Carpenter Ants: Silent Wood Destroyers

Most people think carpenter ants are just a nuisance—crawling on counters, foraging for food, and showing up in the spring. But the truth is far more serious: carpenter ants can cause significant structural damage to your property by nesting inside the wood itself.

Where Are Carpenter Ants Found?

Carpenter ants are found both indoors and outdoors. When found outdoors, they nest near moisture, such as under stones and woodpiles or in rotting logs. When found indoors, they nest in damp areas, such as in roofing near leaking skylights or near the foam sheathing underneath siding. Oftentimes, these ants inhabit the areas that carpenter ants or termites have already damaged, as they commonly clean out the debris left from these pests. They are commonly mistaken for termites.

What Attracts Carpenter Ants?

Like carpenter ants, carpenter ants eat honeydew, which can be found in aphids and mealybugs. However, they protect the aphids that produce the honeydew. Like carpenter ants, carpenter also like sweets and meat.

How Do Carpenter Ants Get Into Your Home?

Carpenter ants enter your home through open entryways, but they can also enter your home through the same opening that pipes and wires go through or by walking on shrubs or tree limbs that touch your home. These ants can also make a trail across the ground and enter through broken or missing weather strips or open window screens. Bits of foam on the ground outside of your home is one sign of an carpenter ant infestation, as they nest behind the siding. Sometimes, an carpenter ant infestation is identified by actually visibly seeing these ants marching in a line into your home. You can prevent an carpenter ant infestation by trimming trees and shrubs that touch your home, moving firewood piles away from your home, and caulking openings around utility lines and pipes. However, an carpenter ant nest can be difficult to locate so it’s best that you let a professional pest control company handle this issue. Request your free inspection from Hi-Tech Pest Control and let us get rid of your carpenter ant problem!

How Carpenter Ants Damage Homes, Decks, and Trees

Carpenter ants don’t eat wood like termites, but they excavate it to build their colonies. This means they carve smooth, hollow galleries inside beams, siding, and trees—weakening them from the inside out.

They commonly nest in:

• Trees & Tree Stumps – Weakening branches, increasing fall hazards

• Decks – Compromising stability and safety

• Headers & Footers – Undermining your home’s foundation support

• Fascia Boards & Roof Edges – Creating entry points for moisture and other pests

• Wood Siding – Allowing rainwater to seep in and rot the structure