Carpenter ants are large bodied black ants that become active in early spring. Similar to Carpenter Bees in that they don’t eat wood but chew it as they tunnel into it. And like carpenter bees, they can do damage to the wood in your home or on your property. Keeping them out is a matter of:

Sealing cracks and keeping branches and shrubs near your house trimmed.
Eliminate sources of moisture and standing water.
Store firewood and building materials (wood!) away from the house.

How do you know if you have carpenter ants? Seeing small piles of sawdust or body parts near small holes in wood is a pretty good sign that carpenter ants have set up a colony. In spring the winged males emerge and look to mate. Colonies can be comprised of more than 50,000 ants!

The presence of a carpenter ant nest is sometimes indicated by a rustling sound that will come from wall voids or from wood where the nest is located when they are disturbed. If you see one ant, don’t be complacent, if you see one there’s more. Call a pest control professional to safely and completely eliminate carpenter ants from your home or property!