READING, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--They’re big, they’re nocturnal, and they invade North American homes each spring, summer, and fall. They are Carpenter ants. North America’s number one structure-invading ant! While Carpenter ants are annoying and can damage our structures, they pose no common threat to human health. However, when Carpenter ants establish nests, they can excavate through wood and other elements of construction in homes, costing families millions of dollars in structural damage each year.
Carpenter Ant Awareness Week (June 17-24) is a week set aside to educate Americans on how to recognize and deal with Carpenter ants. The Rentokil Companies (Ehrlich Pest Control, Western Exterminator, and Presto-X Pest Control) want homeowners to be aware of these pests and offer the following expert advice:
Spotting Carpenter ants is easy. The Carpenter ants themselves are big – for ants that is, making them easy to see. A nocturnal insect, Carpenter ants are sometimes difficult to detect because they only come out at night to search for food.
Other indications that Carpenter ants may be present include:
- Crunching, rustling sounds – If heard, Carpenter ants make a low volume sound like that of crumbling paper in walls or ceiling void areas.
- Sawdust – Carpenter ants often leave sawdust piles from excavations.
- Winged Carpenter ant “swarmers” – These reproductive ant forms are found leaving baseboards, window casings, or other elements of construction. This can establish new nests, compounding a pest problem.
- Damaged wood – Carpenter ants create tunnels in wood and other construction materials, which leave a smooth and sandpapered appearance.
Discovering and destroying Carpenter ant nests are the keys to preventing and eliminating infestations. Finding nests may be especially challenging since mature nests may have a series of ‘satellite’ nests, which can contain thousands of worker ants. Nests are secretly hidden and usually in hard-to-reach locations where wood is present, including doors, windowsills, roofing, and wall voids. A pest management professional can help locate, eliminate, and prevent ants from complicating your summer.
To check for Carpenter ants or nests in your home, the Rentokil Companies offer a free home inspection service, which can be booked online or by phone. For more information, advice or assistance, contact the Rentokil company near you: In the Eastern states, contact Ehrlich Pest Control at (888) 976-4649; in the Central states, contact Presto-X Pest Control at (800) 759-1942; and in the Western states, contact Western Exterminator at (877) 507-9459.
About Rentokil North America
Ehrlich Pest Control (www.jcehrlich.com), Western Exterminator (www.westernexterminator.com), and Presto-X Pest Control (www.prestox.com) are all part of the Rentokil family of companies in North America. They provide commercial and residential pest control, bioremediation, bird control, vegetation management, deer repellent services, wild-animal trapping, and termite control from more than 150 local offices in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Rentokil is the world’s largest commercial pest control company, operating in 49 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.rentokil.com/us.