If you suspect that you have carpenter ants in your home, you need to call Action Pest Control to exterminate them before they can cause more damage.
Carpenter ants got their name due to their tendency to nest within wood. They’re different than termites in that carpenter ants do not actually consume the wood; they simply remove it to create space. A single colony of carpenter ants will contain a range of sizes for its workers but the largest can be half an inch long, making them among the larger insects in the United States.
In addition to size, carpenter ants differ in color, making them hard to distinguish. They can be black, brown, red, tan, and even yellow although you wouldn’t find such a range within one colony. The most common one you’ll find in Ohio is the black carpenter ant.
If you see mounds in the soil, this is not evidence of carpenter ants. Field ants, which are common in Ohio, form the mounds and are dangerous to handle.
Some carpenter ants can fly. They’re known as the winged reproductives. Both males and females can have wings but the females are much larger than the males. After mating, the females emerge from their colonies, and each will start her own colony. This occurs from March all the way into July. The new colonies flourish as the workers collect food and tend to the eggs and larvae. By the time it has matured a colony can contain up to 4,000 individuals. Nests can be found in the wood of houses, most commonly in damp areas like the ones near windows and chimneys but some nests form in dry areas as well such as false beams. An active colony will likely exude an audible rustling that can sometimes be very loud.
Termites
Termites must be exterminated immediately as well. There are various types of termites (worker, queen, swarmer) and life stages, so there are many different-looking bugs that are termites. Swarmers have wings and are attracted to light. Workers cause severe damage to wood. Evidence of wood damage with tunnels and sawdust can mean you have a termite problem. Frequently there is a much greater amount of damage you can’t see than what you can see.