Carpenter ants are a common problem for many homeowners in the Houston area. These annoying pests can cause a lot of trouble if they aren’t identified and dealt with quickly, from property damage to health issues.
This article will help you understand these pests and how to handle them. We’ll discuss the basics of carpenter ant control in Houston, starting with how these pests behave and how their colonies work. Next, we’ll talk about the impact these pests can have around your home. After that, we’ll go over some simple techniques that can help you prevent carpenter ants from getting into your home and causing trouble.
Finally, we’ll review the various benefits of working with a professional pest control company to get rid of carpenter ants. Our team at All-Safe Pest & Termite has decades of experience helping Houston residents with pests of all kinds.
Carpenter Ant Behavior: How Carpenter Ant Colonies Function
You will usually find carpenter ant colonies in wood, including tree stumps, fence posts, and discarded lumber. The main colony is often outside, with smaller colonies branching out and sometimes reaching homes and other buildings. Carpenter ants in Houston tunnel into wood to form their nests, though they don’t eat the wood they excavate. Carpenter ant colonies can be quite large, containing more than 50,000 members. Like other species of ants, carpenter ants can communicate quickly with their entire colony through smell, touch, and chemicals called pheromones. These chemicals enable ants to signal the presence of food sources, danger, intruders to the colony, and more.
If you have carpenter ants in your house, they will likely cause damage unless you remove them quickly. In the next section, we’ll discuss the damage that carpenter ants can do.
The Impact Of Carpenter Ants: Structural Damage And Health Concerns
Carpenter ants will chew through wood, forming small tunnels they use as nests. They usually prefer softer wood, such as wood that has partially rotted or softened by fungus or moisture problems. Over time, this damage can compromise the structural integrity of your home.
A carpenter ant infestation can also result in health issues since they are capable of painful bites. Carpenter ants can inject formic acid into the bite wounds they cause, which results in a burning sensation. You can usually treat these wounds at home by washing them with soap and water and then bandaging them with antibiotic ointment to prevent infection.
Sealing Cracks And Moisture Control: Carpenter Ant Prevention Tips
As with most pests, by the time you see signs of carpenter ants in your home, it’s probably too late to keep them away. Here are some preemptive measures you can put in place to prevent carpenter ants from getting inside:
- Seal any cracks or openings in the exterior of your home.
- Don’t leave food out overnight.
- Reduce excess moisture in and around your home.
- Inspect the wood structures of your home frequently for signs of water damage.
Following these measures should help you keep yourself and your family safe from the threat of carpenter ants. If you need assistance in dealing with these troublesome pests, don’t hesitate to contact our team at All-Safe Pest & Termite.
Professional Assistance: Vital To Total Carpenter Ant Control
If you’re looking for the best carpenter ant exterminators in Houston, look no further than All-Safe Pest & Termite. Since 1984, we’ve provided local residents with reliable pest control solutions. All our services are guaranteed, and we’ve received thousands of five-star reviews. Whatever your pest control needs are, we have the tools and training to meet them.
Contact All-Safe Pest & Termite today to request a free estimate.