Carpenter ants are a type of wood-boring ant that is native to North America. They can be found in most regions of the US. These ants do not eat wood; instead, they use it as a building material for their nests. Carpenter ant infestations can create significant structural problems by hollowing out wood from within and weakening structures from the outside. Fortunately, there are many effective treatments available for carpenter ant control, including baits and sprays that kill these insects on contact or prevent them from entering homes in the first place. The following article discusses the habits and habitats of carpenter ants, and it provides guidelines for controlling and preventing infestations in homes.
Additionally, these ants will have functional mouthparts – meaning they can chew and taste with their mouthparts. Adult carpenter ants have a black, shiny body about 1/8 to 3/8 inches long. The first segment of the thorax of a carpenter ant will be larger than the others, and they also have huge eyes. While some might mistake these insects as termites at first glance, you should look for one distinguishing feature that will separate the two. Termites have tiny eyes, while carpenter ants have larger ones.
How to Identify Carpenter Ants
The carpenter ant is a type of pest many people struggle to identify. To help you determine whether or not an insect in your home is a carpenter ant, there are some guidelines that you should follow. The first thing to look for is the antennae. Carpenter ants will have antennae that will either be ten times the size of the body or that will be plumose – meaning they can be up to two times longer than the body.
The anatomy of a carpenter ant is very distinctive and will include a large head, a bent waist, and a whiplike tail.
Additionally, these ants will have functional mouthparts – meaning they can chew and taste with their mouthparts. Adult carpenter ants have a black, shiny body about 1/8 to 3/8 inches long. The first segment of the thorax of a carpenter ant will be larger than the others, and they also have huge eyes. While some might mistake these insects as termites at first glance, you should look for one distinguishing feature that will separate the two. Termites have tiny eyes, while carpenter ants have larger ones.
The final thing to look for when identifying carpenter ants in their nests. Carpenter ants typically make their nest in wood and will often leave sawdust behind as they chew through the wood.
Where to Find Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are a type of ant that is also referred to as a wood ants. There are multiple species of carpenter ants, all of which have a continental distribution. They are most commonly found in the southern and eastern parts of the United States and the Canadian provinces.
Carpenter ants are so named because they inhabit moist habitats in forests and build their nests in wood. They prefer humid, wet environments like those found in forests and near rivers and lakes. They usually tunnel through the woods to build a nest in some decayed log or hollow tree trunk.
While most Carpenter Ant nests are found in trees, they might also be found under stones, stumps, and the dead parts of plants. Some need to combine decayed wood or plant material with exposed damp areas rich in humus. But as they build colonies in homes and buildings, they’ll go for any dark and wet space that’s just right.
Some Carpenter Ant colonies can be composed of thousands of worker ants, while others may contain just one queen ant, several dozen larvae, and no workers. Because there are so many different types of Carpenter Ants, their jobs also vary.
Some take care of the queen ant, while others will be tasked with gathering food for the whole colony. The chambers and tunnels of the nest are built by joining their bodies together and rubbing against one another, thus creating a solid carton-like substance similar to paper.
What Attracts Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants love wet and/or moldy wood, so if there is a moisture issue in any part of your home (which you should be able to tell), then those areas will attract these pests.
Other possible attractants include household foods, pet foods, and a wide range of protein-based or carbohydrate-based foods. Common protein-based attractants include meats, eggs, dried milk products, and eggs, while some common carbohydrates attracting ants might be grains, cereals, bread, pasta, and sweets.
Carbohydrates are ants’ primary energy source, while proteins provide building materials and other necessities. Sugar is commonly found in carpenters’ ant homes and nests.
Depending on age, carpenter ants can consume up to their body weight daily. This means that if an ant weighs 1/10 of a gram, it will eat at least 1 gram of food daily. This is why ants are commonly seen carrying bits of food back to the nest.
Carbohydrates are quickly converted into glucose, used as energy by the ant’s body to produce heat and power movement. Protein is used to build the ant’s exoskeleton and be converted into other essential substances such as enzymes and hormones.
How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants
One of the best ways to eliminate ants is to eliminate the food source. This is where you need to start by removing any crumbs or cooking grease on your countertop or stove and vacuuming up any trails they may have created. Ants cannot survive without food, so this is a quick and easy solution.
You can also place banana peels at the base of your counter, where your legs meet the floor. This will help eliminate ants that are crawling up from inside your home.
Next, you need to eliminate any moisture in your kitchen. Ants need water just like we do, and since they can’t find it on their own, they use trails to lead them to a source. You must ensure your sink is turned off completely and that your dishwasher has been run at least once daily. If you have a leaky faucet, fix it as soon as possible.
You will also want to try lining the bottom of your cabinets with cinnamon or coffee grounds. You can also get a chalkboard and write “Ants Not Welcome” around it. This will deter them from entering the area from the beginning. If you have a pet, ensure they are not bringing any food in from outside.
You can also try spraying your cabinets with peppermint oil mixed with water. Ants despise the smell of peppermint, so this is an effective method. It would help if you also tried placing bay leaves or dried cloves around your home to help prevent ants from coming near the area.
If you have tried all these methods and still can’t seem to get rid of the ant infestation, another option could help. A professional ants exterminator! You may need to contact pest control in Boise at the first sign If your problem occurs on a larger scale or is more persistent.