The residents of Waterloo, IL are usually used to seeing the same small ants. On occasion, you may see a larger black ant walking around. These ants are known as carpenter ants, and they can be different when compared to other ants. Here we want to go into more detail on these kinds of ants to explain what they do and if they are dangerous or not.
Carpenter Ant Basics
Carpenter ants are larger ants that can sometimes be found outside your home where you would find other ants in Waterloo, IL. They are most commonly black but can have yellow, brown, or red hues to their coloration. These pests can be a big problem if they are infesting your home.
Carpenter Ant Problems
Carpenter ants get their name from how they build their nests out of wood. Similar to termites, these ants can cause not only destruction of your property made of wood but can also cause structural damage to homes. It is important to know the signs that these ants are present so you can have them removed before they can cause any significant damage. Be sure to check your properties for these pests, if you see any there could be a colony of them. Look out for sawdust-like material under wood piles, you may be able to track down the nest if it leads a trail to it. Also, be sure that you listen for any rustling or crunching sounds coming from inside of your walls or from any wooded structures on your property.
Preventing Carpenter Ant Infestations
If you want to protect your home from carpenter ant infestations, make sure that you take the necessary precautions to stop them. Make sure that you do not have any kind of wood, mulch, or piles of leaves leaning up against your home. If you have firewood, keep it at least five feet away from your home and keep it elevated to keep pests out of it. Remove and replace rotting wood in your doorways, windowsills, or other parts of your home. Have any dead or rotting trees or tree stumps removed from your yard. Be sure that you keep your tree branches trimmed so they do not touch the outside of your home as ants and other pests can climb it to get to your house.
If you live in Waterloo, IL, and are experiencing a carpenter ant infestation, give our team of expert exterminators over at American Termite and Pest Control a call today!
