Carpenter ant infestation questions & answers.

This article series describes carpenter ants and how to inspect a building for carpenter ant damage.

Page top photo: a view of carpenter ants found during demolition.

Carpenter Ant Identification & Damage Q&A

These questions and answers about hiow to recognize carpenter ant infestation, damage, and its cause, prevention, or cure were posted originally

at CARPENTER ANTS - be sure to check out the diagnostic suggestions on that page.

I see small oval lthings in an area of insect damage: what are they?

Hello, I inspected a detached garage today that had visible wood damage from the outside. The owner let me open the damaged area by pushing it in (and it easily crumbled) to see if any insects were visible inside.

When I opened the area I saw the damaged wood (see attached picture) with a number of these little round oval dark brown to blackish things inside (see circled area on picture). I saw no visible pests but a number of these oval things.

You can tell some sort of wood destroying insect has been damaging the wood.

The owner said he started noticing the damaged wood for approx 6 months but just now decided to have it looked at. He said the damage has grown significantly in that time and is continuing to grow.

I ruled out subterranean termites due to the holes being too large. Any help identifying appreciated. On 2023-04-12 by Chuck -

Answer by InspectApedia Publisher - size of holes indicate carpenter ants

@Chuck,

Those horizontal and vertical cracks in the wood are brown rot. Conditions that cause rot can also invite insect activity.

That fine sawdust is insect frass.

From. The size of those openings in the wood it could be carpenter ants. I would look for black ant bodies.

Where is the property and what are the building age and type of concert. construction?

by Chuck

@InspectApedia Publisher,

Thanks for the quick reply. The location is Boise, Idaho. It is a detached garage with painted wood on the outside. Thanks for your help!

by InspectApedia Publisher

@Chuck,

Could the oval things be insect eggs?'

Id like to see the exterior as well as what else you find.

Is there wood close to ground?

[Ed. this reader exchange was originally posted at INSECT DAMAGE]

 

What kind of ant is this and is this carpenter ant sawdust?

Can you tell me what kind of ant this is ? We mostly see the ants in our living room but sometimes they come in bathroom, kitchen, or bedroom.

On 2023-04-05 by Beth -

Can you tell me if this looks like the carpenter ants sawdust or just a dirty place ?

Answer by InspectApedia Publisher - Carpenter Ants

@Beth,

It sure looks to me like a carpenter ant. A bit worse for wear.

Compare yours with ours above on this page.

Did you take a look at our carpenter ant page (above) where you can see other photos of carpenter ants?

Then look at your ant through a magnifying glass and compare it. I think you will see it's the same.

If you are not finding sawdust or insect frass or any other signs of ant damage In a thorough inspection of the building.

Then there's no ant repellent activity that you need to deal with 1 lr 2 carpenter ants.

But if you start to see them frequently in numbers of 6, or 8 ants in a building area, then there is an infestation that you need to find and eradicate.

by Beth - how do I keep carpenter ants out of my house?

@InspectApedia Publisher,
Thanks for answering my question. We are not seeing any other sign that is saying about carpenter ants. What other can of ant could it be ?

Any ideas on how to get rid of and keep them out of the house ?

by InspectApedia Publisher - carpenter ant "sawdust" = "frass"

@Beth,

Your second photo is too dark for me to see much but I think that's just a dirty place.

Carpenter ant frass from an active investigation will be light in color and look like little bits of sawdust.

If you look at the page that I recommended you will see photographs of carpenter and frass.

[Ed. this reader exchange was originally posted at INSECT DAMAGE]

Wood close to soil, rain spilling off of your roof splashing up on wood siding, leaks into building walls are all key invitations to carpenter ant infestation.

You will want an inspection by a pest control operator, depending on where live, one who is licensed. That expert can tell you where there is infestation, where the ants are entering the building, and whether your building needs to be treated.

There may be repairs needed or changes needed such as using treated wood near ground level or fixing roof spillage or leaks.

Are these small holes bug damage in this new-looking 2x lumber and if so what bug?

What Does this looks like? Bug ID

On 2022-10-15 by oboy -

Answer by InspectApedia (Editor)

@oboy,

Looks like carpenter ant damage (or another insect) from before the wood was milled.

by oboy

Thanks, I wasn't sure if it was some kind of beetle. Some sites use stock photos for bug damage examples and some have a similarity depending on what stage of damage. I was thinking this was too large for beetle type insect.

by InspectApedia (Editor) - InspectApedia's photos are from our own field investigation & research or provided by our readers, not "stock"

@oboy,

Check the photos on this page - they're real, mine, from field work - and not "stock" from somewhere else. You'll see that typical old house borer or powder post beetle holes are very small and produce ultra-fine frass.

