Carpenter Ants and Termites are both wood-destroying insects and cost homeowners millions of dollars in damage every single year, due to the fact that a high percentage of homes in the United States have a wood frame. When a homeowner thinks they possibly have an issue with Termites or Carpenter Ants, concern grows very high regarding the well-being of the structure of their home. A common misconception is that Termites actually are more difficult to eradicate than Carpenter Ants.
However, Carpenter Ants can establish multiple different nests wreaking havoc inside and outside of your home. This will require a lengthy extermination process to ensure that all nests inside of the structure have been diminished, as well as making sure there is a constant barrier around your home so they don’t follow trails left behind by other ant’s right back into your house. They do not eat the wood, they carve through it to create nesting sites. Termites live in the ground, which means less treatment to the house itself would be sufficient to knock out the problem. The treatment is injecting insecticide into the soil to create a barrier that Termites will not cross. Termites do eat the wood of your home so the sooner you call a professional once you suspect you have an issue with either of these wood destroying insects, the better off the structure of your home will be. Keep your eyes open for things such as but not limited to:
Carpenter Ant warning signs-
- Swarmers (Winged ants)-This is a sign that the colony is looking to expand and look for a new nesting site
- Sawdust (fine wood shavings that the Carpenter Ants push aside to create nesting sites, known as “frass”)
- Crunching noises behind the wall
- Seeing more than 10 ants a day throughout your house, or seeing any ants inside your house in the winter months
Termite warning signs-
- Mud tunnels or mud tubes. These are typically found on the sides of foundations
- Swarmers (Winged Termites)-This is a sign that the nest is near
- Damaged wood-The wood will appear to be crushed, or you will see tunnels. Galleries will be filled with soil and chewed wood, while ant tunnels are very clean