Ants have been plaguing mankind since the beginning of time. They infest our gardens, landscaping, lawns, homes, and even our businesses. When these little critters are discovered, it seems their numbers grow. Spraying them with the handiest cleaning chemical within reach appears to the trick for a moment, but then you wonder if whatever chemical agent imposed in the cleaner really just made them multiply. Ants contaminating your food supply, or any other products they deem edible, ruining your prize plants, or attacking your ankles in defense of their nests is an extreme nuisance. Thankfully, Effective Pest Services has your back and can come to rescue your home or business in areas throughout Northern Colorado. Colorado has a handful of ant species that intrude on locals, but Carpenter Ants are by far the most damaging assailant.
How Do I Know if it’s a Carpenter Ant?
Carpenter ants are also one of the largest species terrorizing your homes. They can get to be ¾” long. The carpenter ants are typically black, but some can have a reddish or yellowish coloring. They do not eat wood like the termites, but they do favor chewing through the damp wood to create their nests. Dead wood is often their choice stomping grounds; trees, stumps, buried stumps, and building materials often harbor the carpenter ants. The carpenter ants will consume insects, nectar, pollen, seeds, and fruit. The carpenter ant can bite people, especially if they feel they or their nests are threatened. Due to their large stature, the bit can be a painful pinch, and sometimes they can break the skin. If given the opportunity, they will attempt to spray a natural formic acid chemical they produce to enhance the pain, a valuable weapon when contending to other insects.
Signs of Carpenter Ant Infestations
Signs your home or business is infested with carpenter ants may include:
– If wood materials throughout the building sound hollow when they are tapped.
– You hear a subtle sound of rustling movement within in the walls. The faint sound is typically heard in the infested wood.
– When carpenter ants have created the tunnels in the wood, knife can very easily penetrate the surface of the carpenter ant infested wood.
– Observing wood with wide, abnormal galleries the carpenter ant has carved, they are smooth-surfaced, very reminiscent of carefully sanded down wood, and free of dirt, mud, and debris.
– Swarmer carpenter ants, or the reproducing ants, have piles of shed wings lying around near window sills, baseboards and vents.
– Where carpenter ants have bored holes into the wood you can often find trails of sawdust that were left behind.
Ant Pest Inspections, Exclusion, Control, Removal & More in Wellington, Fort Collins, Timnath, Greeley, Longmont, Boulder, Johnstown, Berthoud, Estes Park & Loveland, CO | Northern Colorado
If carpenter ants are left to prosper in your home or business, they can cause devastating damages, extremely costly to repair. Catching a carpenter ant infestation early and trusting in Effective Pest Services professionals to terminate their reign can prevent damage in your home or business. Our proven methods and techniques can remove the carpenter ant infestation from the damage they can cause, as well as the painful bites they impose. If you suspect carpenter ants in your home or business, call us today to schedule your appointment!
