Problems That Carpenter Ants Can Cause

Problems That Carpenter Ants Can Cause
Generally speaking all ants are considered to be pests in the home. If you had some knowledge of ants and had to decide which was the worst species you have seen most would point to the Fire ant. Sugar ants pose no great risk to people or structures and are merely more of a nuisance. Carpenter ants sit in between the two varieties as yes given time they can cause a mass amount of damage but their progress is generally slow and as such can be dealt with quite easily.

No one likes the idea of having an ant infestation and added to that the fact that Carpenter ants carve their nests into the wooden structures of your home only help to add to the negative perceptions that they receive. That is not to say that Carpenter ants are not a pest, they are, but outside of the home they should be left well alone and free to do as they please. Only if they start to build colonies in your home should you consider taking measures to remove them.

Structural integrity in your home could be at risk from Carpenter ants if they are given enough time to spread. They have strong jaws that are adapted especially for their favorite environment, living inside wood. That said they do tend to prefer damp or rotting wood as it seems their expansions can go quicker. Checking parts of your home that have recently or continually suffer water damage would be prudent. The second stage of damage your structures can suffer is not necessarily from the ants themselves but as the wood gains more air flow through it the chance of mildew and rot forming increases which in effect could accelerate deterioration.

Aesthetically speaking, damage from Carpenter ants is not a pretty thing to behold. Besides the sight of the ants themselves in your home they will often leave trails behind them as the move objects in and out of the nest. You may find that you suddenly have sawdust raining down from your ceiling as the ants expend their colony blindly into any wood they can find.

Discovering you have an infestation of Carpenter ants can be a scary experience but you should always take a moment to survey the situation properly. If it seems that the infestation is beyond your control it would be prudent to seek out some professional advice from your local pest control agent.