate the main colony. Main colonies are commonly found outside. But may also be found inside walls, in ceilings, below outdoor siding, in piles of wood by foundations. Also may be found near downspouts, gutters, within floors and insulation. A huge factor are specific trees found near the home. Once the professional carpenter ant infestation expert arrived from AMPM Exterminator the investigation began. The homeowner was grateful for the expedited service and carefully listened to the prevention tips given by the technician. The homeowner booked a recurring monthly service.

Professional pest control company with exterminators for Carpenter Ants, bed bugs, little black sugar ants, rat and mice control, birds, beetles, moths, flies, termites, wasps, yellowjackets and hornets and much more. Ampm Pest Exterminators takes pride in family and pet friendly effective pest control in King County areas of Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Renton, Everett, Bothell and Issaquah and many many other cities. All services are available to residential including single family residences, apartments, Commercial Businesses such as hotels, restaurants, schools and industrial establishments including warehouses and grocery stores. Attic and Crawlspace Rodent Restoration including cleaning, sanitizing and insulation removal & repair after rats, mice, squirrels, birds, bats Infestation.

Call AMPM Exterminators for answers to questions about costs and product usage. Yes, Green. It is much easier, faster and cheaper to get rid of any pest by using a professional service. Every home is different and if any repair costs are provided the cost may vary. After years of experienced inspections this client deserved customized solutions for the Big Black Carpenter Ant Infestation. Which AMPM Exterminators did with great success.

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