Could Carpenter Ants Be Invading Your NJ Home?

Posted on 05.24.12 in Carpenter Ants

If you see large, black ants in your NJ home, contact the Bergen County pest control pros of ChemTec today! We can help you get rid of carpenter ants!

Each spring and summer homeowners start to see the signs of ants among many other pests. It is never enjoyable to spot an ant, or a group of ants in your home. They are a major nuisance to have around due to their endless searches for food sources. Although many ants are harmless, some ants, like the carpenter ant, prove to be more of a threat. Carpenter ant infestations can result in extensive structural damages. It is important that New Jersey homeowners learn how to identify carpenter ants and spot their signs so that they can avoid any home infestations and structural damages.

What do carpenter ants look like?

The black carpenter ant is the most common species found throughout New Jersey. They are larger than many other ants ranging from about ¼ to ¾ of an inch in length. And as their name suggests they are black in color and have a tri-segmented body, elbowed antennae, and chewing mouthparts.

Signs of carpenter ants include:

Large, black ants foraging for food and water inside your home
Ants nesting in decaying wood outside on your lawn
Ants nesting inside your home in moist areas such as window sills, roofs, or in bathrooms
Holes or piles of sawdust inside your home from them carving galleries in wood

Carpenter ants favor nesting in wood that is decaying and moist such as damaged trees, logs, and other outdoor wood sources. But they can also move inside very easily to more sound wooden structures. They use their chewing mouthparts to carve galleries into wood so they can form more nesting space. Like other ant species, carpenter ants are social insects and their colonies can contain thousands of workers which means thousands of workers carving galleries into wood, not a good case for your home.

If you believe that carpenter ants are trying to take over your home and property it is important to contact the NJ ant control pros to stop any further structural damages to your home. Carpenter ants, like many ants, are a complex problem to treat as not just the foraging ants but their entire colony must be located and exterminated to stop them from multiplying. ChemTec Pest Control provides pest control services throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex and Union Counties in New Jersey. We also service Rockland and Orange Counties in New York.