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If pest problems were major motion pictures, carpenter ants would be the Money Pit, and termites would be Nightmare on Elm Street. It is definitely bad to find out that you've had carpenter ants eating away at your home for years. But, when termites are discovered, it often turns into a nightmare quickly. This is because termites and carpenter ants don't do the same amount of damage. Here are how these two insects differ.
When termites attack a home it is a lot like having thousands of tiny dump trucks coming in and out of your home. With each load, another tiny piece of your home is gone. Forever. Termite workers feed on wood, and then bring the food back to their colony and share it through a process called trophallaxis. This process removes wood in a way that is nearly imperceptible. This makes termites extremely dangerous to the equity of your home.
When carpenter ants attack a home it is more like having a bad roommate. You come home after a long day at work and you find out that your roommate has destroyed the television, eaten the pizza you were saving in the freezer, and dropped chip crumbs on every carpet in the house.
Carpenter ants chew into wood and carve out a home. This can be very destructive, especially as that home grows larger and larger, and as more nests are established. But, since carpenter ants don't eat wood, they have to do something with all that sawdust. For this reason, you should be able to see sawdust underneath kick out holes somewhere in your house. This makes carpenter ants less stealthy than termites and, therefore, less destructive over time. But, under the right conditions, carpenter ants can feed quite extensively on a home without being detected. All they need is for a homeowner to miss the signs. One way this can happen is when sawdust is left near a wood pile that is stored inside or next to the exterior walls of a home. Another is if wood projects are done inside the garage and the sawdust created from these projects is mingled with the sawdust produced by carpenter ants in the walls.
If you're thinking that you'll see carpenter ants when they raid your kitchen or pantry, you could be disappointed. These ants don't need to feed on the food in your home. There are plenty of options for them to feed outside. So, it is possible to have significant carpenter ant issues without knowing it.
Carpenter ants and termites are both destructive pests to have inside your home. Keep your home safe with ongoing pest service from a professional pest control company.
At All-American, we protect homes from a wide range of pests. Pests that bite. Pests that spread illness, pests that damage belongings, and pests like the termite and the carpenter ant that do damage to homes. Protect your home and your family with ongoing pests service. Reach out to us today and learn how simple it is to get started.