Date Posted: May 7, 2020
Category: Carpenter Ants
There are many different species of ants in Worcester, including house ants, pharaoh ants, and carpenter ants. Today, we’re talking about carpenter ants in Massachusetts. How dangerous are these pests? Do they bite? How can you keep carpenter ants out of your home? How do you know if you have an infestation? We’ll answer these questions and more in this guide to Worcester carpenter ants.
Identification Key For Carpenter Ants
How can you tell carpenter ants apart from other species of ants? Carpenter ants are fairly large compared to most other ants, growing up to 5/8”. They are usually black in color but can also be red, partially red, or brown.
Carpenter ants can be active year round if they get inside your house. During May through August, swarmer ants will emerge to mate and create new colonies. You should be especially aware of carpenter ants this time of year to prevent an infestation.
Carpenter Ants: How Dangerous Are They?
Carpenter ants do not bite. They also aren’t linked to any diseases or bacteria that are harmful to humans. But this doesn’t mean that carpenter ants are harmless. Like all ants, they can contaminate food if it isn’t properly stored in airtight glass or hard plastic containers.
Carpenter ants are most dangerous to the wood inside homes. They get their name because they build their nests in wood. Often this includes complicated tunnel systems that will damage the structural integrity of the wood inside your home. The damage can be significant, especially if it isn’t taken care of in a timely manner. When it comes to carpenter ants, the damage to your home is a much bigger worry than their ability to bite.
Carpenter Ant Infestations
In order to determine whether or not you have a carpenter ant infestation, you first want to keep an eye out for the ants themselves. Whether you see one or two carpenter ants crawling around the kitchen or swarmer ants flying around your windows, you should reach out to Big Blue Bug Solutions for help.
Another way to check for carpenter ants is to inspect the exterior of your home for holes and cracks that might be an entrance to a carpenter ant tunnel. If you find openings in the wood anywhere in or near your home, they could be a sign of ants. If there is frass at the outside, a combination of sawdust and bits of dead ants, that means you have an active infestation.
You can take some steps to preventing an infestation by finishing all the wood in your house, including the porch, and repairing any damaged wood. You can also limit your chances of an infestation by lowering the moisture content in your home, since damp wood is most attractive to carpenter ants.
Big Blue Bug Solutions is here for any prevention or elimination help you need. We have the experience to identify a carpenter infestation and help you find attracting factors that may have brought them in. If you have an infestation, we’ll help you get ants out of your home quickly and effectively, before they can cause any more damage to your home. For service you can count on, get Big Blue Bug Solutions to help.
