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The Other Home Eater...And It's Not Termites.
07/08/2012
Ants can be really annoying. Whether it's crashing a picnic, running around your kitchen sink, or building unsightly mounds in your grass and driveway. But there is another ant that is not only an annoyance, but can be dangerous to your home as well.
Carpenter ants are one of the largest species found throughout Maryland and the United States and they love to chew through wood as their name suggests. They are characterized by their large black bodies in or around the home. You may only see a handful of them at one time. Carpenter ants, like most other species of ants, are social insects, meaning they will live and interact with their own kind in fairly large numbers.
One of the most common misconceptions about carpenter ants is that they eat wood. This is false. Carpenter ants, unlike termites, do not eat wood but in fact use their strong mandibles to excavate the wood in order to create nesting sites. These sites serve as main nesting sites or can be satellite sites interlinked with the original. As a carpenter ant burrows, it leaves behind sawdust-like material called "frass." Termites are pests that eat wood and leave behind moist soil and mud where they burrow. The wooden homes and passageways of carpenter ants are clean, smooth, and look almost sandpapered.
Although these ants are not directly dangerous to humans, their excavating habits can be devastating to homes, apartments, and businesses. They venture indoors to find food debris and water inside kitchens and bathrooms. These ants can enter through eaves, door frames, window frames and around plumbing and utility lines. Most carpenter colonies naturally occur outdoors in trees or moist or hollow wood, they are most likely to be attracted to windows, decks, and porches because of their vulnerability to moisture.
Fighting these carpenter creepy crawlies is no small task. Carpenter ants spread and create new nests at an alarming rate. If you don't eradicate every nest, they are very likely to rebound and create new satellite colonies. Do it yourself methods may show some results, but are not as effective as the bi-monthly pest control service from American Pest. A combination of integrated pest management with environmentally friendly sprays and dusts, keep carpenter ants out and away from your home.
If you are having problems with carpenter ants, or any other pests, contact the qualified professionals at American Pest for a free quote and inspection.
