Like all insects, carpenter ants are cold blooded insects. They congregate around dead trees and other hidden places during the winter and search for food in the warmer spring and summer months.
It’s during this time, as the sun shines through your home windows, you’ll notice carpenter ants on your hardwood or linoleum floor. They are red or black ants that vary in length from 4 to 25 mm. They are in search for for carbohydrate-rich foods.
Carpenter ants are omnivorous. They can eat a wide variety of plants and animal foods, including sweets, fruits, sweets such as syrup and jam, and meat. Despite what their name implies, they cannot process wood cellulose like termites.
Typically, when a person spots a carpenter ant inside their home, they assume the worst. They fear a swarming, thriving ant colony is breeding within the house near damp areas. This is rarely the case. Carpenter ants live in hollow trees, landscaping timbers, logs, and soil, and will march hundreds of metres or more from their colony in search of food.
According to experts there’s a 90% likelihood the ants are only passing through.
The 10% exception is houses with decaying wood structures due to an ongoing moisture problem. Carpenter ants will burrow and nest inside the moist, decaying wood. Evidence of them nesting in your home may include small holes and trails of sawdust.
If these signs of infestation are visible, structural damage will probably be extreme. You’ll want to contact a licensed pest extermination company for advice.
At Ultimate Pest Control in Edmonton, Alberta, we specialize in dealing with Carpenter Ants Infestation. Our prices are reasonable and service unsurpassed!