Categories: Ants, Carpenter Ants, Termites
Read time: 3 minutes
As the weather heats up so do the calls coming into Fox Pest Control. Many people are experiencing spring bug explosions and need help. You might be interested to know what bugs are bugging people the most.
Bugs that Bug People the Most
For the past few weeks we have been getting a lot of calls about ants and carpenter ants. They seem to be everywhere.
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It makes sense. They go dormant in the cold weather and spring back in the spring warmth. If you are starting to see carpenter ants in your house they are probably finding their way in from outside. But that is a better scenario than if you’ve been seeing them all winter. When that happens it’s a good indication that your carpenter ants have a nest in your house where it stays warm, according to Iowa State University Extension.
Identifying Carpenter Ants
You may have noticed signs of carpenter ants such as unexplained piles of sawdust which may be “frass” generated by carpenter ants excavating galleries in wood. Or you may be hearing scratching or rustling sounds coming from inside the walls. If you are seeing ants you can use these points to identify if they are carpenter ants:
- Carpenter ants have a constricted “waist” and three body regions
- These ants are often up to 5/8 of an inch long, but the queen can be as long as one inch.
- Some of them may even have wings, making it easy to confuse them with termites.
How To Tell the Difference Between Carpenter Ants and Termites
- Both carpenter ants and termite swarmers that have wings have two pairs. There is a front pair and a back pair.
- On termites, both the front and back pair of wings are the same length. On carpenter ants, the back wings are significantly shorter than the front wings.
- Winged carpenter ants can also be distinguished from termites by their larger size and shape of their antennae and their waist. The image below shows a carpenter ant on the left and a swarmer termite on the right.
- Both termites and carpenter ants chew through wood leaving what is called frass behind. The difference is that termites are actually eating the wood in your home. Carpenter ants, on the other hand, only burrow to make a nest. The image below, found at farmihomie.com shows the difference in the frass.
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Which is Worse, Carpenter Ants or Termites?
If you are talking about damage to your home the bigger threat is termites. As explained by Entomology at the University of Kentucky, “Although large carpenter ant colonies are capable of causing structural damage, the damage is not normally as serious as that from termites.”
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This image shows typical wood damage done by carpenter ants. You don’t want termite or carpenter ant damage to the wood of your home! Both can affect the structural integrity of your home.
How To Prevent and Get Rid of Carpenter Ants
- Move all dead or moist wood as far from the foundation of your home as possible.
- Seal all cracks with caulk to prevent carpenter ants from getting inside your home.
- Reduce excess moisture in and around your home. Ensure water drains away from the foundation.
- Click HERE to find out how Fox can help you get rid of carpenter ants so you can rest easy.
It’s important to take care of a carpenter ant infestation with professional services because once carpenter ants develop a primary nest, they will create satellite nests providing the large queen ants places to lay more and more eggs. Give us a call at (855) FOX-PEST and we will send out a certified technician to conduct a thorough pest control inspection of your home and property in order to provide a customized treatment plan that will be most effective for your situation.
Use Promo code: ANT75 to get$75 off Ant Control. Expires: May 31, 2022
