What Are Carpenter Ants?
Carpenter ants are a local species of ants that are known for building their nests into structures of water-damaged, rotting, or decaying wood. One thing that sets these pests apart from other area ants is their size. Carpenter ants are much larger than your average ant, sometimes growing to be over ⅝” in total length. These pests also have larger mandibles (mouthparts). They use these mandibles to break apart wood while chewing tunnels through wood. Carpenter ants are identifiable by their red, black, or red and black bodies.
Once a year, colonies of carpenter ants produce what are called swarmers. These winged reproductive ants leave their established colonies and search for new areas to build nests. If you see large flying ants around your living areas, it means one of two things. Either your home is at risk of an infestation or it is already infested.
Identifying A Carpenter Ant Infestation
Carpenter ants are much easier to identify than termites, another type of wood-destroying pest in the area. This is mainly due to the fact that carpenter ants have no problem crawling around homes while termites spend their entire life underground or inside a structure of wood. Another way to identify carpenter ants is by the holes they chew through wood. Inspect your home’s structural wood for these pin-sized holes. These entry and exit points will often have frass (sawdust) clung to the wall around them or in a small pile underneath.
How Damaging Are Carpenter Ants?
Termites are the most destructive wood-destroying pests in America. Carpenter ants come in second. One thing that sets these pests apart is the fact that termites consume wood while carpenter ants make tunnels to house their colony. This means damage is limited to how large their colony becomes. Keeping this in mind, fixing carpenter ant-related damage is not cheap and often costs an arm and a leg to have repaired.
Prevention Tips For Carpenter Ants
If carpenter ants have not yet invaded your home’s structural wood, now is the time to put in place preventative measures. Here are some amazing tips and tricks our experts recommend you use around your Oklahoma City property.
- Eliminate sources of water buildup around your yard.
- Make sure your gutters are clear and working properly.
- Fix leaky spigots, pipes, and fixtures around your home.
- Repair or replace wood around your home that is damaged by water.
- Seal holes and cracks in your home’s exterior foundation and around window/door frames, using a caulking gun.
- Install door sweeps under all exterior doors and make sure your window/door screens are in good working order.
The Only Way To Deal With A Carpenter Ant Infestation
If Carpenter ants are crawling around inside your home, you need a professional to get them out. At Guaranteed Pest Services of Oklahoma, we combine advanced pest control with friendly services to provide a premium service to our clients. If you need carpenter ants out of your home, give us a call today. We will make sure the job gets done right and that you and your home are taken care of.
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