Keep An Eye Out For These Carpenter Ant Warning Signs

The best way to prevent the damage that can be caused by a carpenter ant infestation is to spot it early on. Here are some of the warning signs that you should keep an eye out for.

Frass

Carpenter ants are different from termites in that they do not eat the wood that they infest. Instead, they tunnel through it, in order to build their colonies. This means that a lot of the wood that the ants chew through has to be eliminated from the colony somehow. This wooden waste is part of what is known as frass. Frass is the garbage of the colony, and it consists of sawdust, insulation and sheetrock pieces, dead insect parts, ant excrement and everything else that has to be removed from the colony.

So one of the first signs that you can look for is this frass. Some termite species also generate frass, so it’s a great way to identify if your home has a termite or an ant infestation. The frass is thrown out through kick-out holes, and these holes are quite small, but they can be spotted with the naked eye.

Damaged wood

The wood itself will show very few signs of damage at first. It takes quite a while for the damage to become extensive and for it to show on the surface of the infested wood. This is the same with termites, which will also damage the wood in a way that does not show until it is too late. However, you can keep an eye out for wood that is decaying, and if you spot it in the home you should remove it right away, whether it is infested with pests or not. This is the type of wood that will draw in carpenter ants and termites, and from it, the colonies will grow to healthy wood and lead to higher repair costs in the home.

Getting rid of carpenter ants

If you have identified a carpenter ant infestation in your home, your best bet is to call a pest control company and set up an appointment. Carpenter ant infestations can be hard to remove using DIY methods, and if you do not remove the infestation completely, the colony will recover and continue spreading. Contact us today, if you have a carpenter ant infestation in your home, and we will set an appointment right away.