Ants are small, communal insects living in colonies that can sometimes reach hundreds of thousands of members. Their bodies are split into three distinct sections, head, thorax, and abdomen, as well as sporting a set of impressive-looking mandibles, antennae, and three pairs of legs. A cornerstone of our ecosystem, ants aerate the soil and help to decompose the vegetation around us.
Most ant species are harmless, more of a disgusting annoyance than a threat. Carpenter ants in Rockville, on the other hand, are outshined only by termites when it comes to the costly damage they can inflict on our homes and often require an intervention from a carpenter ant pest control specialist before serious damage to the structure of the house occurs.
Let's take a look at how you can identify a carpenter ant infestation, problems to watch out for if they are infesting your home, why ants develop an interest in your home, and how an experienced Rockville pest control professional will go about clearing them out of your residence.
How To Identify Carpenter Ants Around Your Home
Carpenter ants are widespread throughout the continental United States. While not the most common ant species in our area, they're definitely at the top of the heap regarding the amount of damage they can inflict on your home.
Carpenter ants are on the larger side, 1/2 to 5/8 inches long, with reddish brown to black colored bodies.
Some of the signs of carpenter ants in your Rockville home are:
- Small round holes in the wood
- Tiny piles of sawdust by the holes that serve as an entrance to their tunneled-out colonies
- Flying carpenter ants around your house
- Shed swarmer wings that found by the windows or door seals
Unlike termites, carpenter ants don't feed on cellulose, and you can often spot them rummaging around looking for food to carry back to the nest. The key to effective carpenter ant control in your house is to have an experienced Rockville ant control professional involved in the early stages of the infestation before serious damage to your home happens.
A Carpenter Ant Infestation In Your Home Can Cause Many Problems
All ants are likely to contaminate your food and surfaces they travel on, with carpenter ants sporting a well-known sweet tooth. Unlike other ant species, carpenter ants in your house can also threaten the integrity of the wooden members of the home structure.
To construct their colonies, carpenter ants tunnel through wood, creating galleries that can, given enough time, weaken your house's walls and other structural wooden members.
How And Why Carpenter Ants Find Their Way Into Homes
Carpenter ants, like most other ant species, make their way into your home, looking for access to food, water, and a comfortable environment to build a nest. They crawl in through the cracks in the walls and foundation, damaged window and door screens, or fly in during the warmer season.
For a homeowner, the best way to prevent a carpenter ant infestation is to keep the food they're attracted to out of reach, ensure there are no water leaks to grab the ant's attention and keep the outside of your home impenetrable to insects.
Call The Pros At The First Sign Of Carpenter Ants in Your House
At Womack Pest Control, we've been helping Rockville residents keep their homes ant free since 1943.We've got the tools, know-how, and experience to clear carpenter ants out of your house and ensure they're not coming back. If you have a carpenter ant infestation, give us a call to get started and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Rockville.