Are carpenter ants a threat to homeowners? Yes. These insects cause structural damage by chewing through wood and other structural elements in residential and commercial properties. Carpenter ants get their nutrition from wood pulp and other building materials like insulation and drywall.
If you suspect you have a carpenter ant infestation at your home or business, contact Bugs A to Z today.
Why Are Carpenter Ants a Threat to Woodland Hill Homeowners?
Carpenter ants aren’t a danger to humans like other biting or stinging insects. They spend their time chewing wood, especially soft or moist wood. While they prefer rotting wood, they will eat solid wood, like studs and planks in homes and on decks.
Carpenter Ants Cause Structural Damages
If they get into your home, especially into the space between interior and exterior walls, carpenter ants can destroy the wood studs holding up your home. If they chew through enough wood, your home’s walls can become structurally weak and could cause walls and ceilings to collapse.
Carpenter ants aren’t as threatening as termites because they leave signs of their work behind. After they chew on the wood, they create a waste product called frass. The wood remnants end up on floors and walls, alerting homeowners that they’ve got a carpenter ant problem.
Carpenter Ants Are a Hidden Threat
Unfortunately, some homeowners never see frass or other signs of carpenter ants. Sometimes, carpenter ants can live for years inside of a home, chewing on wood and weakening the home’s structural supports.
Carpenter Ants Can Be a Sign of Other Issues
Before carpenter ants enter a home, they need to find a weak point of entry. They need to be able to burrow into wood to build a colony. If a colony gets into your home, your home might have weak spots in the foundation or rotting wood they want to eat. Carpenter ants often eat wood that termites once inhabited. They also move into any wood with significant water damage.
Carpenter Ants Can Attract Other Pests
Other pests consider carpenter ants tasty treats, so they might move into your home to eat the smorgasbord of ants between the walls. Spiders, like the black widow and brown recluse, eat carpenter ants. These spiders can bite humans, so it’s crucial to eliminate carpenter ants before they attract more pests. If you are bitten by either of these spiders, you should get medical attention.
Some rodents also eat ants as a source of protein, and they can cause significant structural damage to homes if they get into the walls. Bats also eat ants. These flying insect eaters can spread rabies, and their waste is toxic.
What Attracts Carpenter Ants?
Carpenter ants have a preferred environment that includes damp, moist, and rotting wood. They often walk over solid, dry wood to get to the rotting stumps and damp firewood. But, they will stop and eat dry wood.
The pesky and destructive ants also eat food messes, especially sweet, fatty, and protein-filled food. They will eat pet food. An easy way to prevent ants is to store your food in sealed containers off of the ground.
If you find carpenter ants in your home, even if you’ve done what you can to prevent infestations, having a professional pest control technician inspect your home is the best choice.
Say Goodbye to Carpenter Ants Today!
Rather than letting carpenter ants destroy your home, let the expert exterminators at Bugs A to Z craft a pest control plan. They can safely remove carpenter ants and other pests from your home and help you prevent their return. Call our expert ant exterminators today!
