Carpenter ants, along with termites, are one of the most destructive pests that can enter your home, since they actually cause structural damage to wooden sections and surfaces within your home. The best way to prevent such damage is to prevent an infestation from actually taking hold, which means that you need to be able to spot early signs of carpenter ants in your home. Understanding some of the most common indicators associated with a carpenter ant problem in your home can make it easier for you to figure out when you should get in touch with a pest control specialist.
1. Noises at Night
One of the first signs that carpenter ants in your home will exhibit, which is also one of the hardest to notice, is the sound of chewing and movement in the walls of your home. Of course, it will be easier to hear those noises while there is little other ambient noise, which will most likely be in the middle of the night or very early in the morning. Sounds of scratching, digging, and general movement behind the walls can point to a carpenter ant presence. Even if this is not the case, you likely have some other pest presence that needs to be dealt with.
2. Piles of Sawdust
Another clear sign that you may have a carpenter ant population around your home is if you notice small piles of sawdust around either the interior or the exterior of your home. Unlike termites, carpenter ants don't actually eat the wood that the burrow through, they simply dig through it and dump the debris outside of their tunnels. When you spot sawdust, do a visual inspection of the area to see if there are any small openings: these will indicate where your carpenter ant presence is, and can make it easier for a pest control specialist to deal with the problem.
3. Shed Wings
Finally, the last early warning sign of a carpenter ant problem in your home is the presence of wings around your home. Carpenter ants will shed wings after they have reached maturity, so the presence of wings in your home means that you likely have a relatively young infestation. Shed wings will collect near common entranceways (so keep an eye out around your windows and doors) but may spread throughout your home depending on the size of the population and the availability of wood surfaces.
Contact a company like JD Termite & Pest Control Company today to learn more.
After struggling for quite some time with pests inside of our home, I knew it had to stop. I was tired of going to bed everyday without knowing if the issue would be getting resolved, so I started investigating the matter. I realized that we had ants and spiders, so I spoked with a pest control professional about helping out. They were absolutely incredible to work with, and within a few weeks, the mess was sorted out. On this website, I began focusing on how to make things right, since you really never know which kinds of pests will impact your home.