Carpenter ants may not eat wood like termites do, but they’re still bad news for your home. These large, black or reddish ants tunnel through wood to build nests, and over time, they can cause serious structural damage. If you’ve spotted carpenter ants around your home in Vancouver, chances are there’s a nest nearby or even inside your walls.
The key to getting rid of them? Finding and treating the nest properly. In this article, we’ll walk you through how carpenter ant nests work, how to identify where they’re hiding, and the best ways to treat them safely and effectively.
What Does a Carpenter Ant Nest Look Like?
Carpenter ants build their nests by chewing tunnels into damp, decaying, or soft wood. They don’t eat the wood, they push it out of their tunnels, which creates a sawdust-like material called “frass.” These nests can be inside trees, stumps, fence posts, or, unfortunately, inside your home’s walls, floors, ceilings, or wooden furniture.
There are usually two types of nests:
Parent nests, typically outdoors, are often in stumps or logs
Satellite nests, which are often indoors, where the ants go to forage for food and shelter
If you’re seeing ants inside, you may have a satellite nest in your home, which means the colony is well established.
Signs You Have a Carpenter Ant Nest
Here are some common clues that you’ve got a carpenter ant nest nearby:
- You’re seeing large ants indoors, especially at night
- You’ve found frass (fine sawdust) near baseboards, windowsills, or door frames
- You hear faint rustling or chewing noises inside your walls
- You’ve spotted winged ants (swarmers) trying to exit the building, especially in spring or summer
If any of this sounds familiar, it’s time to take action.
Step 1: Find the Nest
This can be the hardest part. Carpenter ants love to hide in out-of-the-way places like:
- Wall voids
- Attics and crawl spaces
- Behind dishwashers or kitchen cabinets
- Near leaking pipes or damp wood
- Inside window frames and door trims
To locate the nest, try following the ants. Use a flashlight at night (when they’re most active) and watch where they go. You may also try tapping on wood surfaces and listening for faint rustling or movement, which can sometimes reveal their hiding place.
Step 2: Eliminate Moisture
Carpenter ants are attracted to damp, softened wood. Fixing leaks, improving ventilation, and sealing up damp areas help make your home less attractive to them. Dry wood is much harder for them to tunnel through, so moisture control is key to both solving the problem and preventing it in the future.
Step 3: Use the Right Treatment
Once you’ve found the nest (or nests), you have a few options for treatment:
Insecticidal Dust
This fine powder can be applied into wall voids, cracks, or directly into the nest. It sticks to the ants’ bodies and gets carried back to the colony. The key is to use just enough, not too much, so the ants don’t avoid it.
Baits
Slow-acting ant baits are effective because they give the worker ants time to carry the poison back to the colony. However, this only works if the ants accept the bait. If they’re not taking it, it might be the wrong type (carpenter ants can be picky).
Direct Nest Treatment
If the nest is fully exposed (like in a rotting stump or under siding), you can apply a targeted insecticide directly into the galleries. Always follow label instructions and take safety precautions.
Non-Chemical Options
In some cases, vacuuming up visible ants or physically removing infested wood might be an option, but this is usually a short-term fix and doesn’t address hidden nests.
Step 4: Monitor and Prevent
Even after treatment, it’s important to keep an eye on the area and continue to look for signs of activity. Sealing entry points, trimming branches away from your house, and keeping food stored securely can all help prevent future infestations.
When to Call a Pest Control Specialist?
Carpenter ant nests can be extremely difficult to locate and treat, especially if they’re inside your walls. Sprays and store-bought products may kill a few ants, but they won’t wipe out the colony if the nest isn’t treated directly. That’s where professional pest control makes all the difference.
Need Help Finding and Treating a Carpenter Ant Nest? Phantom Have a Solution!
At Phantom Pest Control, we specialize in carpenter ant control for Vancouver homes. Our trained technicians know exactly where to look and how to safely treat even the most hidden nests.
We don’t just deal with the surface problem, we go after the root of the infestation and help prevent it from coming back.
