How To Tell If You Have A Carpenter Ant Problem On Your Redding Property

Carpenter ants can be a serious problem on your property, especially if they invade your home without you even knowing it. Understanding the signs of carpenter ants on your Redding property is essential to dealing with these pests.

The Problem With Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are one of the largest ant species around. They are easily recognizable by their black or reddish bodies and strong jaws. They use these jaws for tunneling through the wood – hence the name carpenter ants. Their favorite nesting places are in decaying woodpiles, tree stumps, moist wooden areas around your home such as window sills, and internal wooden structures. 

Carpenter ants can bring about a significant amount of destruction to your property due to the way they are constantly tunneling through wood to create their nests. The more these ants multiply in your home, the more likely you are to encounter hollow walls, floors, and ceilings, which can lead to both costly repairs and a dangerous living situation. You may also fall victim to carpenter ant bites if these insects feels threatened by your presence near their nest.

Keep an eye out for some signs of carpenter ants that indicate these pests have infiltrated your home.

• Carpenter ants will chew through the wooden areas of your home and leave behind piles of shavings that are known as frass. You can find frass clinging to many areas of your home, including along windowsills, near baseboards, along door frames, or anywhere else that carpenter ants may be entering the internal structures of your house.
• Witnessing winged ants around your property or shed wings around your home is a major sign that carpenter ants are starting to move in. Winged ants are usually reproductive carpenter ants that have broken off from their main colony to create a new colony on your property. They may be found near areas of moist wood such as along windowsills and door frames, as these are prime entry targets for carpenter ants.
• After carpenter ants enter your home, they will start to tunnel through internal wooden structures to create their nests, typically resulting in a soft rustling noise from the walls. You will hear this noise mostly at night due to the nocturnal behavior of these ants.

Carpenter ants will usually enter your building by sneaking through gaps or cracks in your property’s windows, doors, or foundation. They do this in pursuit of food, water, or shelter. They may also drop down onto buildings from overhanging branches or make their way in through any moist wood that leads into your house.

Professional Carpenter Ant Control

To prevent carpenter ants, you can follow some of these expert tips:

• Seal entry points around your home, such as gaps in doors, windows, and the foundation. Also, invest in updated weatherstripping and door sweeps.
• Dispose of all food waste and trash properly, store leftover food promptly, and clean up food or drink spills immediately.
• Keep branches and bushes trimmed back away from your home to prevent ants from crawling over and dropping onto your property.

Keep in mind that the best way to deal with carpenter ants is to contact Jefferson Pest Control. Our pest professionals will target carpenter ants at the source, fully removing an infestation before it causes you major problems and major damage.