Carpenter Ants

Carpenter Ant Extermination and Control

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are big, black ants of the Camponotus, usually ranging from half an inch to an inch in length. They’re common pests in the Dallas – Fort Worth area and throughout Texas.

Carpenter ants are usually described by customers as “big, black ants,” but a few species are black and red or black and yellow. They are highly social, and colonies can become quite large and have a well-organized division of labor.

In nature, carpenter ants generally make their nests in dead trees, rotten stumps, and similar natural voids. But unlike termites, carpenter ants don’t eat the wood. They use their well-developed mandibles (jaws) to excavate galleries in the wood, to build a nest in which they lay eggs and raise their young.

Occasionally, carpenter ants establish nests in voids not made of wood, such as hollow fence posts, PVC furniture, swing sets, electrical boxes and conduits, and other convenient, ready-made voids.

Carpenter Ants as Structural Pests

Although not as destructive as termites, over time, carpenter ants can cause significant damage to homes and buildings.

When they infest buildings, carpenter ants usually nest in void areas such as crawl spaces, roof soffits, and spaces between window and door trim and the underlying framing. They usually prefer wood that is damp or which has an existing or previous moisture problem, such as kitchen and bathroom pipe chases enclosing leaking or sweating pipes.

Sometimes, however, carpenter ants will infest dry areas, or even non-wooden voids such as electrical conduits, curtain rods, and inside the tubes of window shades.

Carpenter ant damage to wood can be easily distinguished from termite damage. Termite galleries are rough and usually contain mud and dirt. Carpenter ant galleries, on the other hand, are sanded smooth and have “windows” through which the ants eject frass (sawdust and bodily wastes).

Carpenter Ant Control

Carpenter ants can be challenging to control because they nest in concealed, hard-to-treat areas. Do-it-yourself carpenter ant control efforts usually fail. If you have carpenter ants, your best bet is to call ALLGone Services.

Whenever possible, the best and fastest way to eliminate carpenter ants is to find their nest and treat it directly using specialized pest control tools that can inject the insecticide directly into the carpenter ant galleries. This method will result in immediately eradicate the carpenter's ant infestation.

Sometimes, though, it’s impractical to treat the nest directly. When this is the case, we have baits, dust, and non-repellent sprays that can be used to achieve control of carpenter ants, but it may take a little longer for these treatments.

In all cases, to achieve permanent carpenter ant control, conditions conducive to carpenter ant infestation have to be corrected. For example, leaky downspouts and other moisture problems must be fixed, tree branches that touch or overhang the house should be trimmed back, and firewood shouldn’t be stacked against the building.

Where carpenter ants have already done severe damage, it may also be necessary to replace damaged wood.

Why wait any longer? Request a free quote at 817-903-9109!

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