Carpenter Ants in Virginia

Travel east to Richmond, though, and carpenter ants in Windsor Farms aren’t as helpful. Without their natural habitat of logs, stumps and hollow trees, carpenter ants will invade anyone’s home in search of wood. Homeowners offering moist and soft woods are more susceptible to an infestation, as are homes in deeply wooded areas.

Carpenter ants and Eastern Subterranean termites are often mistaken for one another, and there are crucial differences in the treatment approach so it is important to decide which pest is active. It’s good information to know that termites eat wood for nutrition while carpenter ants excavate wood for shelter. In both cases, damage occurs and a savvy homeowner should regard both carpenter ants and termites as pests to control when found in your home and not the forest.

Carpenter ants will likely be spotted by the homeowner at night, leaving their nest to search for food and water. Carpenter ants will feast on dead insects and honeydew secreted by aphids, returning to the nest with their sumptuous meals to feed the queen and her larvae. Following the ant trail will likely lead back to the nest, which may be inside, outside, or both. Carpenter ants are quite willing to operate on a satellite nest program with a parent colony outside and a satellite colony inside. The parent colony outside is usually located in a tree, a stump, or a log within 100 yards of the structure. The satellite indoor nests can be built in any wood member, such as a door casing, a window sill, or a wall stud. They also will travel through wood to a void, and make their nest in a hollow area of a wall.

Finding these nests and ants is best done at night, between 10 and 2. During the day, you can look for their messy debris, including frass and other debris swept from their clean galleries. You can listen for the rustling sound of ants nesting in your wall or ceiling voids if you have a large enough infestation, a good idea where they are, and a strong desire to find them. They are likely to be in places that are wet or damp, which helps in your search.

Carpenter ants are not stinging pests, but they will bite with their strong mandibles used for excavating wood. Like most animals, they will bite to defend themselves or their nest. It is, of course, best to call Home Paramount and let us battle it out with them, sparing you the possibility of a bite or a failed attempt to eliminate the infestation.

Home Paramount has been in Virginia for decades, standing at the ready to solve your pest problems. If you find carpenter ants, you know who to call.