New Jersey Carpenter Ants Ate The Dining Room Part I Of II

Posted on 05.29.09 in Carpenter Ants, New Jersey Insects, New Jersey Pest Control

Living on the eastern side of the United States affords us many types of nuisance pests. Ants, all types of ants, are ones that I can simply do without. Last Spring as the weather was becoming nice; our neighbor had their first encounter with carpenter ants. First there were only a few that showed their ugly heads, then there were many more. Our New Jersey neighbors began their spraying ritual, but those darn ants just kept showing up in their dining room, which is rarely in use.

After much frustration that the chosen pesticide was not working, they finally took my advice and lifted the carpet to see what was underneath. There they found that the plywood was somewhat soft and the ants were a plenty. They told me of how the gutters were clogged with leaves in the fall just as we had a long stretch of rain. They did not know it at the time, but water had come inside the doorway and the plywood was damaged. Wet rotting wood is a definite invitation to carpenter ants. My neighbors quickly killed all of the ants, cut the damaged plywood away, and replaced it with new wood. All was well in the home for about a week…and then the ants returned.

My neighbors were very frustrated to see these pests back once again. They pulled the carpet back in the entire room to inspect for further wood damage, but found none. It was time to call in a NJ licensed pest control specialist to find out where those bad boys were coming from. After a simple inspection, the root of their ant problem was found. There was no more rotting wood, but the carpenter ants had made quite a castle out of this New Jersey home.

Please check back on Monday for the conclusion to this story.