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What are Carpenter Ants?

When it comes to wood damage caused by an insect, the first thing that comes to one’s mind for most consumers and pest management technicians is termites. After all, when you are the reason behind $7 billion in annual damage (according to the National Pest Management Association), you tend to get a lot of attention.

There is another insect pest, however, that is no shrinking joke when it comes to damaging wood inside structures: the carpenter ant.

Carpenter ants target moist, rotting wood and lumbar or other soft materials such a plastic insulation board in a structure, leaving their primary nests in logs, firewood, stumps and hollow trees in search of food. Oddly, they do not eat the wood they infest but prefer eating living and dead insects, meat, fats and sugary foods, including honeydew and nectar of plants.

Even though they do not eat wood (they leave sawdust-like deposits outside entry holes) the hollowed-out tunnels carpenter ants create weaken its structural integrity. The damage caused is often hard to identify and can be costly for the homeowner to repair.

Carpenter ants are a deliberate pest that can take several years to establish a colony and cause damage to wood in a structure. But once established, a colony can grow quickly and number well into the thousands.

Sunny, chief operating officer of 780 Pests in Edmonton, Alberta, says the key to keeping carpenter ants in check is prevention.

Need Help with Carpenter Ant Infestation?

At 780 Pests, we are here to help.  Give us a call and our licensed technician will be more than happy to provide a free phone consultation for your carpenter ant issues.  We know how living with such an infestation can be difficult and hazardous to the health of your family.  Call us at 780-640-5982 and get the professional help needed.

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