Every year, thousands of people experience damage to their property because of carpenter ants. They will slowly work to hollow out the structure of your home to build their nests. Unlike termites, they don’t actually eat the wood, but build their nests within it. When you have a carpenter ant infestation, there are several signs that indicate a problem. Carpenter ant damage happens in four different stages and Effective Pest Services is here to talk about them.
Stage One: Carpenter Ants Appear
Hopefully, everyone is catching a carpenter ant infestation during stage one. When you are in stage one of carpenter ant damage, you will likely be noticing one or two ants here and there that are foraging for food. They are just starting to establish their nest in your home. When you see these ants, it is important that you act. To identify these insects, you need to know what you are looking for. They are the largest ant in the U.S. and are red, brown or black in color. These ants could be up to ½ inch long.
Stage 2: Carpenter Ant Frass
When carpenter ants are building their nest, they don’t actually eat the wood. They will bore out their galleries and kick out a sawdust looking material known as frass. You will find this substance near small holes when they have entered into the wood. This is often found in somewhat secluded areas like crawl spaces, basements and corners of garages.
Stage 3: Flying Carpenter Ants
This is the biggest, most obvious sign that you have a carpenter ant problem. When you find flying ants around your windows, these are swarmer ants that are looking for a new place to establish a nest. This is a big indication that you have a large colony of ants somewhere on your property. Don’t ever brush these flying ants off, this means that the nest is so mature that swarmers are sent out to do just one thing; establish a new nest.
Stage 4: Carpenter Ant Damage to House
This is the most devastating sign of them all. Because carpenter ants are hollowing out the wood that makes up your home, it will weaken the wood. You may be able to notice that your floors are warping, ceilings are sinking, doors & windows are sticking and walls are bulging. These are all horrible signs that something is most certainly wrong. You will be facing property damage at this point and will definitely need professional help in restoring your property.
Ant Pest Inspections, Control, Removal & More in Wellington, Fort Collins, Timnath, Greeley, Longmont, Boulder, Johnstown, Berthoud, Estes Park & Loveland, CO | Northern Colorado
When you find any of these above signs in your home, don’t ignore them. You need the help of the experienced, highly trained pest professionals at Effective Pest Services to get rid of them. Without professional help, you will possibly be facing thousands of dollars in property damage if you ignore these signs. We can help to ensure your home is free from this wood destroying insect. Call us today!
