Chelan and Wenatchee Home Inspections- If you build it they will come!
In some areas of the country, carpenter ants cause more damage to structures than termites. They can cause extensive damage to wood members in a fairly short period of time. Carpenter ants do not actually eat wood but excavate it to use as nesting sites. Foraging activity can occur at any time of day but usually peaks at night. When foraging inside houses, carpenter ants are attracted to sweets, meat, grease and fat.
A carpenter ant colony is usually formed by a queen who begins a nest in a piece of old buried wood or in a partially decayed tree or stump. In mature infestations, there may be as many as ten satellite colonies linked to the parent colony by trails. There is a frequent exchange of workers between these satellite colonies and the main nest. Colonies normally do not produce winged reproductive forms until they are at least three to six years old with emergence of swarmers typically occurring from May through July.
The most common way in which homes become infested is through emigration from an existing colony. Homes and buildings located near wooded areas or brush covered vacant lots are good candidates for infestation.
Carpenter ant colonies are inclined to move if they are disturbed, as often happens during construction. Thus, new homes or those surrounding a new building lot present likely locations for attack!
Some Common Signs of Carpenter Ant Infestations:
- Frass, which is made up of wood shavings, bits of soil, dead ants and parts of insects. This material is often piled up outside of nest openings and found in spider webs and window sills.
- Small windows or slit-like openings that carpenter ants cut into infested wood. These windows are actually "garbage/frass chutes" which are used to dispose of frass or unwanted materials.
- Swarmers are the winged reproductives that take flight in the spring. Look for them trapped in spider webs, on window ledges or in light fixtures.
- Worker carpenter ants are active mostly at night.
- Worker ants can travel up to the length of a football field looking for food.
- Clicking or rustling sounds can sometimes be heard coming from carpenter ant nests. Try tapping against it with a screwdriver. You may hear a response -- the clicking of alarmed ants.
- Wood damaged by carpenter ants contains galleries that are very clean and smooth.
Nest Locations:
- Outside walls and voids - 35%
- Attic - 21%
- Ceilings - 19%
- Crawl space - 19%
First signs of a carpenter ant infestation maybe the sighting of worker ants throughout the home. Home owners may complain of big black ants (some may have some red). However, the presence of workers alone is not conclusive evidence that a colony is established within a structure. Carpenter ant workers tend to roam far and wide looking for food, and some transient workers are sure to enter any home located in a wooded area.
Ants normally excavate wood that has been softened by decay or other insects. They will excavate sound wood when conditions are favorable. 
Nests and galleries can be located a considerable distance from the point or points of entry. In addition to structural lumber, sites such as hollow-core doors, window headers, wall voids, floor joist bays under refrigerators and foam panels are particularly attractive to carpenter ants.
Carpenter ants can enter homes through openings such as foundation or attic vents, cracks, plumbing holes, entrances for telephone and electric wires, etc. Things to look for during an inspection are tree branches that may be just above or in contact with the roof and firewood piles. Firewood piles are prime nesting sites.
Chelan and Wenatchee Home Inspections- If you build it they will come!
NCW Home Inspections, LLC is located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington.
NCW Home Inspections LLC-509-670-9572
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