The ability of a carpenter ant to establish a nest in a home is just as interesting as finding it once it has taken over your home. Sometime we forget that we live in the middle of nature and often have to cope with unwanted pests like carpenter ants whose natural job is to break wood down and use it to build their nest.
The problem is that they do not know that the wood they are munching on is your home!
Carpenter ants may build their nest in a window sill plate hidden between siding and inner drywall with just a hint of sawdust being kicked out of the nest in the early part of the year to lay eggs. The nest may be in an overhead garage door beam that leaves sawdust on your new car in the morning as your leaving for work. These are just two possible signs that an active nest is in your home.
Finding a carpenter ant nest can be difficult, and it may take help from your entire family. We recommend getting your children involved in the ant finding process, teaching them valuable skills for their future and making this potentially frightening situation a fun one for them.
When a ton of ants are seen in a family room and there is no sign of a nest – just ant after ant walking around the room – you tend to get a bit nervous. So the first thing to do is to look for soft damaged wood. If you can’t find any soft damaged wood or sawdust being kicked out, it is time to go grab a stethoscope.
Involve you children, allowing them to help in the search for sawdust and giving them a turn listening to the walls with your stethoscope. The minute someone hears crackling sounds in the walls, you can be sure you have found the nest.
Once the nest has been found, all that is left to do is call Amherst Exterminators to get rid of the problem before any more damage is done. To learn more about our service, visit us online or call us direct at 716-908-2475.
