CARPENTER ANTS: BE VIGILANT, DON'T WAIT

For those with summer homes or cottages in cottage country, the struggle against carpenter ants can be an ongoing battle.

Carpenter Ants are a larger, shinier black species of ant, approximately half-an-inch or more in length. They are abundant in Ontario and a very common household pest, causing a lot of damage if they decide to move into your cottage.

Hitting their peak in late June and early July, this species of ants stay busy by setting up their colony in decaying or damp wood. Carpenter ants are sometimes mistaken as termites because of the structural damage they cause. Although they do not eat wood, they do construct their nests by chewing an interconnecting series of tunnels and cavities, called galleries. This can make your foundation weak and cause severe structural problems.

Some signs to look out for:

•  Ants carrying their food inside
•  Finding coarse sawdust-like material (Frass)
•  High concentration of ants in a particular area
•  A lot of ants flying around in the early spring
•  Ants carrying white eggs or larvae inside—This can be a sign that they are moving from a bush  outside to inside

You can try and control a carpenter ant problem on your own by finding the source of where the ants are coming from, which can be a very difficult but important task. In the summer, carpenter ants are more active at night.  You can observe their movement with a flashlight inside and outside to find the source. The presence of sawdust (Frass) is an important clue in locating nests.  If you have trouble finding the root of the problem call a professional pest control company. They will get to the nest, destroy it and recommend replacing any rotten wood to help ensure the problem from reoccurring year after year. If your entire home or cottage is in bad shape, then it will be an ongoing battle until you can replace it.

Some tips from Environmental Pest Control professional experts on controlling carpenter ants

•   Store firewood away from the house
•   Remove old tree stumps around your home
•   Fix humidity problems happening inside your home
•   Secure and seal all food that can attract ants
•   Seal any cracks in the foundation of your home

If you see signs of ants in and around your home or cottage be vigilant. Don’t wait until next year or the year after that, as damage will only get worse and the ants will spread to create other colonies.