ANTS-
|
 While
most ants are soil dwelling insects, carpenter ants are wood infesting insects.
They do not eat the wood, but instead mine it out and to make their home.
Carpenter ants are scavengers, primarily feeding on other insects and honey
dew. They are among the most conspicuous ants found in and around homes.
The most common species (pennsylvanicus) look like large black ants. Worker
carpenter ants vary greatly in size from ¼ to ¾ of an inch long. In nature,
they inhabit old growth oaks and maples. Other outdoor sites include stumps,
hollow logs, telephone poles, railroad ties, and piles of wood.
Carpenter ants will readily infest homes made out of wood. They will nest in any area where the wood is wet. Poor gutters, faulty flushing, leaky roofs, leaking plumbing or faulty drip caps (above windows and doors) are common sources of moisture. Carpenter ants are commonly found in the kitchen where they're looking for food. Their pheromone trails can be found going right up the foundation wall and disappearing at some point into the structure, but they will also travel into the house via tree limbs or wires that touch it.
Carpenter ant "swarmers," winged ants, appear primarily in the late spring and early summer and can be spotted either inside or outside a structure. The swarmer's sole function is reproduction. They will travel 100 yards or more from their nest for food and will wander throughout your house or building. Carpenter ant nesting activities can weaken building structures, usually starting in areas of water damage or wood decay.
Two rarer species of carpenter ants in Connecticut are
the "Little Black Carpenter Ants" and "Red Phased Carpenter Ants." The "Little
Black Carpenter Ants" are uniform in size, about a ¼ of an inch. The "Red
Phased Carpenter Ant" is similar in size to pennsylvanicus, varying in size
from about ¼ to ¾ of an inch long. However, the thorax is red, while the
head and abdomen are still black.
Citronella Ants
Citronella ants are orange-brown, about ¼ inch to ½ an
inch long, and live in large colonies underground. Surviving off the honey-dew
harvested from the aphids they feed on, they have a very sweet citrus scent.
These ants are completely harmless.
Citronella ants are commonly mistaken for termites because
they have similar swarms. Termite swarmers are black with long transparent
wings while citronella swarmers are orange-brown with veiny wings. Unlike
termite swarmers, the citronella will disappear after a few days and no
treatment is needed.
What is unfortunate, however, is how many times our company
goes out to a potential client's house for a termite estimate and it turns
out to be undamaging citronella ants. The alarming part is how often we
are the second or third company called for an estimate to treat for termites.
This means the first and/or second companies were trying to sell a high
dollar termite treatment for harmless citronella ants. BEWARE.
Carpenter Ant Control |
