Carpenter Ants How They Are Attracted To Your Home

Carpenter ants are often confused with termites. This isn’t because they look that similar. Carpenter ants have narrow waists and are a different color. But they both chew wood. It’s worth noting that termites eat wood to survive. In contrast, carpenter ants chew through it to create tunnels that become their nest. They don’t eat the wood, simply move it.

Carpenter Ants How They Are Attracted To Your Home
[ image: pexels.com by petr ganaj ]

Both creatures can cause serious issues in your home. The average carpenter ant colony consists of 20,000 ants. Every one of these ants needs to create a tunnel and a home as part of the larger nest. That’s a significant amount of your wood becoming damaged. The good news is that they are much slower at doing this than termites. Serious damage usually takes years to occur.

That doesn’t mean you want carpenter ants. After all, if they can get into your house so can the termites. Interestingly, carpenter ants have been known to eat termites. But, they can also co-exist, increasing the potential issues in your home.

The key, if you see carpenter ants, or termites in your home is to get in contact with your local pest control experts as quickly as possible. You’ll want their expertise to help you deal with the issue. Of course, knowing what attracts carpenter ants will help you to take the right steps to protect your home.

Food

Carpenter ants, much like humans, need protein to survive. They will naturally obtain these proteins from other insects, alive or dead. They will also be attracted to sugar, such as honeydew. It’s sugars in your house that they are most likely to be attracted to.

However, you should note that pet foods and meat are also high in protein and attractive to these pests.

To help eliminate the attraction you need to store all food in sealed containers and wash your work surfaces regularly. Ideally, use a disinfectant as this will remove all traces of the food. The carpenter ants will then have nothing to attract them to your home.

Water

Almost every creature on the planet needs water to survive. If you have a damp area of your home or a water lea then you’re providing water for your pests. This attracts them to your home and nurtures them while they are staying. For this reason, you should eliminate all water leaks and dampness in your home.

Again, professional help will be of valuable assistance. If there is nothing to attract the carpenter ants or other pests, you're less likely to have an issue.

Access

The key to preventing carpenter ants and other pests is to think about access. They can get into your home through small cracks and gaps. These are particularly prevalent around windows and doors. But, you should also consider the space around your home. Soil is easy to burrow through for these creatures, enabling them to get to your foundations. In contrast, concrete is virtually impossible for them to get through.

It’s worth speaking to the local expert to get guidance with preventing access, find out more here.