The bad news about carpenter ants is that it can wreak havoc at home however the good news is that you can easily find their presence and by taking suitable measures you can eradicate them too.
Having said this still, all these fourmis charpentières (English Meaning is carpenter ants) can manage to damage your house structure. Therefore, remember it is very important to take immediate steps to address any kind of infestation of this insect, the moment you notice their presence.
The following are few signs that may indicate that your home has been infested by carpenter ants:
- Window holes can be seen where you can find slit-like holes present in the wood.
- You can notice sawdust or lots of piles of wooden shavings, a few dead insects, also other debris lying at outside holes.
- Plenty of ants gathered under the sinks, particularly in those areas where moisture is present.
- Trails of ants.
- Behind the walls, you can hear dry rustling noises.
Carpenter ants normally prefer softwood or any rotting timbers but often they are quite known for moving into any sound woods too. When they do that then they can weaken your support beams and may cause the structure to warp. This can be compared to any damage done by termites.
However, spotting any carpenter ant damage will be relatively easier as compared to spotting any damage done by termites because:
- Carpenter ants will produce frass that can always be found in those areas where these carpenter ants are merrily doing damage.
- Usually, subterranean termites will die when they will remain exposed for long into the air but carpenter ants do not have such limitations. They can easily come out from their tunnels and also crawl all-around as they like. While doing this, they can easily create visible damage. Such kind of damage resembles as if someone pierced a knife into the wood.
- Normally, carpenter ant damage will start in such a location where the wood has already been damaged due to water. This can help track down these carpenter ants much easily as compared to termites.
- Often carpenter ants will tend to target exterior structures of any wooden part while they will attack your home. Normally, you can see various damage done by them at the base portion of fence posts or on wooden borders for the flower beds available on the supports meant for your patio or deck, etc.
