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Carpenter Ants

This year we have seen a significant uptick in calls regarding large, black ants spotted around properties. These are carpenter ants, and they can become quite the nuisance if not properly treated. Swarming and flying carpenter ants are often mistaken for termites. It. is important to note that termites are somewhat uncommon in Northern Michigan and it is almost always carpenter ants that clients are finding.

Identifying Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are one of the largest species of ant. They can be as small as 1/16 of an inch and quickly grow to 1/2 inch. Queens are significantly larger and can easily grow up to an inch in size.

These ants can be found in the home and swarm towards windows to get out. Swarmers, as we like to call them, are the reproductive ants. They attempt to access the outside to produce satellite nests. After approximately a week they can exhaust themselves trying to get outside and die. There is no treatment to get rid of the swarming and flying carpenter ants, however, this indicates that there is a working nest in your home or structure that does need to be treated by a pest control professional.

Can they bite?

Carpenter ants can bite on contact, however, they are not venomous. They prefer to eat things with protein and sugar, including honeydew, jelly, and meats they come across within the home. Carpenter ants can travel up to 1,000 ft. away from their colony to forage their food, and depending on the weather, can be seen both inside or outside the home. On nice sunny days, typically from late March to mid-June, nests can be “woken up” and the ants may suddenly start appearing in and around your home looking for food.

Homeowners can do their own inspection to identify a carpenter ant issue. Carps are typically the most active in the afternoons on warm, sunny days. It is easy to find the ants the outside corners of your homes. If you identify a carpenter ant infestation, it is very important to have Hogarth’s Pest Control treat the issue. Carpenter ants can cause an extensive amount of structural damage to your home by chewing and destroying wood, similar to termites. Clients sometimes go years without realizing they have a carpenter ant nest.

Treating for Carpenter Ants

If carpenter ants become overwhelming, you may wash the countertops or use over-the-counter gel baits. DO NOT SPRAY OR USE GRANULES under any circumstances. If you had previously had another company treat or if you used any type of over-the-counter spray or granule, it will affect the outcome and how long it can take for our treatment to work. Gel baits can help to kill off some of the ants for the time being, but sprays and granules may only make the situation worse. Carpenter ants are EXTREMELY smart and can tell when their fellow ants are dying off. Carpenter ants can detect when a product has been put down and may avoid the area altogether.

They may work to avoid being seen by moving outside or relocating their nest. Gel baits will not kill off the nest. Hogarth’s Pest Control uses an un-detectable product that works by using the ants to take the product from outside to the nest itself, killing off the nest and the colony within 14-21 days of treatment. Once the carpenter ants have been treated for and the nest has been killed off, Hogarth’s can do an exterior preventative spray for all crawling insects, bees, wasps, and hornets. It is important to know that these are two different treatments and must be done at separate times.

Discovering A Nest

Occasionally, clients are unaware that they have carpenter ants until after their yearly spring treatment has been done. A typical exterior preventative treatment works to keep all crawling insects, bees, wasps, and hornets from getting inside the structure. However, this can trap carpenter ants inside the walls if not identified before-hand. If this is the case, Hogarth’s will need to do an interior ant treatment to rid your home of the ants. The interior treatment is non-invasive; we treat the baseboards, cracks, and crevices.

Within the 21 days after treating for carpenter ants, it’s extremely important not to kill the ants as you see them. It is imperative for the ants to cross the product and transfer it back to the nest. Hogarth’s Pest Control guarantees your home to be ant-free until the snow flies in the fall, however, they can return to the structure in the following spring. It is very important to have Hogarth’s do a preventative spray every spring to avoid re-infestation.

Avoiding Carpenter Ant Infestations

Carpenter ants seek out moisture and food. The homeowner can prevent infestations by correcting moisture problems and trimming tree branches to avoid touching the roof. Be sure to clean gutters regularly to avoid water run-off onto decking and other parts of the structure.

If you suspect a carpenter ant issue, be sure to consult Hogarth’s Pest Control for professional treatment and to avoid re-infestation.

How to Avoid Fall Pests

Fall pests can be a real mood-wrecker. Cold weather brings everyone indoors, including some of the more undesirable houseguests. Snuggling up on the sofa with a pair of fuzzy slippers and a blanket wrapped around your shoulders can be a comforting feeling— until something scurries across the living room floor.

