Summer weather is upon us, and so are the ants. Everyone dreads ant season when those tiny, tenacious ants begin their march to invade homes. There are many species of ants throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, but perhaps two of the more common are carpenter ants and pavement ants.
Carpenter ants are perhaps the most concerning of all ants as they can actually damage your home. Left unattended, a colony of carpenter ants can actually damage the wooden structure of buildings to the extent that they can become unsafe and require extensive repairs. This can be very costly and something homeowners should not have to incur.
Carpenter ants don’t actually consume the wood like termites. In fact, they prefer the same type of food that humans and pets eat. However, they will methodically chew into the wooden structure and create a satellite colony by building an infrastructure of tunnels. Window sills and doorways are common places to find carpenter ants as well as around sinks and dishwashers.
Pavement ants are thought to have been introduced to the United States during the 1700s via merchant vessels. This soil nesting species of ant has worked its way from the Atlantic shores to California. Pavement ant colonies are normally found under concrete and large rocks. Small mounds of finely chewed dirt will be seen in cracks of concrete, along edges, and around rocks. These pesky ants are great foragers and will go out of their way to find sweets, sugar, fruit, syrup, and greasy food. Almost anything that is often consumed by humans becomes attractive and tasty to pavement ants.
This dark brown pavement ant, no more than 1/8th of an inch in length, can easily gain access into homes through the tiniest of cracks. Carpenter ants are much larger in size but are also capable of crawling under your entry door and other very small cracks. Much can be done to control the access of ants into your home. Be sure to inspect your foundation and the exterior area around your windows and entry doors. Caulking all cracks shut and sealing around doors and windows will deter their access while also making your home more energy efficient.
As a homeowner, your best choice is to contact American Pest Solutions and inquire about our PestGuard home protection plan. Every homeowner will, at some point, experience pest problems and have ants invade your home. When you contact American Pest, you will experience the care and evaluation of your home by one of our state certified and licensed pest control consultants. They will quickly put a plan together for you to keep your home free of ants and other common household pests. Do yourself a favor and call American Pest Solutions today.