Carpenter Ant Extermination
Carpenter Ant Extermination and Management
One of the most damaging insects Maine residents encounter are Carpenter Ants. In contrast to some insects that carry with them the risk of disease and health issues like Browntail Moths, Ticks, Mosquitos, or Stinging insects like Wasps.
Carpenter Ants can give a property owner a pretty serious case of anxiety with the costly damage that they can do to our homes and structures.
Although these insects do not actually eat wood but chew it to create their homes called galleries the damage can be extensive and very costly. This is the primary reason Carpenter Ants enter our structures, to create or excavate these spaces to live in called galleries.
Whether or not they actually eat wood or chew wood, the end result is damaged studs, sill plates, window frames, and weakened structural components.
Many times they are attracted to our homes and structures because of an issue with moisture which makes these excavations easier to accomplish. Although they can and do find food in our structures it is NOT the reason they come in. It is to find and create shelter.
Social Groupings
With Carpenter ants we encounter 2 types of social groupings or Colonies with one type, the Satelite Colony being the most common in our buildings. The Satelite Colonies contain workers, larger larvae, and pupae and communicate during the Warmer months with the Main Colony called the Parent colony. The Parent Colony comprises the eggs, small developing larvae, and all important Queen.
Although Parent Colonies can be encountered in our structures it is far more common for them to be outside the building in the woodland environment. However, to think of these two types of colonies as seperate would be a mistake for they are intricately tied together in a complex social interaction with movement and communication between the two.
Carpenter Ants in Maine
Here in Maine the Winter is the barrier to this connection and Carpenter Ants in the Winter come into a much slowed metabolic state of affairs.
To survive the Cold environmental conditions here in Maine these insects like so many other life forms go into a type of state similar to hibernation which in Carpenter ants is called Diapause. They produce a type of anti- freeze consisting of glycerol or glycerin to assist in their Winter survival.
However, Carpenter ants can be active in our homes in Winter but in an altered state with lower levels of this chemical than Ants which are in a complete outside environment. This can dramatically alter their behavior, within the home in Winter and make attempts at treatment far more challenging, even for a professional PCO.
In this case finding the actual colony and treating it directly is critical, far more so than in the warmer months. The feeding process in ants or Trophallaxis is quite interesting and stops in the Colder months. During this state the ants feed off the stomach contents as a clear nutrient rich fluid vomit to feed the other ant castes.
Carpenter Ant Prevention
Prevention of a Carpenter Ant infestation occurring organically is not always possible but there are certain things one can do to reduce the chances of an occurrence.
- Water leaks anywhere in the home should be addressed, openings in foundations, gaps where pipes or conduit enter the home should be sealed.
- Tree limbs which touch the building should be trimmed and bushes or plantings around the home should allow for a clean open border of 3 -6 feet.
- Any mulch should not be too thick, generally 2-3 inches deep is good.
- Rain gutters should be cleaned on a regular basis to prevent water intrusion. Appropriate ventilation is important as well especially in the cellar and attic.
One of the most common questions I have received in my 17 years as a Master Commercial Pest Operator is how do we know if the ants we are seeing in our home are Carpenter Ants? Well the answer to that is pretty simple.
If you are seeing different size ants together, especially if one of the sizes are the large ants, you have carpenter ants. Unlike some other common ants like Little Black ants which appear as 1 size and are called monomorphic, one /body, Carpenter ants are polymorphic, many/ bodies, so when you see these different size ants together its almost always Carpenter ants.
In addition to size another indication of your ants being C. Ants is directional behavior. C.A.’s especially outside, will move in a specific direction most times. This many times manifest in them moving up your foundation and siding with the key spots often being the corners of your structure many times on the warmest or sunniest corner of the building.
Colonies
Another important question I receive is how long has the colony been in my home? Although this cannot always be answered simply there are indicators to guide you. If frass or commonly referred to by the public as sawdust is found especially in larger quantities and in multiple locations that is one indicator the problem has been going on for awhile.
Another good indicator are seeing winged ants. We refer to these as winged flyers, male alates, reproductives, or swarmers. Whatever they are called when seen they are a good indication of a mature colony, usually 3-5 years old.
Ant colonies with advancing maturity will need to expand their colonies kind of like the parents kicking the 18 year old teenager out of the house and telling them to find a new home!
In actuality after a Carpenter ant colony reaches this mature state, usually around 5-10 thousand individuals it will produce a large number of flying male ants, usually 200- 400, and much larger winged Queen(s) for the sole purpose of mating and producing new colonies.
Male ants sole purpose is to provide adequate mating numbers for the new Queen(s) and will die after this process is over. Once the Queen(s) are impregnated they will find a new home ,seal it off, eat their own wings and began producing eggs and the process begins anew.
These Carpenter Ant Queen(s) can live many years with estimates from 15-30 years depending on certain environmental conditions. The workers live a much shorter life with estimates around a year or slightly longer with ideal conditions.
The Answer? Carpenter Ant Extermination
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