If you are seeing flying ants around, on, or, heaven forbid, inside your home, you may be wondering what they are and if they are dangerous in any way. There is no doubt that these creatures can be fascinating, but they can be an important warning sign if they are the right, or perhaps the wrong, type of ants.
Although you do not need to worry about flying ants stinging or biting you, if you are seeing big, winged, black or reddish colored ants flying or crawling around on your windows or other areas, you should take heed. Seeing flying ants means that there is a mature nest nearby, either outside or inside your home. When an ant colony matures and is near its maximum population, it will produce and send out flying ants to start new nests. If the ant you are seeing is a carpenter ant, you could be looking at trouble.
Identifying a carpenter ant infestation
Since flying ants only appear briefly, before disappearing to begin new nests, here are a few other signs you can keep an eye out for to know if you have these wood-damaging ants in your home.
Carpenter ant scouts
If you see a single large ant wandering around in your home, this may be a carpenter ant scout. These are usually black, but can sometimes be a dark red color. And they are the largest type of ant you will see inside your home, measuring typically around 7 and 12 mm in length. Males and winged swarmers can measure up to 18 mm. If it is a carpenter ant, and if you have good eyesight, you should see a single node between the ant's thorax and its abdomen.
Frass and wood shavings
If you see piles of wood shavings underneath wooden items, this can be a sign of carpenter ants. These ants do not eat wood the way termites do, so they need to remove the wood they chew. They will push the shavings out of "kickout holes" after chewing tunnels and galleries. But keep in mind that often this "frass" is kicked out in places that are hidden, such as inside wall voids or in crawl spaces.
Noises inside your walls
If you hear faint rustling noises inside woodwork or walls, this may be carpenter ants hard at work destroying your home.
Destruction caused by carpenter ants in your New Jersey home
Damaged wood
As mentioned, carpenter ants carve galleries inside wood. They chew tunnels and nests relentlessly day and night until damage can become quite severe. This can cause structures to weaken, which can cause additional problems in a home.
Doors malfunctioning
Doors may begin to stick or not close properly if carpenter ant damage is severe enough.
Windows malfunctioning
Windows may become more and more difficult to open and close as well.
Walls, floors, and ceilings warping
Walls may begin to bulge, floors may begin to sag, and ceilings may start to warp if carpenter ant damage is severe enough.
How to get rid of carpenter ants in New Jersey
Visual inspections
Examine the outside walls and foundation of your home and seal up any gaps or cracks you can find. Look carefully around electrical conduit, pipes, air conditioners and anything else that enters into your home. A caulking gun is a good tool for small gaps and cracks. And don't forget to check your roof area as well.
Remove food sources
Open garbage, pet food bowls, barbecue leftovers, etc., are all very attractive to carpenter ants and other household pests.
Remove water sources
All pests require water. Explore your yard and the exterior of your home and remove or dry up any wet or moist areas you can find.
Keep vegetation trimmed back away from your home
Ants and other pests use these as bridges to access the outside of your home.
Professional carpenter ant control in New Jersey
If you have seen large black or red flying ants, or any of the other signs of a carpenter ant infestation, don't wait until the damages are severe. Arrow Pest Control is here to help. Providing carpenter ant control in Summit, Chatham, and Maplewood as well as throughout our nine county service area, our locally owned and family-operated New Jersey pest control company is ready to help you protect your home.
Don't let carpenter ant damage hurt your wallet, contact us today for help!
Sign up for Arrow's Home Protection Program Plus for treatments that keep carpenter ants AND other pests away all year-round!
Home Protection Program Plus
This program includes everything from the Home Protection Program - PLUS carpenter ant control and our termite monitoring advantage. Arrow will install a passive subterranean termite monitoring system at critical or conducive areas along the exterior perimeter foundation of your home. This system will include up to 4 in-ground subterranean termite monitoring stations. These stations will be serviced and inspected as part of your routine service.
Should the monitors indicate termite activity or termites occur within the home, Arrow will provide you with a termite treatment proposal at a 50% discounted rate, and you will be upgraded to Arrow Premier at the current prevailing rate.
- Is a year-round program that provides full interior and exterior service.
- Service includes a one-time interior service per year and two exterior treatments.
- Covers your entire property* including the attic, mailbox, playset, shed, and fence.
- Termite monitoring advantage
Pests targeted with Arrow’s Home Protection Program Plus includes all the pests included in the Home Protection Program PLUS carpenter ants, pharaoh ants, and acrobat ants.
*If you have a pool house that requires service, pricing would increase based upon the size of the structure.
*Termite monitoring advantage is not applicable in over-55 communities
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