In the United States, a survey found that people often consider ants to be the most concerning pests. This is because of the damage they can do, as well as how easy it seems to be to get infested.

In northern Virginia, there are many things in and around homes that can attract ants.

Here are the signs of carpenter ants, as well as what attracts them. If you know what brings them to your home, you can prevent it from happening.

The Signs of Carpenter Ants

The following are signs of carpenter ants. If you’ve discovered any of these “” or more than one “” have a professional check it out.

Piles of Wood Shavings

When asking yourself, “what are carpenter ants, exactly?”, the main thing to know is that they’re small pests who will bite away at the wood in your home. That’s why one of the signs is small piles of shavings.

You’ll often find these around windows or doors.

Rustling Noises

If you listen closely next to hollow walls, you may hear the signs of a carpenter ant infestation. This will usually sound like rustling as they move around.

Wings

If you have swarmers, you may actually be able to spot the wings that have been shed. Swarmer ants will leave their wings behind as they burrow into their nests.

Seeing Ants

Another, more obvious sign, is that you may actually see the carpenter ants.

Keep a close eye out for bugs, winged or otherwise.

Carpenter Ants in Northern Virginia Homes

So what exactly attracts carpenter ants to northern Virginia homes?

For the most part, ants are looking for the basic needs to survive: food, water, and shelter.

Shelter comes in the form of a dark place to hide. If they can get inside the walls, away from people and other things that they deem a threat, they will happily burrow down and create a nest.

They also want a water supply close down. You might have a leak that’s creating a puddle somewhere or dampness that’s attracting the ants.

The last, most obvious thing that attracts carpenter ants, is food. Sugar, meat, and pet food are huge ones because of the strong smell and protein in some.

Make sure you aren’t leaving food out and that your trash can is secure. If these things are open for ants to get into, it will attract lots of them and they’ll create a nest.

So What Do I Do?

If you’ve spotted the signs of carpenter ants in your home and it’s too late to be preventative, don’t try and get rid of them yourself. You’ll have to find pest control in North Virginia to do the job for you, as doing it yourself can be ineffective and cause damage to your home. 

Planet Friendly Pest Control can help. We’re locally owned, customer-focused, and practice strict social distancing standards. If you need someone to come and treat your home for carpenter ants, contact us today and we can help you out.