Wacky Pest Wednesday: Carpenter Ants

Happy Wednesday to all you Tri-County Pest Control fans out there!  We’re here with our favorite Wednesday tradition, and today we invite you to join us as we cover a pest that you may have not heard much about before.  Keep on reading to see everything you need to know about the carpenter ant!

Carpenter ants and termites certainly do not look the same, yet they can cause similar damage.  Much like their pesky counterparts, the carpenter ant has a penchant for gnawing through any and all wood sources as both a source of food and a way to create burrows for reproduction.  Not only that, but the carpenter ant is an equal opportunity destroyer—it doesn’t matter if the wood belongs to an old tree stump or your foundation—they will devour it all.

However, there are a few simple ways that you can keep them out.  For example, the carpenter ant needs to have a readily available and plentiful supply of water near the wood, so eliminating any standing water in or around your home can keep them out (yes, even that leaky faucet can attract some of them).  Furthermore, removing any loose wood from the side of your house (tree branches, firewood, old stumps, etc) can also reduce your risk for an infestation,

Now, should you see one of these small, dark critters scurrying around your home, do not panic.  Instead, just pick up the phone and give us a call—we’ll shoot over in no time to tell you if it really is a carpenter ant, and then provide an effective treatment strategy to make sure that they will get out and stay out.  But just like with termites, speed is imperative when dealing with an infestation, since all it takes is a few weeks and before you know it, your once-solid foundation looks strikingly similar to Swiss cheese.

If you think you’ve spotted a carpenter ant in your home, please do not hesitate to give us a call!