There are several signs of carpenter ants that you may hear and see. If you find any of the signs below, be sure to contact a pest professional right away.
Live ants. Carpenter ants are nocturnal. They’ll move in and out of your house at night to feed. So go outside at night and use a flashlight preferably with a red cellophane filter over the glass) to search for ants moving in the same general path (foraging trail). Check the foundation, stairs, deck, porch, landscaping timbers, utility wires, and branches of trees and shrubs that touch the house.
Carpenter Ants in the House
Sawdust. Look for small piles of sawdust “frass” inside your home. Check corners near walls, inside walls from attic to basement, windows, skylights. (Termites do not leave sawdust behind.)
Noise. Listen for the sounds of their activity in the walls which sounds like crinkling cellophane in the wall voids.
Nests. Search for their nests in wall voids beneath window sills, inside doors, and under fiberglass insulation. Check hollow staircase railings, even inside wooden curtain rods. The ants first create a main colony (nest). As their population grows, carpenter ants form satellite nests, which may be inside or outside. Outdoor nests are usually near the house. Look along the chimney where it joins the house, especially if the chimney is covered with ivy.
Debris. Try to find distinct piles of debris that contain insect parts and pieces of pupal cases discarded by worker ants. Look under sills and insulation and near openings in secluded walls (cupboards, closets).
Winged Adults. During the winter and early spring, look for winged adults inside, near windows. If you find any winged adults, that means there is a nest indoors because carpenter ants are generally found no more than 30 feet from their nest. Carpenter ants during the winter would not normally emerge if the nest is outdoors.
Trails. Look for live ants outside during the day. Ants avoid sunlight, so search the shady sides of linear objects (garden hoses, picket fences, under logs). Also check branches that touch the ground. Follow their trails inside, along pipes and electrical wires. Carpenter ants sometimes follow straight routes and leave scent trails.
As the weather warms up, do not worry about a carpenter ant infestation. Contact Thomas Pest Services who will address your ant problem quickly using the most up to date technologies to exterminate the carpenter ant nests. Contact your Ballston Spa ant removal specialists, whether it’s one ant, ten ants, piles of sawdust or other signs of ants. Do not let these insects continue to damage your structure, contact Thomas Pest Services for a free inspection.