Controlling Carpenter Ants

Piles of carpenter ants (live and dead) inside unfinished portion of house structure. They were nesting in - damaging - the adjacent framing in the corner of the house.   Piles of carpenter ants (live and dead) inside unfinished portion of house structure. They were nesting in - damaging - the adjacent framing in the corner of the house.    
Piles of carpenter ants (live and dead) inside unfinished portion of house structure. They were nesting in - damaging - the adjacent framing in the corner of the house.

  

Achieving carpenter ant control requires an understanding of their biology and what to look for, which we cover in detail on that page. But a quick review tells us:

  1. There can be as many as 70,000 ants in a carpenter ant colony.
  2. Carpenter ant colonies divide their population among numerous nest sites that can be located as far as 300 feet apart.
  3. These various nests sites can be eradicated and the colony will respond by repopulating those nests.
  4. Carpenter ants are rarely seen indoors so their absence inside a home means nothing about their presence within the structural framing.

(see Evidence of Carpenter Ants for more information.)

Prevention is the Best Medicine

Understanding how prevalent carpenter ants are here in the northwest – and knowing how welcome they feel toward wood-framed homes – shows how important it is for every home to be protected with a preventive service. They are all too destructive and too present in most every neighborhood to ignore them until they've become well established. So a periodic service that incorporates carpenter ant prevention is important in the Puget Sound region and very good economics. As a homeowner you don't want to wait until you have trouble and costly damage.

Carpenter ants on an exterior wood deck
   Carpenter ants on an exterior wood deck.   Carpenter ants on an exterior wood deck.
Carpenter ants on an exterior wood deck        

If You Have a Current Problem

Nevertheless, if your home has evidence of a carpenter ant infestation there are two objectives in controlling them:

  1. Eradicate those ants nesting directly within the structure (as well as any nests in nearby stumps, logs, or landscape timbers.)
  2. Prevent the remaining colony from re-infesting the house structure.

A Conscientious Approach

Cascade has received environmental achievement awards for efforts in solving pest problems while relying upon less-toxic methods and products. So every pest control product is not only EPA registered but also has to pass our scrutiny for environmental and human safety.

Cascade's Carpenter Ant Inspect and Protect Program

Cascade's Inspect and Protect program begins with an initial service which concentrates on the house structure, its perimeter and nearby grounds where carpenter ants may nest or forage for food. This service varies significantly depending upon whether an infestation is already fully present.

Massive amounts of carpenter ants are flushed out of siding from the treatment near the corner of this structure.
   Massive amounts of carpenter ants are flushed out of siding from the treatment near the corner of this structure.   Typical carpenter ant damage
Massive amounts of carpenter ants are flushed out of siding from the treatment near the corner of this structure.    

When one or more nests of carpenter ants are already in and/or around the home the service includes some combination of injection of certain structural framing voids (such as within walls and between ceilings and floors), treatment of attic spaces, substructure crawlspaces, the exterior perimeter of the house, outside grounds (including nearby trees, stumps, and landscape timbers) and sometimes indoors.

If carpenter ants are not yet present the initial service is much easier and less expensive. Most structural application is limited and the greatest emphasis is on treatment of the exterior perimeter and grounds. The plumbing walls and other key locations of the structure are often important to treat preventatively.

The periodic service is extremely important and is designed to:

  • "Contain" any ants which may be, or remain, deep within the structure where initial treatment doesn't reach. The periodic "follow-up" service creates a barrier that ants cannot safely cross to obtain necessary food and water outside.
  • If you already had carpenter ants it protects the structure from re-infestation from "outside" nest sites of the same colony. These ants would otherwise be free to return within a couple of months when the initial service treatment breaks down.
  • Provide professional periodic inspection of the premises for carpenter ants (and other pest organisms as well) leaving little to "chance." Every Cascade technician is experienced, trained and licensed in carpenter ant biology and control.
  • Provide complimentary coverage for other pests, such as:
    • Rats & Mice - Spiders - Wasps - Earwigs
    • Ground Beetles - Sow Bugs - Millipedes - Centipedes

Service during the colder months is important and reserved for inspection and treatment of attics, substructure crawlspaces and between floor voids.

Cascade Pest TechnicianYou can trust Cascade to provide the best protection for your home. Carpenter Ant control and prevention is one of our specialties. Contact us today and give your home the protection it deserves.

Seattle: (206) 525-0882
Eastside:  (425) 641-6264
Bothell/Woodinville: (425) 483-3131
South King County:  (253) 631-2030
Snohomish County:  (425) 353-8888

 

We provide pest control for: Seattle, Auburn, Bellevue, Bothell, Burien Carnation, Clearview, Covington, Des Moines, Edmonds, Everett, Fall City, Federal Way, Goldbar, Issaquah, Juanita, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Lake Stevens, Lynnwood, Maltby, Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Mill Creek, Monroe, Mukilteo, Newcastle, Normandy Park, North Bend, Preston, Redmond, Renton, Richmond Beach, Sammamish, Seatac, Shoreline, Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Startup, Sultan, Tukwila, Woodinville, Snohomish County, and King County.