The state of Washington WSDA considers the carpenter ant to be the most "important" insect pest in the state. I kind of question the word "important" and think it might be better to just say the most "significant" insect pest. The carpenter ant is much misunderstood by the average person. For example, most people talk about them eating wood. Truth is, the carpenter ant does not eat wood. The ant is building in the wood -- being an insect carpenter. They tunnel in the wood to make galleries and will have an expel hole somewhere where they spit out the wood, so it is not in their galleries. They are chompin' and spittin'! From the standpoint of an inspector, this is helpful because at least there is something to see as we search for signs of this pest. Termites stay inside wood and, while there are signs to look for, they are much more concealed and private than the carpenter ants. The fact carpenter ants do not eat wood is another reason they are more likely to be seen. Since they get hungry they are often scoping out the house -- spotted in cupboards, sneaking in the dishwasher looking for sweets. The average homeowner, even if he or she does not realize the ants are working on the home, will still have a pest control operator take care of the roaming ants.For that reason, statistics I have seen show that, nationally, carpenter ants only do about half as much damage, dollar-wise, as the termites. Sometimes we will find carpenter ant frass and no apparent damage. Homeowners should keep an eye out for these ants. A few scouts outside the home are usually not a big deal but if you see them in any quantity walking around inside the home, pay closer attention. Below are a couple photos of some visible frass kicked out by carpenter ants at inspections I have done here in the northwest. Their frass, usually, contains not only the fine wood shavings but also little bits of insect parts. That helps identify the frass and is the remainder of food they have eaten, and discarded, and also the body parts of a few of their fallen comrades.
Inside, working the attic above Crawl space, working on structural lumber
Thanks for dropping by.
Steven L. Smith
Bellingham WA property inspections
Check out "This Day In History" -- music and vintage television from the 1950's through the 1980's. I enjoy writing these articles because they take me back to my days in radio broadcasting. Click on Elvis' gold record, below, to revisit those golden hits of yesteryear.
Marlene,
Not on vacation yet. Nearly a month till then. I will do a post, maybe tomorrown, showing in detail how to tell carpenter ants from other ants. It has to do with a few indicators, some of which you would rather not hear about. Primarily we can tell because the do not have a notch on the thorax or back, as most other ants do. That plus knowing what they are up to, by watching them, pretty much tells us. Even the carpenter ants, by the way, often live in the ground in an old stump or even a piece of wood. We first see them in homes as they begin to build a satellite nest --usually choosing moist or deteriorating wood. Another good reason to keep from having plumbing leaks! Given enough years of endeavor, and inattention by the homeowner, the population could grow and that could become a parent nest but generally in houses we see satellites -- their way of expanding the area for the population.