Carpenter Ant Control

Carpenter ants are rather large ants, usually ranging in size from three-eights to three-quarters of an inch in length. Like ants in general, they are social insects with highly-developed colonies and a well-defined division of labor. Carpenter ant colonies can range in numbers from a few dozen ants to several thousand.

Carpenter ants are wood-destroying insects. Unlike termites, however, carpenter ants don't actually eat wood. They carve out galleries in wood in which they lay their eggs and raise their young. Over time, carpenter ant damage to homes and other wooden structures can become substantial and require costly repairs.

Carpenter ants usually prefer wood that has been moisture damaged, although they sometimes will attack sound wood. They usually infest structural voids in areas with high relative humidity, such as wall voids, attics, roof soffits, door and window frames, voids and pipe chases behind plumbing fixtures in kitchens and bathrooms, and hollow ornamental beams and posts. They're also commonly found on sill plates, in ornamental railroad ties, and in stored firewood.

Georgia Carpenter Ant Species

There are two species of carpenter ants in Georgia: The Pennsylvania (or "black") carpenter ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus), and the Florida (or "red") carpenter ant (Camponotus floridanus). Pennsylvania carpenter ants are black in color with a band of yellow hairs around their abdomens, and are the carpenter ants most often encountered by exterminators in Northern and Central Georgia. Florida carpenter ants have red heads and thoraces and black abdomens, and are more common in the Southern and Southeastern parts of Georgia. Both species have similar habits, cause similar damage, and are controlled using similar methods.

Carpenter Ant Control

Rid-A-Critter provides carpenter ant control in Atlanta, Athens, Roswell, Macon, Columbus, and throughout North-Central Georgia. Unlike typical carpenter ant extermination companies, we take an integrated pest management approach to carpenter ant control:

• We locate the carpenter ant nest, whenever possible.
• We thoroughly inspect the home and grounds and counsel the client regarding conditions conducive to carpenter ant infestation, such as
  • moisture problems
  • overhanging tree branches
  • clogged or leaky gutters
• When necessary, we apply insecticides to eliminate the carpenter ant infestation.

Here are some pictures of carpenter ants and carpenter ant extermination jobs we've done.

Please contact us to schedule a prompt, no-obligation carpenter ant inspection and treatment consultation.

Thanks for visiting!