Carpenter Ants in Firewood

Carpenter Ants in Firewood

I took a weekend off to go camping with some buddies and while we were adding wood to the fire, Carpenter Ants came flooding out of one of the logs.

Carpenter Ants are wood destroying insects that damage wood by chewing to create galleries for their nest. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not actually eat and digest the wood, they only chew at it to create their nest.

This is why when you have a carpenter ant infestation, you will see saw dust and frass near where their nest is located. This saw dust and frass is NOT found with termite infestations.

Carpenter Ants are very common in Pennsylvania. In this case, we can see that the infested log had a rather large hole through the center of it. This hole, or gallery, is where the main section of the carpenter ant nest would have been located.

In the nest would have been the carpenter ant queen, eggs, and worker ants that keep the colony up and running. Unbeknownst to us, we put this log on the fire and within a few minutes, the carpenter ants began to come out. This was due to the log heating up and forcing the carpenter ants to evacuate the colony.

Carpenter Ants, from a pest control view, are most commonly encountered in homes and structures. The ants prefer some moisture in the wood so you will not typically find their nests in very dry wood. Carpenter Ants can forage up to 100 yards for resources for the colony.

Carpenter Ants in Firewood
Carpenter Ants in Firewood

This means that if you see one or two large carpenter ants in your home, it usually does not mean there is a nest in the home. If you are seeing more than 10 carpenter ants a day, or any ants with wings, then there is strong possibility that there is a carpenter ant nest in or directly near the home.

We are the EXPERTS at treating and eradicating carpenter ant nests from structures. If you have a carpenter ant issue, we can help!

We are a VETERAN and FAMILY owned and operated pest control and exterminating company that services ALL of South Eastern and South Central Pennsylvania.

As a Marine Corps Veteran with a degree in Biology from Penn State, I promise you haven’t met a carpenter ant exterminator like me before!

Call or text the professionals at Prudential Pest Solutions at (484) 401-4361.