New Jersey Carpenter Ant Control

What Are Carpenter Ants?

Carpenter ants are large, wood-chewing ants that live in almost every part of the world. They get their name from the fact that they build ant mansions inside of wood, by chewing roadways, tunnels, chambers, and living quarters. Eight species of carpenter ants can be found in the New Jersey area. The most common one is the black carpenter ant. To protect your home from carpenter ants in New Jersey, you need to learn about the behavior of this pest, take steps for prevention, and find effective treatment options should an infestation occur.

The New Jersey pest control experts at Viking Pest explain carpenter ants tend to bore holes in and around your window sills, decks, porches, and roof eaves. Carpenter ants need humidity inside their chambers to live and reproduce, so high-humidity areas in your New Jersey home are the most affected.

How do I Identify Carpenter Ants?

While they come in a variety of colors, in New Jersey carpenter ants are mostly all-black or very dark red. Typically, carpenter ants are significantly larger than other ant species which makes it easier to identify them. The New Jersey pest control experts at Viking Pest explain worker carpenter ants can vary in size from 1/4 inch to 3/4 inch long, so don’t worry thinking you’ve got a multi-species infestation on your hands.

One of the easy ways to tell whether your infestation is carpenter ants or termites is by comparing the antennae. Carpenter ants’ antennae are always elbowed while termites’ antennae are straight. Another great clue to determining what kind of ants you’ve got is what they leave behind. The New Jersey pest control experts at Viking Pest explain carpenter ants leave their signature sawdust behind, which is powdery-fine and dry. Termites, on the other hand, leave behind pellets of dust. Most other species of ants do not leave behind anything at all.

Carpenter ants have a distinct shape, which also makes it easier to identify them. The carpenter ant’s thorax has two segments that resemble armor and slims down to a little, dainty waist. Carpenter ant’s rear end is divided into two pieces and is oval-shaped.

When Are Carpenter Ants Present in New Jersey?

Carpenter ants don’t like the cold, so you won’t see them out and about during the winter months in New Jersey. Typically, their outdoor season spans April to October in the New Jersey area. Come spring they’ll be on the hunt for food and will start expanding their living quarters to accommodate their growing community. If you happen to notice carpenter ant activity around or in your home, garage, shed, or other outbuildings during the cold season in New Jersey that means they have enough heat and humidity to continue working, and it’s time to call the New Jersey pest control experts at Viking Pest.

Carpenter ant prevention is easier if you know their habits, regardless of the season. During the winter months, the ants aren’t really hibernating, but they do settle into a state of dormancy called diapause, where they stop their scurrying around and require very little food. As soon as it warms up enough for the ants to be back outside, the mating season starts. The New Jersey pest control experts at Viking Pest explain swarms of winged carpenter ants signify mating time, so you’ll only notice that happening once a year, usually at the end of spring. The swarming period only lasts a few days and, in the end, all of the males die off and the females lose their wings.

It’s at this time of year in New Jersey when it’s best to be diligent about identifying and eradicating carpenter ants because, after mating, the females go off in search of good locations to build their colonies. It can take up to 6 years for a colony of carpenter ants to become fully established, so don’t despair if you have started to notice them coming around. The best way to get rid of carpenter ants is to take preventative measures. If you act promptly, carpenter ant infestations can be eliminated and prevented.

How to Control Carpenter Ants in New Jersey

With professional help, you can eliminate carpenter ants in New Jersey. Controlling carpenter ants in and around your home or business may not be as difficult as you had imagined. Viking Pest offers expert treatment designed to effectively and efficiently control and prevent carpenter ants from invading your home or business in New Jersey. Our use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques focuses on finding the core of the pest concern and controlling carpenter ants from the source. Through IPM, pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, pets, and the environment. Call Viking today for your FREE and NO OBLIGATION estimate at 1-800-618-2847 or schedule online today!

Protecting Your Home or Business From Carpenter Ants in New Jersey With Viking Pest Control

Viking Pest offers expert treatment designed to effectively and efficiently control and prevent pests from invading your home or business in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. Our use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques focuses on finding the core of the pest concern and controlling Carpenter Ants in New Jersey from the source. Through IPM, pest control materials are selected and applied in a manner that minimizes risks to human health, pets, and the environment. Call Viking today for your FREE and NO OBLIGATION estimate at 1-800-618-2847 or Schedule Online today!