Nashville Pest Control Pros Discuss Carpenter Ants

Have you noticed little holes in the wood of your home, or maybe you’ve seen large black ants inside your Nashville home? If this is true, you could have carpenter ants! Carpenter ants are black (or sometimes red) ants that range between 1/8 of an inch long to more than a half inch long and they can cause serious structural damage to homes and businesses in Tennessee, as well as throughout the country. If you suspect carpenter ants in your property, here are some things you should know! 

Unlike termites, carpenter ants don’t ingest wood. They simply hollow it out to make galleries and tunnels for their colony members. Carpenter ants are social insects that live in large colonies, often numbering in the thousands, sometimes with up to 10,000 members.  Their colonies include worker ants and queens and they actually feed on sources of protein and sugar.  But when it comes to nesting, they will bore holes in structural wood in which to enter and often you can see sawdust or material called “frass” around the entry points in the wood.  These ants are attracted to moist wood for their nesting purposes, but will nest in dry wood as well. 

Preventing carpenter ants from finding your structure can be a simple step in making sure that your property is safe from these wood destroying insects.  All-American Pest Control’s carpenter ant prevention tips include:

1. Keeping wood piles stored a distance from your structure.

2. Trimming back tree branches so they don’t touch your home.

3. Replacing water damaged wood as it’s more susceptible to carpenter ants.

4. Eliminating areas of high moisture inside your property and fixing leaky faucets and pipes.

5. Inspecting your foundation for cracks or gaps that may allow carpenter ants (and other insects or rodents) inside. 

Carpenter ant prevention methods can keep these pests from invading your home, but they aren’t infallible.  You may have a carpenter ant infestation even after implementing these tips around your property.  If you suspect carpenter ant damage within your structure or you’ve actual seen these ants in your home, calling a responsible Nashville pest control company for carpenter ant extermination is a wise choice.  The professionals at All-American Pest Control offer residential pest control in Nashville to get rid of carpenter ants that have infested your home.  Schedule your free home evaluation today!