The Bay Area has over 100 species of ants. However, the carpenter ants and the Argentine ants are the most prevalent. It’s likely, if you call ant pest control, you’ve probably got one of these ant species invading your premises.
Carpenter Ants Explained
The term, carpenter ant, is used to refer to an entire genus of ants that build nests in wood. This genus includes over 1,000 species of carpenter ants around the world. Carpenter ants are also called sugar ants because of their sweet tooth. They eat lots of things, but they love honey, sugar, candies, and fruit–anything sweet. Their diet mainly consists of sweets, meats, and other insects. They chew on wood, but they don’t actually eat it, because they’re not able to ingest the cellulose.
How Carpenter Ants Destroy Your House
Carpenter ants love wet wood; they rarely nest in dry wood. Wet wood is softer and easier for them to excavate for their nests. Commonly, they cut the wood into strips to aid them with movement from one part of the nest to another. In the forest, which is their natural habitat, they actually help the ecosystem by assisting with the decomposition of deadwood. Unfortunately, when they bring their talents to your house, they’re not as beneficial. They tend to be drawn to areas that are more moist, such as window frames, eaves, gutters, foundations, bathroom floors, insulation, and basements.
How You Can Tell If You Have Carpenter Ants
Most of us don’t know one ant from another. It usually takes an ant pest control specialist to figure out what type of ant we’re dealing with. But if you’re extremely observant, you might notice a pile of wood shavings near a carpenter ant nest in your home or wood that looks like it’s been cut into strips in the center. If you’re lucky enough to locate a nest, it will give a hollow ring if you tap on the wood.
Getting Rid of Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants can do considerable damage to your house, but it won’t happen overnight–or even in two or three weeks. Once you suspect an infestation, however, you should take action. It might be too big of a problem to handle on your own–you may need a specialist. An ant pest control expert will know what kind of ant you have in your house and how to tailor the method to get rid of it. What works for one ant species may not work for another.
Killroy Pest Control has seen a lot of carpenter ants. And we’ve got some special ways to get these wood-destroying pests out of your house. Our ant pest control squad is ready to fire the insecticides–or non-toxic green solutions–to send them packing once and for all!
