Pest Control CT: When Carpenter Ants Become Active
Pest Control CT When Carpenter Ants Become Active. Carpenter ants are found throughout Connecticut. These large black ants are called Carpenter Ants because they live in wood. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood. Carpenter ants are predators that feed mainly on small insects like aphids and inchworms.
When spring comes, carpenter ants inside the nest are beginning to move about and stretch their legs. There is no food outside yet as temperatures are still low, buds and leaves are still forming. One thing carpenter ants will need when they first wake up is water. Carpenter ants get most of their water from the food they bring back to the nest.
The CT carpenter ant queen ant has not been laying eggs over the winter but will start soon, in order to feed the colony. With no wild food sources available, carpenter ant workers will come out and search for water. They may also locate sweets, pet food, fruits and vegetables etc.
One of the first signs that carpenter ants have moved into a structure in Connecticut is the presence of worker ants in spring, before leaves have formed on the trees. The first warm days will wake the ant colony up, and they will remain active until the next fall, although cool nights will reduce activity.
Because food is scarce, the first workers usually find water sources like dishwashers, sinks, showers, and pet water in your home. With ever warmer days, leaves form on tress and shrubs. When daytime temperatures climb sufficiently, ants will begin to venture outside of the nest.
Swarming takes place in warm temperatures, and my take place several times if the colony is large. Swarming also takes place outside, and if conditions are right, many colonies may swarm at the same time. This mass swarming allows males and females from different colonies to exchange genetic material. Large colonies may have several satellite nests, especially on the sunny side of a house or the warm attic.
Control of CT carpenter ants is best left to pest control professionals. If you begin to see ants inside this spring it is likely that you have an ant nest nearby. Why wait until the carpenter ants are everywhere, potentially causing damage to your house? Call for help as soon as you see activity.
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