Carpenter ants are a year-round nuisance. Termites will eat good wood, but carpenter ants will only excavate (but not eat) wood that has been damaged by moisture. They do have a powerful bite and a powerful sting, so they can hurt. If you suspect carpenter ant activity or would like us to determine whether you have ants or termites, just give us a call or fill out the contact form and we will perform a free thorough inspection.
Carpenter ants are active in our area pretty much year-round. The females will not eat the wood, but instead they will simply use their mouth parts to excavate galleys in wood that has been compromised by moisture.
Carpenter ants do not attack good, intact, sound wood. They go after moisture compromised wood. They usually come from an old tree stump or an old root system that is buried deep in the ground. You may never see them, but they can travel well over a mile to get to where they want to go. We have actually had to trail them over a mile to find out where the source is. They are bigger than fire ants or termites and are usually black. They can sometimes be brown.
They do have a powerful bite and a powerful sting, so they can hurt.