There are over a thousand different species of ants in the world, but the one that’s commonly found in most New York homes is the big black ant or carpenter ant. These ants love to enter homes in search of food sources and shelter so they can survive. However, it’s also not uncommon to see black house ants hanging around your porch or dropping by your garden from time to time.
So what are carpenter ants doing outside your home? Carpenter ants primarily build their main or parent nests outside your property. Their colonies can usually be found in moist or decayed wood such as dead trees, tree stumps, piles of firewood, or old logs. You may also sometimes find winged carpenter ants outside your windows or front doors which is a sign of an active colony inside your home.
Read More: How To Keep Black Ants Out Of The House Naturally
Almost all homeowners can experience having a carpenter ant infestation. As long as you have an abundant food supply, water source, and warm living conditions, these pests will find their way to settle inside. However, these ants are so small that they can sometimes be hard to notice once they’ve moved in. When you want to confirm the presence of carpenter ants on your property, it’s easier to look for their ant trails outdoors.
There are several reasons why there are a lot of carpenter ants outside your home such as:
Carpenter ants create two types of nests: parent nests and satellite nests. The parent nest contains the reproductive queen and at least a thousand worker ants while the satellite nest only has workers without the queen. The main carpenter ant nests can usually be found in tree roots, tree branches, damp wood, logs, and other damaged wood that may have accumulated excess moisture.
The black ants that you see outside could be workers who have exited their parent nests to hunt for food and water sources. These worker carpenter ants will go indoors only when they can’t find a suitable food and water supply outdoors. Once they’ve entered your home, they can build their satellite nests in areas with moisture. Other ants can then follow in by tracking their pheromone trail, and this can lead to an infestation.
If you see multiple ant trails leading to your home from the outside, it can mean that you already have an active ant infestation. Don’t ignore this sign and immediately inspect crawl spaces, wall voids, wood surfaces, and corners where they could be moving. Sometimes, you can also notice winged carpenter ants gathering on your windows which is an indication that you have a mature single colony indoors.
Winged ants can also be a sign that their swarming season has begun. In every ant colony, there are swarmers who are responsible for mating and breeding. Carpenter ants actively swarm during the spring months. During this time, both the male and female reproductives emerge from the nest to look for a new home.
If they find your home to be an ideal living environment, they’ll most likely find ways to get in and search for a nesting place where they can lay their eggs and invade your space in the process. A new ant colony can hold up to 3,000 ants which can lead to a future infestation if not exterminated immediately.
Another reason why you have carpenter ants lurking outdoors is because a neighbor has an ongoing ant problem. If their pest control provider failed to treat their infestation efficiently, some black ants may have migrated to nearby properties, which could include your space. Sometimes, your house is a more suitable environment for the ants than the previous location they stayed in, so they settle there.
Among the common household pests, carpenter ants are also considered to be one of the most destructive. They’re usually called silent destroyers since the extent of their wood damage isn’t visible on the outside. These ants may not directly consume wood like adult termites, but they can chew through wood and create multiple nests, weakening the home’s foundation and causing significant structural damage in turn.
Here are other external signs to help you identify if you’ve a carpenter ant infestation:
To prevent a serious black carpenter ant infestation, you need to prioritize setting up measures that will eliminate their access to your home. Here are some simple pest control tips to help deter ants from coming indoors:
Learn More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them
Seeing carpenter ants outside your home can be alarming especially if they’re frequently present in large numbers. It can be especially hard to deal with a carpenter ant problem without the help of an expert pest control team like Positive Pest Management. Locating nests, erasing pest trails, and making sure recurrences don’t happen must be left in the hands of the professionals.
As an experienced pest control company, we’ve helped many residents and businesses in New York with their pest control needs. Our professional services include safe and efficient extermination using quality natural and chemical pest control treatments, home inspections, and preventive measures to keep ants and other pests from returning. Call us today for any urgent pest control needs.
Learn More: How to Find Where Black Ants Are Hiding in Your Home