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Ants are an essential part of the Earth's ecosystem. These hard-working insects play a valuable role in keeping plants healthy by aerating the soil as they dig tunnels, propagating seeds, and are an important food source for other animals like spiders and birds. There are many different kinds of ants in the area, like pharaoh ants which carry dangerous pathogens; odorous house ants that smell of rotten coconut when crushed; and carpenter ants. Carpenter ants are, like termites, wood-destroying insects that can go unnoticed for years before you notice signs of an infestation. One key difference is that termites can digest cellulose and eat through the wood, while carpenter ants excavate it to create tunnels and galleries to build nests and reach other parts of your property. You can tell them apart from different types of ants by their relatively large size, sometimes measuring half an inch in length. Usually a shade of red or black, carpenter ants do not have wings unless they are reproductive members. If you see carpenter ants with wings on your Hendersonville property, it might mean that the colony is growing in numbers, and damage to your home is bound to increase. Outdoors, we need carpenter ants for their ability to break down rotten or decaying wood and turn it back into soil and prey on other insects and arthropods. They are not known as an aggressive species of ants, and they will not cause painful bites or stings, unlike different types like red velvet ants or fire ants. However, if they make their way into your home, they can cause significant damage quickly since they will actively break down the wooden structure leaving behind tell-tale signs like fine sawdust. Because carpenter ants reproduce swiftly and effectively, treating the infestation as soon as you notice it is best. If you suspect carpenter ants in your home, it is time to understand why they can cause many problems, discover how you can tell if you have carpenter ants crawling around your yard, and learn what attracts them to your property. If you are dealing with a carpenter ant problem, All-American Pest Control provides pest control in Hendersonville that you can rely on to make your house safe and sound again and for good.
A Carpenter Ant Infestation In Your Home Can Cause Many Problems
Carpenter ants can cause catastrophic problems in homes because of how efficiently they can break down wood, especially if it is damaged or rotten. If you notice small piles of sawdust, you might wonder if you have carpenter ant frass in your home. A pest control professional can give you a definite answer. Still, if you see fine shavings resembling finely ground wood mixed in with insects, you might have a carpenter ant infestation on your hands. These wood-destroying pests can also cause bulging floorboards and sagging ceilings, leaks, and damage doors and windows to the point that they will not close properly. If the problem is severe enough and left untreated, your home could become unsafe. Carpenter ants can also be a sign of a bigger issue as they often prefer rotting or decaying wood. For example, you might have leaks in your home or a moisture problem if you or previous homeowners did not adequately repair damage from past floods. It could also be that your yard has unaddressed issues like clogged drains, stagnant water sources, rotting wood or leaf piles, or a compost pile in need of attention. Read on to find out if the large black or red ants you've seen crawling around your yard are carpenter ants.
How To Tell If It's Carpenter Ants Crawling Around Your Yard
All ants have six legs, three distinct body parts consisting of the head and two additional segments, and an exoskeleton. They have compound eyes and claws that allow them to crawl on floors and climb walls. Carpenter ants are different in that they excavate through the wood to build nests and will sometimes settle inside trees. For this reason, you might not only have them in your home, but you might have carpenter ants in trees in the yard as well, making matters more complicated as your entire property will need to be treated to get rid of them successfully. Their presence could also mean that trees on your property are dead or rotting, and you must remove them for safety. This is especially dangerous in trees that are close to the structure of your home, as it could take a simple storm to get them to collapse. One of our service team members can inspect your trees to determine if they require treatment, if you need to remove them, or if the infestation is localized and not a source of concern. However, to avoid carpenter ant damage to your home, it is best to conduct a thorough inspection and devise a treatment plan. While carpenter ants may be inoffensive outside, you must treat an infestation if it has reached your walls. When dealing with these unwanted pests, it is important to learn what attracts them to your property.
What Is Attracting Carpenter Ants To My Property?
If you see signs of carpenter ants in your house, you must find out what attracts them indoors. Without treating the cause of the infestation, you might end up with another one shortly after treatment. Many factors can attract carpenter ants:
- High moisture: Carpenter ants are attracted to condensation and sources of moisture like dripping pipes, clogged drains, bathrooms, basements, and more. If you have untreated leaks, now's the time to fix them.
- Sweet or high protein food: Carpenter ants are, like other types of ants, attracted to our food, especially anything that is high in sugar, like baked goods and honey, or high protein foods like meats. But food in your yard can also attract carpenter ants, like the sweet liquid released by aphids (which might be another type of infestation you are dealing with) or improperly sealed garbage.
- Decomposing wood: While rotting wood indoors due to floods and leaks is a common issue, you might also have problems with yard debris, leaf piles, water-clogged compost piles, or drains that you might need to clean.
- Warm homes: Carpenter ants go dormant in the winter and during the colder months, but they will stay active if they can find a source of heat. If they can get into your home before it is too late, they will be able to chew through the wood in your home year-round.
Even if carpenter ants have managed to thrive on your property, you can still exterminate them fully with the help of professional ant control.
Professional Ant Control Is The Way To Go For Your Home
At All-American Pest Control, we have experience working with carpenter ants in Hendersonville and have helped free many homes of these wood-destroying invaders. Whether they were attracted to the moisture in your home, the food in your kitchen, or the trees in your yard, we can help. Contact us today for a free home evaluation and to schedule a thorough home inspection. We use the most eco-friendly products available as well as more traditional solutions when required. Regardless, you can rest assured that your safety and that of your household are foundational to our treatment plans. As a family-owned and locally operated company, we know how to deal with local pests and offer complimentary visits in between treatments should your infestation return unexpectedly. Carpenter ants may not be as well known as termites when it comes to wood-destroying pests, but they can be just as dangerous. Not treating an infestation or trying to control it with homemade products that aren't proven to work might cause it to grow larger and harder to control and could cause additional damage behind your walls. After the initial inspection, our service team members will be able to show you how carpenter ants were able to build a colony on your property and will recommend treatment plans that take your concerns into consideration to get rid of these invaders safely and as quickly as possible. You will then be able to relax in your home, knowing that no pests are causing problems behind the scenes.
Carpenter ants, like spiders, are important parts of the ecosystem when they are outside, where they belong. But if they have managed to come indoors, you are exposing your home to various problems if you do not eradicate them swiftly. Pest infestations are a normal part of owning a home as you might have to deal with one species or another at some point, but this does not mean that you have to put up with them for longer than you already have. Our team members have experience working with pests in the area, and even carpenter ants are no match for their expertise in pest control. No matter the season or reasons they invade, we can take care of them for you safely and for good.
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