Ants like mice are really cute and funny in cartoon movies. But if you have and ant infestation you will not be laughing. In fact, you may be crying. Ants can overtake an area quickly. They carry diseases and live off of water and food that may be left out over night. Ever try to picnic? Ants will find the food and ruin your day outside. If they get into your home, they can also not only be unsightly, but pesky destroyers of worlds - YOURS!

Of all ant species, carpenter ants can be the worst because they are the most destructive. Carpenter ants account for the most damage of all ants when it comes to property damage. Because the eat and destroy wood to build their colonies and nests, they have become known as "carpenter" ants. To determine if you have carpenter ants, look for smooth tunnels in the wood. If the tunnels are smooth, then you have carpenter ants and need to call an exterminator as soon as possible, or the damage will spread..

Carpenter ants usually get into buildings through cracks in the frames of doors and windows, holes that have been drilled to run wiring, and often through wet and damaged wood. Ants are extremely resilient. They will crawl along overhead wires, in and around shrubs, up and onto tree limbs, and virtually anything that touches a building no matter how high up off the ground it may be. Although carpenter ants first look for and find wet, decayed and dying wood, they can also build heir nests on dry wood. 
Carpenter ants are larger than most other ant types. Ranging in size from one-quarter inch to up to three-quarters of an inch.  They can be black or red, and sometimes are a combination of both.

How To Prevent Ants From Moving In

The best way to prevent ants from moving into your home is to take away what they need to survive in your home. Here are some things you can do...

1. Ants need water to survive. Eliminate any water source and any standing water on your property. The use of a dehumidifier can remove the moistness in basements and lower levels of the home, as well as crawl spaces and attics
2. Trim Shrubs and Tree branches so they are away from the home. Doing this will take away a travel path into your home that ants will use if it exists.
3. Use a silicone caulking to fill in gaps around doors, windows, and foundations that invite these little critters
4. Keep firewood and building materials 20 feet from your home and at least 5 inches off the ground.
5. Inspect your home regularly looking for small gaps and sawdust that are tell tell signs of carpenter ant activity.

If That Doesn't Work...

Give the professionals at Pest Control of Carmel a call.
​We can help!