| Carpenter Ants |
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Carpenter ants are among the largest ants found in the United States,
ranging from 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. They are usually black. The queens
are the largest ants in the colony and the workers in an established
colony will be of two sizes. Carpenter ants usually have a thorax
that is evenly rounded and a circle of tiny hairs on the tip of the
abdomen.
Carpenter ants are social insects that usually nest in wood. They
commonly excavate galleries or tunnels in rotting or sound trees and
will readily infest the wooden portions of your home. They prefer
to excavate wood damaged by fungus and are often found in conjunction
with moisture problems.
The adult winged female or queen loses her wings soon after mating
with the smaller male and selects a nesting site where she secludes
herself while raising the first brood of workers. These workers are
very small but take over the care of the immature and the queen after
they mature. Future workers are usually larger than those from the
first brood because they receive better care. All workers are wingless.
Carpenter ants may enter the home while foraging for food. However,
the appearance of large numbers of winged adults inside a home indicates
that the nest exists in the home. The workers will often expel fibrous
sawdust from the nest through slit-like openings in the surface of
the wood. These piles of sawdust are good signs to look for when trying
to locate a colony in an infested home. |
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| CONTROL |
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Carpenter ant control can be very difficult. It is important to
locate the source of the ants and their nest. The complete control
is accomplished when the nest itself is treated with a residual spray
or dust.
Infestations can be reduced by treating travel routes that the workers
follow while foraging. Infestations that originate outdoors can be
reduced by the application of barrier treatments of residual insecticides.
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Keep your home and property from becoming
a victim of Carpenter Ant destruction. |
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If you spot Carpenter Ants or any evidence
of these pests, call us today to arrange for a free inspection. |
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| To request free estimate
please call us anytime |
| toll free: 1-800-246-0618 |
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| We accept |
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