Most of the time, ants are a nuisance pest, but carpenter ants are an exception to that rule. With uniform black and dark brown coloring, carpenter ants can grow up to half an inch long and have heart-shaped heads. While they may look harmless at first glance, carpenter ants are capable of a lot of damage.
If you live in Orange County, here’s what you should know about the damage carpenter ants could cause to your home, what to do if you have a carpenter ant problem already, and how you can prevent these destructive pests from making their way back into your home.
What Kind Of Damage Do Carpenter Ants Cause In Orange County?
As far as damage goes, you’ll often see carpenter ants compared to termites. Like termites, these pests like to feed on wood, which can cause structural damage if you’ve got an infestation that’s large enough.
Carpenter ants prefer to feed on rotting timber or softwood if they can, but once they’ve taken a bite from that, they’ll move onto the healthy, sound wood of your home too. Depending on where the infestation is, carpenter ants may also contaminate foods sitting out or in your cabinets and pantry.
The good news is that carpenter ants aren’t as secretive as termites are, so the signs of their destruction may be a little more obvious:
Carpenter ants produce a wood waste that’s called “frass”, which looks similar to sawdust, and often accumulates in areas where these ants are causing damage.
Carpenter ants may create tunnels in your wood, but in a lot of infestations, they’ll crawl out of the tunnels and crawl around your countertops or visible parts of your home.
Most carpenter ant damage starts where your wood has already been damaged by water, which may make it easier to track down colonies and nests.
Carpenter ants prefer to start with exterior areas, so you may see the start of their damage on fence posts, porches, decks, or other outside wooden structures.
Regardless of the signs you are noticing, if there are carpenter ants on your Orange County property, it is important to take action quickly.
How To Handle A Carpenter Ant Infestation In Orange County
When it’s left untreated, carpenter ant infestations will only continue to grow and cause more damage to your home. That shouldn’t be a risk that any Orange County homeowner needs to worry about. If you’re noticing signs of a carpenter ant problem, it’s best to leave the hard work up to the professionals, like us here at HomeShield Pest Control.
The safety of you and your family is paramount to us, and we’ll make sure that we leave your home pest-free. So, whether you know you’ve got carpenter ants or just suspect that you could have a pest problem, don’t wait—call us at HomeShield Pest Control today to get started with our Orange County ant control services for your property.
How To Prevent Carpenter Ants In Orange County
While you may need professional help for active infestations, there are some key steps you can take to prevent carpenter ants in the future:
Deal with moisture issues on your property, like leaky pipes and flooded or obstructed gutters.
Break up compacted ground that could be allowing rainwater to pool near the foundation of your house.
Get rid of firewood and woodpiles that are too close to your home and keep them at least twenty feet away.
Try to replace wooden borders with stone borders along flower beds.
Use proper food storage techniques, including keeping trash cans sealed, not leaving food out, and wiping up spills and crumbs.
And remember, if despite your best efforts, carpenter ants or other pests make it past your defenses, the professionals at HomeShield Pest Control are here to help with our pest control services for Orange County, CA.