Unfortunately, your family may not be the only ones enjoying the warmth of your home. Pests such as mice, cockroaches, flies, and certain species of spiders have life cycles that last longer than a year; meaning they must find shelter during the winter months to survive. Apart from being creepy-crawly, these pests can pose serious risks to both people and homes.

When making their nests in walls, rodents often chew on drywall and electrical wires, and they are known to pass on diseases including Hantavirus and salmonella. Cockroaches will leave droppings around the home, contaminate stored food, and, especially in children, can even trigger asthma. On top of it all, some spiders commonly found in and around homes are poisonous.

Below are ten pest-proofing tips that every homeowner can follow to more effectively keep pests outside during the fall and winter:

  1. Installing screens on attic vents and openings to chimneys, as well as keeping an eye on any other areas where the home may be open to the elements, such as animal doors and mail slots.
  2. Keep attics, crawl spaces, and basements dry and well-ventilated. Pests are attracted to areas with an abundance of moisture, which is something they need to survive. Running dehumidifiers in garages and basements will help to keep these areas dry.
  3. Caulk and seal any noticeable cracks and crevices on the outside of the home. Be especially mindful of the areas where utility pipes enter the structure. Keep in mind that many rodents can fit through a dime-sized hole.
  4. Keep kitchen counters clean, dispose of garbage regularly in sealed receptacles, and store food in airtight containers. A buildup of trash and crumbs are an attractant to pests scavenging for a bite to eat. We recommend properly cleaning up and disposing of all waste after meals and to ensure garbage cans remain closed when they are stored inside of the home or outbuilding.
  5. Replacing weather-stripping and repairing loose mortar around the foundation and windows is another means. Both are simple ways to keep not only pests but also cold air from entering the home.
  6. Keep shrubbery well-trimmed and store firewood at least 20 feet away from the house. By merely removing areas where pests can hide near your home, you can significantly reduce the chance of them finding a way ins.
  7. Install door sweeps and always repair damaged screens. Cracks under doors and torn window screens are ideal entry points for most household pests. When you open a window with a damaged screen, you are likely allowing more than just fresh air to enter.
  8. Inspect items such as package deliveries, boxes of decorations, and grocery bags before bringing them inside. Pests often find creative ways to enter a home. Shake out and thoroughly inspect anything that has been left or stored outside or in the garage.
  9. Avoid leaving pet dishes outdoors for prolonged periods. Pests will not discriminate between cat food and human food. Dishes that have been left sitting outside are extremely attractive to all kinds of rodents and insects.
  10. Have and maintain a proper drainage system on the exterior of your home. Installing gutters or making repairs an existing system will help to draw water and moisture away from your home, which prevents any leaks or build-up that may attract unwanted houseguests (is not effective for in-laws, though!).

Following these pest-proofing tips in the fall when the temperature begins to drop is the most effective way to protect your home and prevent any pest infestation during the winter months. However, if you think you have a pre-existing pest infestation, be sure to contact a pest control or wildlife professional to assess the situation.

Acrobat Ants

Acrobat Ants are small, shiny black ants with a heart-shaped abdomen. These ants got their name because when they are excited, they point their abdomen in the air like an acrobat. Acrobat ants are wood destroyers but do not eat the wood, just live in it. Acrobat ants tend to infest old carpenter ant nests and blue foam board. This leads to customers finding blue sawdust-like frass. Homeowners often confuse an acrobat ant issue with a termite infestation, as they often nest in the wood that has already been damaged by termites or carpenter ants. They then push out the wood and debris. These ants prefer to nest in moist areas such as under rocks, in stones, in woodpiles or rotting stumps.

Acrobat ants are typically found in the kitchen. Whenever ants are found in the kitchen they should be saved for identification by a professional. You can also crush them; if they smell like coconut, they are not Acrobat ants, but odorous house ants. Some ants are only active during certain times of the day, so it’s important to keep that in mind as well.

Prevention Tips

  • Customers should never try to spray or treat for ants themselves. This can only cause more issues and make it more difficult to eradicate the issue by a professional
  • Properly sanitize counters and keep food stored until we can get there
  • If you think you have an infestation, we advise keeping  a sample of any ants that are found to be identified and properly treated for

Signs of an infestation can include a trail of ants as they leave the nest to forage for food, or the debris they push out of the nest. If you are seeing bits of foam and wood by the foundation of your home, it may be that the ants are nesting behind the siding. It’s important to consult a professional pest control company to have an acrobat ant issue taken care of.