Bigger holes like in your wood are something else.

[Ed. this reader exchange was originally posted at INSECT DAMAGE]

Do little bits of wood debris (frass) suggest nearby carpenter ant activity

I keep seeing these shavings under my window sill every few days. There is no sawdust, just these shavings. What could this be

On 2022-07-16 by S Bothra -

Advice by InspectApedia-911 (mod)

@S Bothra,

Thank you for the photo and the question. I don't know for certain but I have often seen little bits of wood debris like that when there is nearby carpenter ant activity.

I would inspect the condition of the building outside near and above this area for leaks, rot, insect activity. You might try a carpenter ant spray approved for indoor use,.

Vacuum up the debris, spray the ant poison along the edge of the floor / wall juncture and watch for some dead carpenter ants to appear as their survivors toss their bodies out in your direction.

Keep us posted.

by Sbothra

@InspectApedia-911, Thank you for your response.

I often see moisture in between the double glass wall of the window (i don't know how it gets there since there is no way to access that, it's supposed to be sealed) and the metal in that part of the window looks like it's rusted. But i will do what you suggested and keep you posted.

by InspectApedia-911 (mod)

@Sbothra,

when we see moisture between panes of insulated glass, we know that the glass has lost its seal and there is a small opening somewhere that is letting humid air if not actual water into the glass space.

If there are leaks into the wall around the window the increase in moisture in that area could indeed contribute to the fogging of the glass.

 

I saw dust like shavings about a handful amount once a week. Husband says its varnish.

I've been sweeping the tile floor of an addition to our house for the past 10 years or so and have seen this saw dust like shavings about a handful amount once a week.

My husband said it was just disintegrating varnish falling off from the baseboards; however, all varnish looks after all these years but I am still sweeping up a handful of saw dust looking stuff every week.

I have been keeping an infestation of ants out of the living area by keeping the baseboards sprayed with bug killer.

If I call a pro, what could they do to check for damage and treat it, since we can't get inside the walls? Please give me some advice before I call a pro and pay a lot of money for incompetent work.

By the way, there is no water leaking or mold in these walls. On 2021-05-15 by Amara -

Suggestion by danjoefriedman (mod) - light colored sawdust may indicate carpenter ants

@Amara,

If you are seeing light colored sawdust that looks like the frass photos above on this page, then it's quite possible that you have a carpenter ant infestation.

And there are three questions.

One is having the house treated which typically involves a spray or poison that's put around the house to kill the carpenter acts.

The second question is whether or not there is sufficient damage to the house that repairs are needed.

Third question is where are the leaks or structural conditions such as would cause the ground that have invited ant (or other wood destroying insect) attack on the building in the first place.

Each of these needs to be addressed, but you will probably find that the pest control inspector can address #1 and 3 but question two may require a separate inspection by a home inspector or contractor who is familiar with insect damage.

by Amara

@danjoefriedman, Thank you so much for replying. I am just wondering though if the ants are in the walls, how would putting poison around the outside perimeters help? Would it be an attractant? How would I know if there is serious damage, since I can't see any?

As for what brought them in the first place, well I think since this is an older neighborhood, the contractor who put the addition to our house didn't treat the ground first?

by danjoefriedman (mod) - follow carpenter ant poison directions carefully

@Amara,

We don't normally treat the ground automatically in new construction when carpenter ants are a concern.

What we do is keep wood 8 to 12 inches or more above ground level. Or use treated lumber at risk points.

Carpenter ants don't stay in your building, they go in and out. Their poison kills them either by getting on their bodies when they walk through a chemical spray on a surface, or ant poison in the form of small granules that the ants accept as food and carry back into the nest as a gift to everyone else.

Some of these are available to the public. Be sure to read the directions and follow them with care. Some of these products are toxic to wildlife and so must be applied in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Is this fuzzy debris caused by carpenter ants?

I found this in my basement when getting out Xmas decorations. Any idea what this Is from? I’m thinking carpenter ants. Only bugs I found in basement though were spiders. What do you think? If ants what’s the best bait to use. Thanks. On 2020-12-23 by Matt -

Answer by (mod) -

Matt that looks like mold and perhaps non-fungal granular on drywall along with a cobweb; there may be insects or insect eggs as well but I can't see enough in the photo to be sure.

