How do I know if I have carpenter ants?
Carpenter ants are your home’s #1 enemy.
They cause more damage to wooden structures in Canada than any other pest. The destructive ants excavate tunnels in wood to create nests. They create extensive galleries that weaken the wood of floor joists and load-bearing timbers. The ants can seriously compromise your home’s structural integrity. The longer carpenter ants spend tunnelling, the more extensive the damage and the more expensive the repair.
Look for signs of carpenter ants
Being observant is important to notice the signs of carpenter ants, say experts at Pest HQ, Ontario’s leading source of DIY pest control products. The ants are not likely to be found trailing by the hundreds to a spot of spilled jam on the kitchen counter. These ants are cryptic. They may be nesting in the walls, ceiling or attic. They’re most active at night.
Pest HQ’s experts say common signs that carpenter ants are busy in your home include:
Strange piles of sawdust and tiny, unexplained holes
Carpenter ants don’t eat wood, they chew through it. Then they push the shavings, called frass, out of the newly formed gallery. This forms little piles of sawdust, often found near baseboards, window and door frames and under wooden beams.
You also may notice a perfectly round hole in a wall or molding that you didn’t create. The ants make these holes to push out the frass.
It’s easy to miss frass if you have light-coloured flooring. Or if you have a robot vacuum cleaner that runs automatically and sucks up evidence before you see it.
Rustling in the walls
If your children or grandchildren say they hear something in the walls at night, take heed. Their hearing is likely better than yours. And the sound may be coming from an active carpenter ant nest.
Large carpenter ant colonies are known to create a rustling or scratching sound as they hollow out wood.
Listen to the kids. Have them pinpoint where the sound is coming from. Use a stethoscope to listen for yourself to find the location of ant activity.
Actual ants
Carpenter ants don’t look like the ants you may find in the kitchen or on the pavement outdoors. They’re noticeably larger. Typically, they’re about 6 to 25 mm or 3/8 to 1 inch long. They range in colour from black to brown and may be a mix of both.
If you see these ants indoors, they may be coming from a nearby outdoor colony and are foraging for food. This is an early warning sign that a nest is close by, such as in an old tree or stump, fence post or wood pile. Or possibly within your walls, ceiling or attic.
Do some of the ants have wings? If yes, then you’re likely dealing with an ant nest hidden in your home that’s been there for a few years. The winged ants are called ‘swarmers’ and they leave an established nest in spring to start new colonies.
Seeing any number of winged or foraging carpenter ants in your home is sure sign that you have or are about to have a carpenter ant problem.
Usual bird activity
It’s always a good idea to walk the perimeter of your home to identify and repair issues like rotting wood and degraded materials. And pay attention to the birds. Some eat carpenter ants. If they are pecking on your home, like the molding around a window, they may have found ants.
Understanding how and why the carpenter ants behave will make you better at spotting their activity and eliminating them. Learn more about carpenter ant biology and behaviour.
Where do you find carpenter ants in a home?
Indoors, carpenter ants may build a nest just about anywhere. But they are most attracted to areas with wet, water- or fungus-damaged wood, which is soft and easy to excavate.
Common places where water has leaked or is leaking include
• under sinks or bathtubs
• around windows and door frames
• in crawl spaces
• near downspout elbows
• under the roof where shingles are missing or damaged
• near a chimney with poor flashing
It doesn’t matter if wet wood is located high or low; carpenter ants are drawn to it like a magnet. You can find the ants below grade and in the highest peak of the attic.
Get rid of carpenter ants
If the evidence points to carpenter ant activity, take steps to eliminate them. The longer you wait, the more damage they inflict.
Pest HQ experts suggest you follow these steps to get rid of the pests:
1. Know your enemy. To kill the entire nest of carpenter ants, you need to know how they live, what they need to survive and how they behave. This helps you develop an effective treatment approach. Learn about this carpenter ant biology and behaviour.
2. Find the nest. Carpenter ants typically have a main colony outdoors in an old tree, stump, firewood, landscape timber or fence post. The nest inside your house is likely a satellite nest. Find them both, as well as where they are entering the house, using your knowledge of carpenter ant behavior. Learn how to follow ant trails, which can lead you to the nests.
3. Use a combination of professional-grade products to kill the ants. These include repellents, dusts and ant traps filled with insecticide bait. Apply these products indoors and outdoors to target the ant nests and where they are entering the home. Explore professional-grade ant control products.
4. Repair leaks and damaged wood. Fix what attracted the ants in the first place or a new colony of carpenter ants may find their way into your home.
Order professional-grade products to kill carpenter ants
Order repellents, dusts, sprays, traps and baits online from Pest HQ. Items ship fast or can be picked up at our headquarters: 7 Meridian Rd, Etobicoke, Ontario, Monday – Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.
Have questions about carpenter ants or how to protect your home from these pests? Contact Pest HQ.
Read more:
How to identify carpenter ants
Tips to get rid of carpenter ants
Carpenter ants and what they eat
The best DIY ant killers in Canada
Know when to call a professional pest service
