Carpenter ants can cause ravages in the home, but they are also a significant threat to your backyard. From trees to firewood, nothing wooden is safe, so it’s important to know how to detect an infestation early on and then remove it.

What attracts carpenter ants

Carpenter ants are mainly drawn to dead wood that is high in moisture content. This means that they may be drawn to a pile of firewood, or a tree stump that’s out in the backyard. They will also target the parts of trees that have dead wood in them, and then they can spread to the healthy parts of the tree. Carpenter ants are known to set up satellite colonies, so if the infested piece of wood is near the home, the infestation could spread to the building as well.

Signs that there is an infestation

Depending on where the infestation is located, you will start to notice several signs during a carpenter ant infestation. To start, you will always know that you have an infestation when you notice large black ants crawling around your property. Whether these half an inch long ants are indoors or outdoors, it should be a cause for concern.

You then may start to notice small piles of sawdust near the infested wood. This sawdust is known as frass and it is the waste generated as the ants tunnel through wood. Since they can’t just keep this waste inside the colony, they will push it outside the colony.

Finally, the wood itself may start to show signs of damage. When the infestation is widespread enough, the galeries will start to become noticeable on the exterior of the wood.

Preventing and controlling carpenter ant infestations in the backyard

To prevent carpenter ant infestations from happening in your backyard, you have to make sure that any dead wood that’s out there is not exposed to the elements, or getting too high in moisture. If an infestation is already started, then you will likely need to hire a pro to get it under control quickly. A pest control professional will use a variety of insecticidal products to destroy the colony, depending on the colony’s size and location. These products can include baits, dusts and foams.

For more information on how carpenter ant infestations are controlled once they pop up in the backyard, or if you currently have an infestation, contact us today.