How To Find Carpenter Ant Nest In House – Get Rid Of Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are known to build their nests in the outside as well as the inside portion of residences and apartments. They prefer to make their nests in wood that has rotten. You can find maximum ants from this species in kitchen sinks, door frames, wall cavities, windows, chimneys etc.

These insects can thrive in places that offer them with the necessary warmth and shelter from their predators. The presence of sawdust or frass in your crawlspaces, basements, baseboards are a sign of an infestation of carpenter ants. Read ahead to know more about more signs that would help you in finding carpenter ant nests in your property:

What do carpenter ants look like?

Carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) are large (0.3 to 1 in or 8 to 25 mm) ants indigenous to many forested parts of the world.

Carpenter ants can be easily mistaken for black ants. Carpenter ant species weight is about 3/8 to 1/2 of an inch. They have a heart-shaped head and a node underneath a rounded thorax. These ants are usually brown, black or black-orange in colour.

How To Find Carpenter Ant Nests In Your House?

1. Look for ant trails

You need to observe the pattern of ant movements which will lead you to the trail that goes to their nesting sites. Their trails mostly begin from a food source in or around your house and towards their nests. Their pheromone trails would be easily visible as ants are always on the lookout for food. Make sure to wipe off the trails that you find with soap water or vinegar and water. This will prevent more ants from accessing the trail.

2. Examine your backyard

The objects like woodpiles, decaying wood, dead parts of trees, areas behind slabs and stones, old stumps, gardening equipment are all safe hiding spots for carpenter ants. Clean out the backyard if needed. Also examine doors, cabinets, windows to look for presence of these ants.

3. Find and remove possible water sources

These ant species create nests in properties that have high levels of moisture that also keeps them hydrated. Places with water leakages or faulty plumbing can have carpenter ant nests. You may also find a few in dryer rooms, bathrooms, basements, areas around sinks, roofs and chimneys.

4. Pay attention to noises and sounds

A rustling sound coming from walls or any other place in the house can be a sign of an ant infestation. Likewise crackling or scrunching sounds from ceilings are also a sign of an active ant infestation around the house. The walls also give out a hollow sound when there are carpenter ant nests present inside which also means the structure has become damaged.

5. Wood shavings

Pay careful attention to the wood shavings that you may possibly find in the attics, near windowsills, baseboards, door posts as these are indicators of carpenter ant infestations. These shavings and sawdust are a result of the tunnels that they make in the wood constantly by chewing on it.

Use a flashlight to look for these ants in various places. If left unchecked or untreated, they can end up causing damage of millions of dollars. Hence, it is essential to contact a pest controller if you find these or the other signs listed ahead.

6. Finding dead insects or fine dirt particles

If you happen to find a heap of dead ants anywhere in your property, that also is a sign of a carpenter ant colony being present in the house. These ants dig out dirt from their nests which brings up dirt particles on the surface. Visible dust and dirt particles is an important sign that suggests the presence of carpenter ants in your house.

How To Find Carpenter Ant Queen

• Look for areas where you see increased carpenter ant activity, especially around dusk or at night when the ants are most active. The queen will typically be located in the center of the colony, so increased activity can indicate you’re getting closer to the nest.
• Search for entry points into wood structures like cracks, crevices, holes or tunnels. The queen will be located within the nest inside the wood. You may see sawdust or frass around entry points, which is a good sign you’ve found an active nest.
• Tap on wood surfaces and listen for a hollow sound, which may indicate an area where the colony has excavated the wood. The nest chamber will typically be located in softer, damp wood.
• Use a borescope or small camera to peer inside holes and cracks to visually search for the queen and colony. This allows you to inspect the nest without damaging the wood.

How to prevent a carpenter ant infestation?

• Refrain from keeping pet food in the backyard as that could attract carpenter ants and other pests.
• Cut down branches, overgrown grass and other vegetation as these can hide moisture in the soil below which can draw carpenter ants.
• Avoid growing lot of plants in your garden as that also attracts ants who can feast on the sweets in your house alongside dead insects, and honeydew.
• Treat old trees in your backyard regularly to avoid carpenter ants from making cavities and holes in it.
• Leaking hoses on the exterior, leaky air conditioning systems, leaf litter that gathers rainwater all are responsible for housing carpenter ants. Make sure to address these and other issues on a timely basis that will prevent attracting carpenter ants to your house.

As a home-owner, it is very important that you know what the signs of a carpenter ant infestation are. However, it is equally important to get a professional ant control specialist if you happen to experience one or multiple signs of these ants in your property. They can observe the level of infestation and then ensure the removal of every single ant from your house. Leaving out even some ants will be enough to help the ants in reconstruction of their colonies in your house.