You found a carpenter ant in your home, now what? The first thing to do is not to panic. There are plenty of people everyday who are facing the same problem. The real test of whether you should worry has to do with the additional questions you should be asking yourself. Is this the first time you found a carpenter ant in your home? Do you see ants with wings? Do you see sawdust of any kind? Answering yes to these questions is a good start to figuring out if you have a problem.
As you know finding a carpenter ant is a relatively common occurrence in CT. This is especially true in areas that are very wooded, but is it really the first time you’ve seen ants? I’ve been in the pest control industry for 25 years and more often than not I find that it isn’t. Many people panic at the beginning of spring when they first start to see ants. When the numbers dwindle all is forgotten. If this happens year after year it’s a sure sign of a carpenter ant colony in your home.
The next question to answer is, do you see ants with wings? All ants have wings in their reproductive form, but so do termites. To really be sure you have a carpenter ant in your home you need to rule out termites. The difference in wing structure and size is profound between the two. The eastern subterranean termite has 4 wings all of equal length. The wings are a translucent color. In comparison the carpenter ant has 4 wings, but 2 are long and 2 are short. Further, carpenter ant wings are a brownish color.
The last bit of detective work you’ll need to do is to look for sawdust or frass it can be found in a variety of places. The most common are at window frames, door frames, below baseboards and on the floor of an unfinished basement. If you think you found this type of sawdust then there’s most certainly a carpenter ant colony within your home.
If after all your detective work you’re convinced that you’ve got carpenter ants then the best ting to do is to call a reliable local exterminator. Not all extermination companies are created equal so be sure to ask for proof of insurance and how long they’ve been in business.
If you or someone you know has a pest problem Envirocare Pest Control can help. Call 1-888-879-6481 for all your CT pest control needs.