Do You Think You Know Carpenter Ants?

Carpenter ants in Louisville thrive in summer. This is the time when they grow the most and damage the most. They cause decks to sink, porches to sag, walls to bulge, and windows to stick. But, if you can get past all that, carpenter ants are actually fascinating creatures. Here are some fun facts about this not-so-fun house-damaging pest. In them, you may find some ideas about how to protect your home from their damaging effects.

• An average carpenter ant colony will have around 2,000 ants living in it, but a mature colony can have as many as 10,000. That is a lot of little mouths chewing on your home.
• A mature colony produces reproductives known as swarmers. These ants are horrible fliers and don't travel far before they mate and lose their wings.
• Unlike termites, this pest does not consume wood. It prefers nectar, leaves and proteins. If you have these ants in your home, there is a good chance you'll see them getting into pet food, pantry items, fruit and other accessible foods.
• Carpenter ants prefer damp, warm environments. The more moisture and heat you have in and around your home, the more inviting your home will be to these wood-chewing insects.
• Carpenter ants range from red to black and are larger than other home-invading ants.
• A colony will have one fertilized queen whose sole purpose in life is to pop out babies. This queen must be killed if you want to destroy the colony.
• Colonies inside homes are most often satellite colonies, which contain only worker ants. These nests can be entirely destroyed, without hurting the source colony.
• Worker ants burrow through wood mostly at night or after midnight.
• Carpenter ants can sometimes be detected by the piles of sawdust they push out of the entrance of their colonies.
• It takes carpenter ants several years to cause visible damage to a home.

If you see large blackish red ants marching across the kitchen floor of your Louisville home, it may not be cause for alarm, but you should definitely have a pest control company send a technician to inspect your walls. If left unchecked, carpenter ants can do a considerable amount of damage over time. Get your home treated by a home pest control professional on a routine basis to guard the investment you have in your home.