Do Carpenter Ants Destroy Wood

It may vary considering that ants need several stages and years before causing any significant damage. But in most cases, it takes a long while before somebody has found any indication of an ant infestation. Do not let carpenter ants destroy your wooden furniture even further. Carpenter ants are known to infest mulch and you can find ants in attic and getting rid of them is important as it can avoid interior infestation. 

Your first opportunity to detect carpenter ants comes when the worker ants are out foraging for food. Carpenter ants eat other insects, including termites. Also, the ants feed on nectar, sweet things, such as honey, and even dog food.

So, it’s possible that you might notice one or two worker carpenter ants on scouting missions in your kitchen. That said, there’s plenty of food for the ants outside your home, so you needn’t worry that you’ll find a big infestation going on.

Distinguishing carpenter ants from other species is quite straightforward. Carpenter ants are big, measuring up to half-an-inch long. These ants are mostly black, although there are some subspecies that are reddish or brown in colour. Also, worker ants have large mandibles that they use for chewing through wood fibres. Hire Carpenter Ant Control Toronto to make your home free of carpenter ants!

Signs of nest building

Once a nest has been established, you’ll notice small piles of sawdust (frass) appearing underneath the entry holes that lead into the ants’ tunnels. Carpenter ants do not eat wood as termites do. Instead, they simply chew through the wood and discard it, clearing and polishing the tunnels as they go.

Often, you’ll notice sawdust in your basement, garage, and in other secluded areas of your home. Frass can also be seen stuck to your walls around the tunnel entrances or piled up on surfaces.

Flying ants (swarmers)

Flying ants are seen when you have a mature carpenter ant colony on your property. Swarmers, as flying ants are known, are usually seen appearing on your window panes and windowsills inside and outside your home.

Swarmers are sexually mature ants whose job is to leave the established colony and fly off in search of a new territory.

Signs of carpenter ant damage

If a carpenter ant colony or series of parent and satellite colonies goes undiscovered for a length of time, your first clue to their presence will be when you notice structural problems in your home.

Common indicators of damage to wooden structures include sloping floors, sinking ceilings, bulging walls, and stuck doors and windows. 

In response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) we have taken some measures in updating our procedures when working on pest control jobs such as using a non-toxic formulation that does not require you to vacate your home as we all practice social-distancing to tackle the propagation of the virus. Additionally, upon request, we will wear protective gear to make you feel at ease during these unprecedented times where we all need to be extra careful in doing our job, we can perform disinfection service as well.