Carpenter ants are one of the most common pests found in homes throughout New Jersey. These ants look like regular ants you’ll find outside, but they prefer your home’s wood to be their nests. If you have a problem with black carpenter ants in your home, it’s important to act right away to prevent damage to your property.
Black carpenter ants themselves are hard to identify compared to regular ants because they all look very similar to one another. Your best course of action is to instead look for other signs of carpenter ants to know for sure if you have a potential infestation on your hands.
Signs of carpenter ant activity include the following:
Black carpenter ants damaging your wooden frame may remind you of termites, but there is a massive difference between the two. Carpenter ants will damage your wood simply to nest, while termites will eat the wood until there is nothing left – often causing more significant structural issues to your home or business. Carpenter ants will eat other food, especially sweet or sugary substances as well as protein, which they will seek to find in your pantry, cupboards, and even trash cans.
The good news is that just because you see them in your home, doesn’t mean they are causing damage yet. They will forage significant distances in search of food and it’s better to get ahead of the issue before the damage occurs.
The likelihood is that you will need professional pest control, and our team at Horizon Pest Control, is here to help. Most DIY materials are formulated to kill the insect on contact or to act as a repellant – which may actually drive the colony inward thus making it harder to treat going forward. Post-treatment, you will likely see less of them – but that’s because they are simply more hidden from the surface and thus your view. Conversely, the materials we use will instead infiltrate the colony and take down the nest from the inside out.
The best way to treat carpenter ants yourself, however, is to prevent them from getting into your house in the first place. Reduce accessibility into your home to simply going up the foundation. This means making sure shrubs, trees, and flowers are not touching the structure creating natural bridges and multiple avenues for them to attack the home. Be sure to address any water-damaged wood or leaks leading to damp wood as ants prefer chewing through moist damp wood because it’s easier to break down than dry lumber.
Last, clean up food and drink spills inside and outside ASAP, and keep trash storage areas as muck free as possible.
But if you have a black carpenter ant infestation that you need help with now, please call us at 201-365-9886!
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