Big Black Ants

Have you had the unpleasant surprise of looking down at your counter top or bathroom floor to find big black ants crawling around? I'm not talking about your regular run of the mill sugar ant, I'm talking about the kind of ant that you could ride to and from work. These ants are most likely carpenter ants and seeing them may or may not be that big of a deal. You'll have to ask yourself some questions to see if they are in fact infesting a part of your property because if this is the case they can do some damage as they are considered a wood destroying insect. First of all have you had a leak in your bathroom, kitchen, or any part of your home recently or within the past year? If the answer is yes then these ants may have found the damp wood and started to excavate a home somewhere in the wood surrounding the moisture. If the answer is no then you have to ask if you have noticed anything that looks like saw dust piles anywhere inside the home? Around window frames or door jambs would be good places to look, but they could appear anywhere. If the answer is yes then you may have an infestation in the home. If not then you have to ask if you have any tree limbs hanging on your home or roof, or if you have had any tree work down around your home lately? The ants you see could just be occasional invaders coming in for a snack. If there has been trees disturbed or cut down then a nest could have been stirred up and the ants have scurried finding their way into your home. A simple perimeter treatment inside and out should start to alleviate the problem. Also cut back any branches hanging on your home. IF the infestation is in fact in your home then you may need to hire a professional to pinpoint the nest and treat it directly, as this will be the only way to eliminate it from the home. Also consider the time of day you see the ants. Usually these ants are most active at night. If you are seeing them walking in a trail in your home when it is dark outside then they might be infesting your home. A good way to get an idea as to where they are infesting is to give a piece of sugar or food to the ant, when it picks it up it will bring in right back to the nest. If he disappears under a certain part of the molding or floor board then that could be a good place to start looking.