Carpenter Ant Exterminators in Puyallup, WA.
One of the services that we offer at Independent Pest Solutions is carpenter ant control services. Our expert pest control technicians know how to deal with carpenter ants and similar pests. We bring our experience to every job that we take on, ensuring that each client receives effective pest control for their property. We know that no two properties or buildings are going to be exactly the same, so we create specific treatment plans for each client. When it comes to carpenter ants, it’s crucial that the pest control is thorough and done properly so the ants don’t rear their heads again.
So, what exactly is a carpenter ant (ants from the genus Camponotus)? They are one of the largest types of American ant, and are between 3.4 millimeters and 13 millimeters long. They are usually black in color, but some species of carpenter ants can be shades of red, brown, tan, or yellow. Even among the same species of carpenter ant, there is color variation. Some are multiple colors, such as red and black. So that they can properly chew wood, worker carpenter ants have large mandibles. Worker carpenter ants do not have wings, but reproductive castes do. If you see winged carpenter ants, they may be swarmers looking for a location to build a nest.
Carpenter ant diet does not consist of wood, as many people believe. Termites are the ones that eat wood. Carpenter ants don’t actually eat wood, they just chew it up to tunnel through it. After removing the wood, they’ll deposit the debris from it outside of their nests. Their actual diet is similar to other species of ants; carpenter ants are foragers and will eat most things they can get ahold of, such as sweet foods, crumbs, other bugs, and bits of meat. This means that human homes are prime locations for finding sustenance.
As far as their habitat, carpenter ants like to live in wood that is decaying, hollow, and/or moist. They can take up residence indoors or outdoors. When carpenter ants are living in nature, they tend to like living in trees, rotting logs, wood fences, siding, railroad ties, wooden landscape edging, and stumps. Anywhere where there is wood partially or completely buried in dirt or in contact with the soil is an ideal place for this type of ant to live.
Carpenter Ant Control
Unfortunately, carpenter ants don’t just live in nature. They may create nests inside of buildings and homes where there is wood, especially if that wood is water-damaged. Unlike dampwood termites, another species we see here in the Pacific Northwest, carpenter ants do not require wood to be moisture-compromised. Water-damaged wood is easier to chew and is therefore appealing to them. Carpenter ants can (and will!) target sound wood. However, wood damaged by water on your property could be an open invitation for carpenter ants to move in. A great way to prevent a carpenter ant infestation is to keep wood on your property from being in contact with the ground. Take steps to keep moisture from accumulating on your fences or siding by making sure grass, beauty bark, and soil are not touching them.
Carpenter ants, as you may have guessed, got their name because they like to build their colonies in excavated spaces in wood. They burrow galleries from wood to form their nests in, complete with passageways to the different areas of the nest. Carpenter nests are not lined with moist soil or mud like some other pests, such as termites. They clean their nesting sites, creating smooth wood interiors.
There are two different types of nests that carpenter ants build, which are called satellite colonies and parent colonies. The difference is the types of ants that they are composed of. Satellite colonies have pupae, more mature larvae, and workers. On the other hand, parent colonies have the queen, her brood of eggs and larvae, and worker ants. Queens lay many eggs every year, and can live to almost three decades old. The worker ants will branch out and make satellite colonies when there isn’t enough space in the parent colony. They also do so when there is a lack of food or water supply. A parent colony may have multiple satellite colonies.
Carpenter ants engage in a behavior known as swarming. When carpenter ant colonies get large enough, winged ants capable of reproduction called alates will start hatching. Alates swarm, go on a mating flight, and then let the wind carry them to branch out and establish new colonies. Swarming usually happens in late spring or early summer, but as long as the right conditions are met, it can occur. If the ants are infesting a building that has a fairly stable temperature, then seasonal weather may not affect the colony very much. If you see a lot of swarmer carpenter ants, then it means that there is a large nest nearby that they’re coming from. If you start seeing a bunch of winged ants, you should reach out to Independent Pest Solutions before the problem worsens.
There are many indicators that can help people realize that they have a carpenter ant problem on their property. Because carpenter ants are organisms that destroy wood, they leave a lot of messy debris behind. Their actual nests are clean, but that means they dump everything unwanted outside the nest in piles. Carpenter ant activity can leave behind wood shavings, waste, fecal matter, and sawdust mixed with pieces of dead ants, which may be the first sign alerting you that you have an infestation on your hands. It can also help you find where their nests are.
Reach out to Independent Pest Solutions. We will find the carpenter ant nest so that we can lay out a carpenter ant control treatment plan. We use advanced techniques that are effective without causing harm to the environment. The key to getting rid of ants is to break their life cycle so that they don’t come back. When people attempt ant control on their own, they often end up taking the incorrect steps. This warns the ants of a thread and allows them to double down to increase their chances of survival. This is why it’s important to have your pest control done by an expert.
It’s crucial that you do not ignore potential signs of carpenter ant infestation. Other types of ants, such as sugar ants, will usually only cause damage to your food supply. Carpenter ants, however, can cause significant structural damage to your home or other building. The earlier that you catch the problem and get in touch with Independent Pest Solutions, the better your outcome will be. You don’t want the ants to be freely whittling away at your home for any longer. You also don’t want to give the carpenter ants time to swarm and create more colonies on your property. It’s much easier to stop the problem while it’s still on the small side.
For Puyallup carpenter ant control services, you can rely on Independent Pest Solutions. We will get rid of the carpenter ants, and then implement measures to prevent future infestations. We have the best pest control technicians around. Not only do we offer pest control services, but we are skilled at restoring attics and crawlspaces afterward so that there’s no sign that pests were ever there. Reach out to us as soon as possible if you suspect that you have carpenter ants, or any other type of pesky pests.