Maintaining your home can seem like a full-time job. There are many things that can go wrong, and cause the need for home repair. One thing that all homeowners hope never happens to them is to have their home invade by wood-destroying insects. One of these insects includes carpenter ants. They can cause damage that will leave you spending thousands of money to get your home repaired after a significant infestation has settled into the walls of your home. A-Tex Pest Management is here to talk about the different stages of carpenter ants damage so that you are aware of what you should be looking for.
Stage One: Carpenter Ant Identification
Hopefully, if you have carpenter ants in your home, you find them during the first stage. As they are setting up their nest in your walls, they will need to find food for the colony. This means they will be out and about foraging for it. If you find that you see even one carpenter ant in your home, you need to call a professional pest control specialist right away. Where there is one, there are usually hundreds, if not thousands, more of them. They are largely black or brown ants that can be up to ½ inch long and are the largest ant in the U.S. If you see these scouts, you can hopefully get rid of the colony before they do damage to your home.
Stage Two: Sawdust/Frass from Carpenter Ants
As carpenter ants establish their nest, they will be hollowing out the wood within the walls of your home to make room for their colony. As they do this, they will kick out holes that lead to their tunnels. Carpenter ants aren’t like termites in that they don’t actually each wood. They will simply chew it up and spit it out. This is called frass and looks a lot like sawdust. You may find it in corners and areas that they are gaining access.
Stage Three: Flying Carpenter Ants
This is similar to stage one as it consists of seeing the ants themselves, but if you see flying carpenter ants outside the windows of your home, it means you probably have a carpenter ant problem nearby. These swarming ants are looking to establish more nests.
Stage Four: Carpenter Damage; Weakened Structure
When a carpenter ant infestation is allowed to go unchecked for a long period of time, they will build so many tunnels and galleries within the structure of your home that they weaken the structure. This is the most significant form of destruction and can end up costing thousands in property damage. This may present itself as stuck windows, sloping floors, sinking ceilings and bulging walls.
Ant Inspections, Control & More in Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville, Cedar Park & Austin Texas
If you notice that you have carpenter ants anywhere on your property, it is important that you call on the professionals at A-Tex Pest Management to help you get rid of them before you are facing significant damage to your home. Call us today!