Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Carpenter Ants - How Do I Know if Carpenter Ants Are in My Walls?

About Carpenter Ants

Carpenter Ants are very common in Iowa and they are among the largest ants found in Iowa. Like other ant species they live in colonies and are divided into different castes (workers, queens, males) but unlike most ants found in Iowa they do not build their nests in the ground, carpenter ants build their nests in wood and may be found infesting your home or business.

What do Carpenter Ants Eat?

Carpenter ants are scavengers and eat different types of proteins and sugars. Although carpenter ants will reside in wood they do not eat wood. Often carpenter ants feed on dead insects and honeydew produces by aphids. Carpenter ants mostly forage after sunset and they can travel long distances from their nest in search of food. (Up to 100 yards from nest.)

Where do Carpenter Ants Live?

Carpenter ants live in rotten wood usually. They are often found building nests in old trees, logs, and stumps. They will also build their nest in boards that may be laying on the ground or in stacks of firewood. They often attack soft wood or wood damaged by water. Nests inside walls or in your home are often found near water such as in bathrooms or kitchens. Carpenter ants also commonly will be found around leaky windows. Carpenter ants create their nests in wood by chewing up the wood to make tunnels. They push the wood out of the tunnels so that their tunnels are clean and free of debris.

Are Carpenter Ants in My Walls?

It can be very difficult to tell if carpenter ants have come into your home in search of food and water or if they have established a colony in your walls. If you see ants in the winter months that is a good sign that they have set up residence in your home. If you start to see them in the spring it is most likely they have just come in looking for some food. Since carpenter ants will usually only use damaged or soft wood for their homes pay attention to any area in your home that may have suffered water damage. Also, look for signs of coarse saw dust that carpenter ants push out of their nests. Pay attention to how many carpenter ants you see, if there are just a few there is a good chance that are coming in from outside, if there are twenty or more then they may be in your walls.


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6 comments:

  1. We can find carpenter ants on the soft wood and the place which has suffered from water damage.
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  4. Getting rid of carpenter ant is very difficult. Early identification is very important for saving valuable wooden properties. Thanks for your description.

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  5. This article is very much informative to find out carpenter ants which is roaming in your home. Because,information is essential at first to control ants . When we get information ,then we can take next step.The steps are below:


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