Wood Carpenter Ants Vs Termites Damage

Carpenter ant at work.

Wood carpenter ants vs termites damage. This is because both are wood destroyers and can cause serious structural damage to property. Carpenter ants and termites have a lot more in common than most people would think especially when it comes to pest control. These insects prefer wood that has been softened by water damage but they are more than capable of chewing through sound wood as they establish galleries and tunnel systems. They chew it and push it out.

However unlike the termite carpenter ants do not actually eat wood. As the number of individuals inside a colony grows they continue to expand through the wood which causes further damage. It s important to determine which pest has infiltrated your home in order to chart the proper course of action against the colony. Carpenter ants don t eat wood like termites.

Plus they are unfortunately roughly the same size. To the untrained eye which is most eyes unless those eyes work in pest control it can be hard to tell termites and carpenter ants apart. Termites do consume wood and it is the sole component of their diet. In fact they are one of nature s most aggressive destroyers of wood.

Although the damage caused by carpenter ants is not as severe as the damage caused by termites carpenter ant nests may cause significant damage over a period of years. This damage is usually done inside wood but carpenter ants. As we touched on above this wood is used to create nests tunnels and other forms of shelter for carpenter ants. Oftentimes you ll see piles of wood shavings near wood that s infested with either termites or carpenter ants.

Carpenter ants will still dig through and damage wood throughout your home. Worker termites are pale colored soft bodied soil dwelling insects that are extremely vulnerable to water loss. Free pest control estimate. Carpenter ants and certain beetles also devour wood.

The damage they cause differs in appearance from carpenter ants due to their biology and habits. The carpenter ant causes damage to wooden structures by boring into the wood to build their nests. If this type of wood is not available foam. Termites do not exhibit this type of behavior.

Once carpenter ants establish a nest you may see stage two. Both love to destroy the wood in your home and cause damage and both swarm and become active in the spring and summer months. This is the appearance of sawdust frass underneath the kickout holes that lead into their tunnels. Carpenter ants and termites are destructive pests that can do a lot of a damage to a home.

The more damp and decayed the wood is the more likely it is that a carpenter ant will want to live in it. But pavement ants are around of an inch and carpenter ants are around of an inch. Carpenter ant damage vs termite damage make no mistake carpenter ants damage wood. Termites are just one of several types of wood boring insects that damage homes.