Summer is here and with it comes the heat, humidity, rain and swarming carpenter ants. Carpenter ants are most active in the summer months.  Many people mistake them for swarming termites.  All Seasons Pest Control owners Terry & Wayne Levesque say there are 2 ways to identify if you have carpenter ants or termites.

1.  An ant has segmented body parts or also known as a pinched waist.  A termite has one  solid body part. 
2.  The wings of an ant are usually about the same length of the body with the 1st set ofwings being much longer than the 2nd set of wings..  The wings of a termite are 2 to 3 times longer than the body with both sets of wings the same length.

Carpenter ants do not eat wood like termites do.  They like to move into already damaged wood – dead, damp, moist, decaying or hollow wood.   You can find them in thick mulch, piles of leaves, oak trees, palm trees, hedges, clogged rain gutters, piles of firewood & lumber, under potted plants, trashcans & stepping stones, in pump housing, hollow porch columns or just about anywhere outside that accumulates moisture.  They can also build a nest indoors.  All Seasons Pest Control says they’ve found indoor nests in all kinds of places including attic insulation, wall voids, light fixtures, around dishwasher and even in refrigerator and coffee pot motors. 

There are over 1,000 species of carpenter ants varying in color – tannish brown, reddish orange, black or a mixture of these.  They also vary in size from ¼” to ¾” long.  It can be a little difficult to control carpenter ants.  Unless you locate the nests, you will always be battling them.  Carpenter ants will travel up to 300’ away from any given nest.  The main colony, with the queen, is outside and they build satellite nests that are connected to the main colony.  Any nest that is inside is usually just a satellite nest.  It is best to keep your landscaping well groomed, pruned, trimmed, cut or raked to eliminate possible nesting sites.

All Seasons Pest Control offers a One-Time Pest Control Service guaranteed for 30 days or a Once-A-Year+1 Pest Control Service that guarantees against carpenter ants for one full year.  It also covers against all other types of ants, all types of roaches, silverfish, earwigs and ants.  Or you can purchase Do-It-Yourself Products at their store located at 435 W. Main St. in Apopka.  After properly identifying your problem, a product will be chosen (either sprays or baits) and instructions for proper treatment will be given. 

Call us at 407-886-0204
We are located at: 435 W. Main St. Apopka Fl 32712