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Carpenter Ants and their Control

Carpenter ants are very abundant in New York and New Jersey, and are among the most common wood-destroying pests in homes and other buildings.

The most common carpenter ants in our region are the familiar “large, black ants” that are one-half inch or more in length and shiny black. Other species of carpenter ants, however, may be as small as a quarter inch and have varied coloration including red, reddish-brown, and multicolored.

But all carpenter ants have a smoothly rounded thorax ("chest") when viewed from the side, and a single node rising from the pedicel between the thorax and the abdomen.

 

Carpenter Ant Damage

Carpenter ants do not eat wood. Rather, they construct their nests in wood. In nature, they prefer damp wood that is already partially hollow, such as old hollow trees, vacated termite galleries, and fallen timber. In and around human dwellings, they have adapted to living in the structural wood of homes, especially in wall voids, soffits, pipe chases, and other protected void areas. As in nature, they require access to water and a fairly high ambient moisture level to thrive.

Oddly enough, one thing carpenter ants don't absolutely require is wood. They actually can nest in suitable voids in items made from almost any kind of material. Carpenter ants are sometimes found nesting in PVC furniture, inside roller-type window shades, and in electrical conduits and boxes. (Obviously, they don't excavate these materials; they simply inhabit existing voids.)

When carpenter ants do infest and excavate wood, their galleries can be distinguished from those of other wood-destroying insects (such as termites or powderpost beetles) by the clean, smooth, almost sandpapered appearance and the absence of mud from carpenter ant galleries. Over time, they can do considerable damage.

Carpenter ant galleries also typically contain "windows" to the surface of the wood through which they enter and leave the galleries, and through which they eject sawdust and waste.

 

Carpenter Ant Control

Treatment methods for carpenter ants have evolved a great deal over the past few decades. Today's pest management professional has many effective tools to choose from when treating carpenter ants.

When practical, some of the older methods used by professional exterminators for decades are still considered among the best. For example, locating infested timbers and directly treating them with a suitable insecticide product, such as Bora-Care, is as effective and permanent a method now as it ever was.

But finding and treating every infested timber in a house is a very time-consuming, laborious, and expensive process. Newer methods, such as the use of non-repellent liquids and carpenter ant baits available only to professionals, are much less time-consuming and tend to yield excellent control when properly applied.

Sometimes the best approach is to use newer methods are used in conjunction with older methods, such as selective treatment of particularly vulnerable wooden timbers with borate products such as Bora-Care, combined with baiting or non-repellent liquid treatment of other areas.

But whatever the method(s) chosen, some aspects of carpenter ant treatment remain the same. For example, a thorough understanding of carpenter ant biology, the ability to track down their travel routes and identify their nesting areas, and knowledge of the most effective treatment methods that can be used in a given situation, are still crucial to effective treatment. These are why the best, most effective, and usually the least expensive way to treat carpenter ants is to use a professional.

Pest Quest Pest Management offers a one-year warranty on all carpenter ant treatments, with prices for treatment as beginning as low as $225.00 for a small to average-sized home. Please contact us for an individual estimate and professional treatment proposal.