During the summer months, you may notice more ants than usual, both inside and outside of your home. While seeing the occasional one or two ants is usually not a cause for concern, it becomes a problem if you notice a large number of ants in your home that reappear after you’ve already killed them.
Furthermore, if you spot what appears to be wood shavings or holes near wooden furniture outside, you may be dealing with a special breed of ants known as carpenter ants.
While carpenter ants can be scary, they can be easy to deal with if you take the right steps. Check out our helpful guide for accurately identifying and eliminating carpenter ants once and for all.
How to Identify Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are large ants that can vary in color but are typically dark brown or black. They have oval-shaped, segmented bodies, six legs, and elbowed antennae, which means that their antennae are bent. Male carpenter ants have wings, and their back wings are shorter than their front wings. Queen carpenter ants are usually the largest in the colony but can vary in size from ¼ to 3/4 of an inch in length.
Carpenter ants are best known as structural species of ants that bore holes through wood to make nests.
Signs of Carpenter Ants
There are several signs of a carpenter ant infestation to be aware of, including:
- Hearing a rustling sound inside your walls
- Seeing piles of wood shavings and sawdust around the house
- Finding discarded insect wings
- Seeing ant droppings around the house
- Spotting live ants in or around your home
In many cases, these signs can be confused with termites. However, it’s important to distinguish that carpenter ant frass tends to be finer, like wood shavings, and termite droppings tend to resemble pellets.
Tips to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants
While dealing with a carpenter ant infestation can be distressing, getting rid of them is possible. Here are some of our best tips for getting rid of carpenter ants:
1. Perform an Inspection
Performing regular inspections of your home can help you catch a carpenter ant infestation before it gets out of control. To check for carpenter ants, be sure to keep an eye out for signs of damaged wood in and around your home. You may also notice things like discarded insect wings, piles of wood shavings, and hearing a rustling sound coming from inside your walls.
2. Remove Nests
Carpenter ants will often build their nests near tree stumps and woodpiles, so check these areas if you suspect you may be dealing with an infestation. If you discover a nest, you can use an insecticide or a more natural solution like diatomaceous earth to quickly destroy the nest.
3. Use Traps and Baits
Carpenter ant baits can be highly effective in getting rid of these pests. When an ant ingests the bait, they will go back to their colony and unknowingly spread the toxic substances to the rest of the ants, killing them.
4. Eliminate Standing Water
Standing water is known to attract a variety of different pests, including carpenter ants. To prevent these pests from taking over your home, get rid of any standing water, including old bird baths, overwatered plants, and even leaky pipes.
5. Seal Food
Carpenter ants are drawn to food that has not been properly sealed, so be sure to carefully seal and store all food and drinks to prevent these pests from invading your home.
6. Seal Untreated Wood
Carpenter ants prefer untreated, raw wood, so you may unknowingly invite these pests into your home if you have a lot of unsealed wood. By sealing the untreated wood in your home, carpenter ants are less likely to want to chew through it.
7. Use Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous earth is a natural, powder-like substance that can be used to kill carpenter ants. When the ants come into contact with the powder, it will stick to their exoskeletons and dry them out, effectively killing them.
When to Call a Professional
Whenever you find yourself dealing with an infestation of any kind, it is important to take it seriously and reach out to a pest control professional right away. While an ant infestation may not seem as serious as other types of pest infestations, carpenter ants can be incredibly destructive to your home if you don’t take care of the infestation immediately.
A trusted pest control professional will be able to inspect your home to determine the severity of the infestation and recommend a unique plan of action to get rid of these pests while keeping you and your loved ones safe.
FAQs
How big do carpenter ants get?
Carpenter ants are the largest ants in North America and are typically five times the size of an average pavement ant or garden ant. Carpenter ants measure ¼ to ¾ inch in length depending on their role in the colony, with the queens being the biggest.
What colors are carpenter ants typically?
Carpenter ants can present in a variety of colors, including black, red, brown, and tan. However, black is the most common color for these ants.
How can you distinguish carpenter ants from other ants?
Carpenter ants can be distinguished from other types of ants mainly due to their large size. Carpenter ants also have heart-shaped heads, which sets them apart from other types of ants you may encounter.