How To Tell If Your Elk Grove Home Has Carpenter Ants

Nobody wants to think that they have carpenter ants in their home. These types of ants are not just a nuisance; they can also be highly destructive and cause a lot of damage to your home. If you are still determining whether or not you have carpenter ants on your property, Bell Pest Control is here to help. We have over a decade of experience providing comprehensive pest control in Elk Grove. Here is a look at how to tell if you have carpenter ants in your home.

When Is Carpenter Ant Season In Elk Grove?

Carpenter ants thrive in warm climates where temperatures are above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. In Elk Grove, the temperature rarely gets this low. However, even when it drops below 50 degrees, the ants still have a way to stay warm.

Carpenter ants build their colonies inside wood. When they have an established colony, the temperature inside of the wood will usually stay above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that carpenter ants can continue to remain active all year long.

What Do Carpenter Ants Look Like?

Carpenter ants look similar to little black ants. Their bodies are usually black, brown, or a combination of black and red. They typically only measure about 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch long. Some of the male carpenter ants, called swarmers, have a pair of white translucent wings on their backs. Swarmers leave their nest to reproduce and find new colonies.

Telltale Signs That Your Elk Grove Home Has Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are extremely small and will spend most of their time burrowed inside a piece of wood. Even if you don't see any carpenter ants roaming through your home, there are still quite a few signs that you can look for that will help you determine if these destructive ants are on your property. Some of the telltale signs of carpenter ants to look for include:

Piles of wood fragments that look like sawdust around your doors, windowsills, baseboards, and other wooden objects in your home.
Faint rustling sounds that are coming from the wooden areas in your home, which signifies that carpenter ants are scraping out the inside of the wooden structure.
Large black ants with wings swarm around your home.
Long lines of ants traveling from your yard to your home or some other wooden structure.
Wooden beams in your home that sound hollow when you knock on them.

You may also see carpenter ant frass near the nest opening around your home, which is the excrement of a carpenter ant. It consists of fecal matter, wood, and other insect parts. Frass looks similar to pencil shavings.

Call The Professionals At The First Sign Of Carpenter Ants In Elk Grove

Carpenter ants are known to live and travel in large colonies. It is extremely rare to have just one or two carpenter ants in your house. If you think you may have a carpenter ant infestation on your Elk Grove property, you need the help of a professional.

The best home pest control company for carpenter ants is Bell Pest Control. We go above and beyond to ensure that every ant is eliminated from your home and won't return in the future. We devise a customized plan to help identify how and why the ants are coming onto your property. We also use low-toxicity treatments that are safe for pets and children. Call us for an estimate or an inspection today.