What Are Carpenter Ants?

Carpenter ants are of the largest species of ants found in Georgia. There are two important pest species in the ant family, the black carpenter ant and the Florida carpenter ant. Black carpenter ants are black or brown in color. They are distinguished by the rounded profile of their thorax and their heart shaped head. Florida carpenter ants are slightly different by their colors, having reddish-yellow or a rust-colored thorax and being rather smaller in size.

While these ants may not bear a resemblance to each other, they essentially do the same thing. They both look for wet or damp, shallow, decaying wood to nest in. You’ve probably heard that these ants are like termites and will eat wood. Well, unlike termites they do not eat the wood they are destroying. They are simply removing pieces of wood structure to create a smooth, hollowed gallery to build their nest in. By doing this, they can ultimately cause damage to your home if they go untreated.

A good way to determine if you have an ant problem or a termite problem would be by the difference in tunnels. Carpenter ants keep their tunnels, known as galleries, clean and polished with tiny holes where they have pushed out unwanted debris. A termite tube or tunnel is rough and ragged because they are filled with layers of soil and mud.

What should you look for?

These wood destroying ants leave plenty of evidence of their presence in your home. While not limited to this, you may find thin wood shavings that resembles sawdust, also referred to as Frass, around door jams, baseboards, and windowsills.

Do you want to rid your home of this destructive nuisance? Contact Prime Pest Solutions and schedule your carpenter ant treatment today!