If you see large winged ants indoors, in any number, you might have a carpenter ant problem.

Winged carpenter ants are the swarming form and are often mistaken for swarming termites. (Hint – termite wings are all the same size while ant wings are of two different sizes with the front wing much larger.) Winged ants are produced when a colony reaches a certain size.

If you see sawdust piles on the floor, you might have a carpenter ant problem.

Carpenter ants keep their nest galleries very clean, dumping bits of chewed wood, dead insects, and miscellaneous debris out of their nests through natural holes or slits in the wood.

If you see 10 or more carpenter ants a day in any room other than the kitchen, you might have a carpenter ant problem.

Carpenter ants can be nesting inside your home or they may be nesting outside and foraging inside for food. Ants that are just foraging in for food will most often be seen in the kitchen. Seeing more than an occasional ant in other parts of the house is an indication that the ants are nesting within the house.

If you see ants in your home and the ground outside is frozen, you might have a carpenter ant problem.

In our region, carpenter ants living outside are inactive during our cold winters. They are not foraging for food. If you have ants in your home during the winter, you can be pretty sure that they are nesting inside where the heat allows them to remain active.

If you hear crunching or rustling noises coming from your walls, you might have a carpenter ant problem.

When they are excavating wood and moving about in their nests, carpenter ants make a distinctive munching or rustling noise that some say sounds like crinkling cellophane. Some other wood-infesting insects make noises, too.

If any of these scenarios seem familiar, you might need professional help. Contact a pest management company for a professional inspection for carpenter ants. Give Colonial a call today.

[Source: UMassAmherst: Building and Construction Technology]

Photo credit: sanchom / Foter / CC BY