However this isn t necessarily a sure sign that an entire colony and any satellite colonies of carpenter ants have established their nest within your home.
Carpenter ant nest in attic.
The ants were killed on contact and the homeowner was thrilled at the prospect of no longer having carpenter ants.
In order to eradicate the nest we drilled a series of small holes in the window frame and injected an insecticidal dust.
While it would be unusual to have an entire colony in your attic it is not unheard of.
Carpenter ants found in attic.
The main nest is therefore the objective.
A carpenter ant nest and signs of an infestation showed up right when we needed it.
With rotting damp wood that is normally found near the roof penetration your attic offers sustenance to carpenter ants.
Ants will build nests where ever they can find a suitable area to do so.
Carpenter ants typically have two types of nests.
It s important to note that the carpenter ants do not eat wood but are attracted to damp wood.
Since carpenter ants burrow into wood to create their nests you might hear a rustling sound inside walls or woodwork.
As a result most carpenter ant nests are found in decaying wood in areas such as windows chimneys sinks doorframes or bath traps and in hollow spaces such as wall voids.
I believe the most effective way to eliminate carpenter ants is a combination program focused primarily on baiting.
Baiting has two benefits.
However carpenter ants maintain a system with a main nest and satellite colonies.
Parent colonies and satellite colonies.
The queen is located at the main nest and is supported by the satellites.
The vent pipes skylights and chimneys are areas ants can thrive building their nest from the wood available.
I hit them with some raid ant killer and got a lot of them but a lot fled the scene.
Parent colonies are usually outdoors found in wood that is moist or rotted places such as tree stumps logs old boards rotting trees or tree roots.
The good news here is that the ants are visible to you and they are still going outdoors to forage which means they will walk through areas that that you treat outdoors.
So i was removing attic insulation and found some carpenter ants just hanging out under the insulation blown in cellulose.
There was a pretty good amount and some were huge.
If an infestation is severe you may notice carpenter ant damage in the form of wood shavings beneath window sills and other wood objects in your home.