Carpenter ants do not eat wood; they chew the wood to create a nest for the colony

　　Carpenter ants do not eat wood; they chew the wood to create a nest for the colony. The nests, sometimes called galleries, are made when the ant bites off the wood and carries the waste outside the nest. Finding out how to treat carpenter ants can sometimes be difficult. You can determine if you have carpenter ants rather than termites by examining the wood damage. Carpenter ants chew the wood across as well as with the gain, whereas termites chew with the grain. Termites also line the nest with mud whereas; the carpenter ant nest will be clean of any mud or debris.

　　Although carpenter ants are among the largest ant species, size is not a good way to identify the ant. Carpenter ants vary in size, even among the ants of one colony. Your county agent or a pest control specialist can tell you if you have an infestation of carpenter ants. You can also tell if you have a carpenter ant problem by the habitat and habits of the ants.

　　Carpenter ants usually emerge in the spring and forge throughout the summer and fall. They hibernate during winter in the nest to avoid the extreme cold. Outside, they can be found in hardwood trees, leaving the nest shortly after sundown in search of food. You can find them in small groups during the day, but the largest numbers are active at night. They use the same trails (semi-permanent) over and over again and often year after year if the nest has gone undetected. Carpenter ants also follow man-made guides such as concrete walls or along sidewalk edges if the trail leads to food.

　　Carpenter ants can establish a nest inside a home as well as outdoors. Inside your home, they tend to nest in moist wood. Wood can become damp from a leaky facet or from exposure to the elements. Damp wood can be found beneath a kitchen cabinet, in a bathroom behind the shower, or under a tub. Also, behind walls where a pipe might leak, around the dishwasher, hot water heater, or anywhere else that wood might come in contact with water in and around your home. Damp environments are suitable for carpenter ants because damp, moist wood is easier to chew than hard, dry wood. Outside, carpenter ants nest in hardwood trees, but some species will nest in wood or debris found lying on the ground.

　　If a nest China Plastic Box Manufacturers is inside the home, you can watch and follow the ants. Eventually, the ants will lead you to a crack or crevasse where they are either nesting or entering the home from the outside. Near the nest site, you can find small particles of wood, which is the debris, created during nest building. You may also find parts of the dead insects they carried to the nest and devoured.