A lot of things in your everyday life are obvious such as a clogged sink that a plumber must repair or roof leaks that professional roofers can address. However, it is different when it comes to carpenter ants. These species can eat away at your walls’ inside without being detected. Usually, you will be alerted to an issue if the damage becomes obvious. Carpenter ants in Round Rock are often mistaken for termites; however, they are not associated with each other. But both pests can cause serious damage to your home’s structures. Thankfully, expert pest control can help you eliminate an active infestation and prevent a new one from developing.
Winged Ants or Termites
Usually, carpenter ants are known as winged ants as they come out for their nuptial flight. Once they have infested a house, you can find several clues. These species move about in a space; however, termites prefer to stay hidden. Carpenter ants send a colony member to forage for food and feed the rest of the group. While termites feast on the wood, carpenter ants only chew through the wood to create nests.
As carpenter ants do not use wood for sustenance, they should leave their colony to forage and keep their members healthy. Meanwhile, termites do not leave the wooden structures they are consuming. This is the reason a lot of people are not aware of a termite problem until their porch collapses to the ground.
The flying ants you may spot in your house may be worker ants. They can be distinguished by their size and color. These species are around 10mm to 33mm long and usually brownish black.
Frass is an Indication of a Carpenter Ant Infestation
If carpenter ants have invaded your Round Rock house, you have probably found frass or a sawdust material that tends to pile up in places where the ants chew. This material can be visible or hidden. Frass is often found piled on the floor, in the windowsills, in crawlspaces, and on wall voids.
What to Know About the Nuptial Flight
The appearance of flying ants inside your house may indicate the mating season. Finding these pests in the fall or springtime means they are on a nuptial flight. This is when males and females are looking for partners for the night. When a colony reaches maturity, it should build satellite colonies and send out ants to find partners. They build the settlement with new members, so mating takes place. Mating ants only appear for about thirty minutes to one hour before they find a mate they can take to a new location and start their work.
Flying ants are often found near wood piles and in mulch outside your house. You may not be able to see the winged ants; however, you may spot the typical carpenter varieties. Ant wings are temporary. Flying ants will shed their wings after mating.
How to Protect Your Home Against Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants may usually be drawn to the gutters first. Due to the presence of moisture in this area, the wood around it can quickly rot. For carpenter ants, rotting wood is easy to chew through to build a new colony. To protect your home against these ants, you should waterproof your basement.
Basements and moisture tend to go together, so ensure there are proper drainage systems to control moisture. Also, you should seal foundation cracks and holes. Any gap is a great invitation for destructive ants to squeeze their way through. By sealing gaps in such an area, you prevent these pests from entering your house. Consider using caulking to block these entry points. But when it comes to carpenter ants and other pests, pest control service is always a reliable option.
