How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants Safely
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Don’t let carpenter ants damage your home. Learn the best way to get rid of them—and how to keep them from coming back.
If you see a few big black ants crawling across your kitchen floors or counters, it’s time to act. Mature colonies can contain 3,000 or more carpenter ants, many of whom remain hidden in the nest. Carpenter ants form their nests in wood, meaning even a few can pose a threat to your home and nearby structures. Learning how to get rid of carpenter ants can help you prevent these pests from becoming a problem and keep them from coming back. We reached out to three pest professionals for their expert input on identifying and clearing up carpenter ant infestations.
What Are Carpenter Ants?
Carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) are among the 700-plus species of ants in the U.S. However, unlike most other ant species, carpenter ants chew through wood to create tunnels for nesting. Don’t confuse carpenter ants with termites, though. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood, but only chew through it to create their smooth tunnels. Nonetheless, despite the difference in the type of damage carpenter ants and termites cause, both can be destructive and can pose a threat to homes.
While the size of a carpenter ant can vary based on its specific job in the colony, they are among the largest species of ants. Some may be more than ½ inch long, and the queens measure close to ¾ inch in length. Different species of carpenter ants also vary in their coloring. Many are black, but some carpenter ants are red, brown, or black and red.
What Attracts Carpenter Ants?
“There are three things every living being needs: food, water, and shelter. And if your house can offer all three things, carpenter ants will want to stay and settle,” says Nicole Carpenter, president of Black Pest Prevention, which offers pest control in Charlotte, North Carolina. They especially prefer damp wood, which offers ideal conditions for building their nests.
According to Shannon Harlow-Ellis, associate certified entomologist (ACE) and technical services manager with Mosquito Joe in Virginia, “They favor areas such as damp basements or spots with water damage in your home because these environments provide the ideal conditions for nesting. Additionally, areas with high moisture levels, like poorly ventilated or leaky spaces, can also attract these ants.”
When it comes to food, Carpenter says that the ants aren’t very picky. She explains that they are “omnivorous and when nesting in the wooden structure of your home, they typically feed on meat scraps, pet food, jelly, syrup, honey, sugar, small dead and live insects, and other sweet and protein-containing items they can find in your home.”
Signs of Carpenter Ants in Homes
There are a few signs of carpenter ants to look for. Their large size can make spotting carpenter ants easier than some other ant species. Craig Sansig, ACE, PHE, service director with Viking Pest Control, which serves portions of New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, says “they are often encountered in the kitchen and bathrooms of homes as they search for food and water.” He adds that “ants may be seen trailing up the foundation, or upon siding,” Sometimes, you may also see flying carpenter ants. This is most likely during the spring and beginning of the summer when the adults are looking to mate, but it is possible at other times of the year.
If you see something that looks like sawdust, Sansig says that it can also be a sign that you’re dealing with a carpenter ant infestation. “This is called frass,” he says. He adds that when frass is inspected closely, it “will be irregular in shape, and may contain dead ants, and other insect pieces. This frass is being ejected from a gap or hole as they expand their home,” explains Sansig.
How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants
You don’t need to rely on chemical pesticides to get rid of carpenter ants. There are effective natural options. To ensure that extermination is effective, be ready to stay on top of the problem, reapplying natural products as needed to kill all the ants and make sure they don’t come back.
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