3 Things Every Knoxville Homeowner Should Know About Carpenter Ants

3 Things Every Knoxville Homeowner Should Know About Carpenter Ants

In our Knoxville service area, carpenter ants can be a significant threat. These ants can damage man-made structures as they create places to establish nests. If they chew their way into your Knoxville home, there are three important points you should consider.

1.Carpenter ants aren’t always easy to detect.

This is the big one. If you know a little about carpenter ants, you might think you’ll be able to detect them and stop them before they damage your home. This isn’t always the case. The ways carpenter ants reveal themselves can sometimes go unnoticed:

  • Worker ants. You might think that you’ll see big, black ants crawling around inside your home when these ants get in. Sadly, this is rarely the case. Carpenter ants can find a lot more to eat on the outside of your Knoxville home than they can on the inside. They don’t need to raid your cabinets to get a bite to eat. You may, however, see a random scout every once in a while. If you do, be aware that one scout ant may be the only warning sign you get.
  • Ants outside. You might think that you’re going to see lots of busy little ants around your Knoxville home when carpenter ants get in. Unfortunately, carpenter ants are mostly nocturnal. They’ll be busy while you’re sleeping.
  • Sawdust. If you know that carpenter ants don’t eat wood, you might think that you’ll see sawdust piles when these ants get into your home. Keep in mind that the nocturnal nature of carpenter ants causes them to get into dark places around and inside your home. These are usually areas that are hard to get into.
  • Winged ants. You may think you’ll see flying ants if you have an infestation. The problem with this warning sign is that swarms don’t last for more than 30 minutes and sometimes flying ants take to the air and move right into the next-door neighbor’s yard.

 2. Carpenter ant damage can cause a lot of problems.

Over time, carpenter ants can do a lot of damage. As they weaken timbers, it can put stress on the structure of your Knoxville home and lead to serious damage.

3. Carpenter ants are difficult to control.

Have you ever tried to eliminate ant colonies? It’s hard. And when you’re unsuccessful, it is difficult to know it. This is something you don’t want to do with carpenter ants. The last thing you need is to have these ants continuing to do damage to your home right under your nose.

For ant control in Knoxville, reach out to Russell’s Pest Control. We have the experience and knowledge to help you protect your property and keep ants out.

How To Avoid Carpenter Ants This Spring

How To Avoid Carpenter Ants This Spring

Tis the season again, the season for ants to begin infiltrating our homes. While it is never pleasant to see a few ants, or a few hundred ants, crawling around on our pet’s food dish or a piece of food that was dropped on the floor, it should be especially alarming if you see large black carpenter ants crawling around. And it is important to note that these ants are usually only seen in living areas 1 or 2 at a time. But if you see 1 or 2, there are likely hundreds, or thousands, just out of sight inside the wood of your home.

What Is More Damaging, Termites Or Carpenter Ants?

While it is well-known that termites are the most destructive of all the wood-destroying organisms, carpenter ants should never be ignored. While termites cost U.S. property owners billions of dollars each year and carpenter ant damage is only in the hundreds of millions, that’s still pretty serious. So it is important that we know how to identify these destructive creatures and know what we can do about them before they can do extensive damage.

How To Identify Carpenter Ants And Carpenter Ant Swarmers

Carpenter ants are the largest ants you’ll see inside your home. These black–or dark red–colored ants measure from 7 to 12 mm in length, with winged carpenter ants being as much as 22mm in length.

Ways to tell the difference between any winged ant swarmer (typically called “flying ants”) and termite swarmers are the following: Ant swarmers have elbowed antennae. Termite antennae are straight or slightly bowed. Ant swarmers have a pinched or constricted waist. The waists of termite swarmers are broad. And ant swarmers have a front pair of wings that are longer than the back pair. Termite swarmer wings are similar in length.

What Factors Are Conducive To Carpenter Ant Infestations?

Carpenter ants, like so many other household pests, typically get into homes by way of gaps and cracks in foundations or walls. If wood is wet, or rotting, this makes it even easier for pests to get in. Some things that can cause wood to be wet or rotting include broken or obstructed gutters, leaky spigots or hoses, and areas of overgrown vegetation that holds moisture close to walls and the foundation.

  • To keep carpenter ants from invading, it is important to address these issues.

  • Seal up gaps, cracks or holes in your foundation or walls.

  • Dry up moist areas surrounding your home.

  • Repair or unclog gutters and be sure water is channeled away from your home.

  • Repair any leaky spigots or hoses.

While these DIY steps will help to keep carpenter ants and other pests at bay, the best way to protect your home from these wood-destroying insects is to partner with a professional pest control company. If you live in our Tennessee service area, contact us today to learn more about our residential pest control options.