Look first for a moisture or water problem and compare what you're seeing in that photo with

MOLD APPEARANCE - WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE 

Look above and around to find the source of these particles - and inspect the damage there. That will tell us what's going on.

 

Can one smell carpenter ant infestation?

Is this possible to smell carpenter ants if it’s a heavy infestation? On 2020-11-07 by James B -

Answer by (mod) - Odor or Smell Detection of Carpenter Ants or Other Insect Pests

James; thank you for a helpful question about detection of carpenter ant activity by smell.

I've found no research indicating that a human can smell carpenter ants.

However the conditions that invite carpenter ants to attack the wood in a building generally involve water: leaks somewhere that are wetting wood or cellulose materials (including fiberboard insulation, wood framing, wood flooring etc.)

And where water has leaked into a building there is a good risk of mold contamination in those building cavities.

Some, not all, molds under some conditions, produce MVOCs that have a distinctive "moldy" or "musty" smell that many if not most people will recognize.

There has been research supporting the ability to train some dogs to recognize other insect damage in buildings, such as termite sniffing dogs and mold detecting dogs - a cute but silly idea that is too limited to be of much value. See those details

at MOLD SNIFFING DOGS?

This answer does *not* mean that carpenter ants live an odor-free life.

Quite the contrary, the ants themselves are very highly sensitive to and are able to detect very low levels of pheromones that in fact they use to navigate ant trails and to convey other information.

A few examples are given by this research on carpenter ant odor detection and also termite sniffing dogs who, in fact can be trained to recognize a great variety of odors (Brooks 2003) above on this page.

Breathing dust from carpenter ants in air ducts causes respiratory or allergic symptoms?

Can breathing dust from carpenter ants in air ducts cause respiratory or allergic symptoms - On 2020-09-27 by Donna Long -

Answer by (mod) - is carpenter ant dust harmful to breathe?

Donna

Generally no, as I'll explain.

But any answer to the respiratory harm from carpenter and dust is wildly speculative as we haven't a shred of information about your case.

It sounds a bit glib but it's true that for just about every substance, even water,

the dose makes the poison.

That means that a high level of exposure to many airborne dusts, even those comprised primarily of saw dust can still be harmful.

Also unknown is whether or not the dusted you are breathing was previously sprayed with pesticides, and toxins that could be particularly harmful if inhaled.

All of that warning arm-waving complete, in my OPINION, in most situations the volume of carpenter ant frass or "sawdust" a homeowner would normally encounter is likely to be so small as to be trivial and not particularly risky. I'd be more concerned for workers performing demolition and repair of extensive insect damage on a building that may have also been treated especially long ago with various pesticides.

Watch out: however, breathing ant dust or other dust or fine particulates in an area where pesticides have been sprayed might be hazardous as you may be breathing in pesticide.

I see staining and frass under the bottom of our siding: can you help me identify the cause?

Mystery pest under overhang. Staining and frass. Can anyone identify this? There's often a woodpecker there but it's so high up- about 45 feet- that I can't get up there.

The can lights in the room next to this area have some dead insects (Flies/ ants) Boston area. At the base of the siding about 30 feet from here is a pile of frass. Will try to post a pix under Bill2 On 2020-09-04 by Bill -

There is a pile of frass at base of siding. Can't see anything on the outside of the siding high up (about 30 feet) It's an extension Built in 2014. Ants? termites?

It's a west facing corner but quite damp because of tree cover. Boston area. can anyone identify? thank you

Answer by (mod) -

That certainly looks like insect damage, perhaps carpenter ants, though I've also seen similar chipping from woodpeckers.

If you see large splinters on the ground below that wood roof damage I'd figure it's woodpeckers.

If you see granular sawdust it's probably carpenter ants.

If you see very fine dust and round holes into the wood in the area of damage it's probably carpenter bees.

If you see mud tubes in or around the wood I'd suspect termites.

Is this brown fuzzy debris at my sliding door or window from carpenter ants?

Wondering if this is from Carpenter Ants? On 2020-05-19 by Jasmine -

Answer by (mod) - how to distinguish carpenter ant frass from debris from termites versus rodents

If you see actual mud it's probably termites

but from the mix of what looks like coarse sawdust and insulation I'd suspect carpenter ants or ant frass getting stuck on a cobwebs.

but from those dark things that look like rodent droppings there may be mice or some little animal as well - photo isn't so sharp that I can say for sure

Tell me where to buy carpenter ant spray

Where do you get this special carpenter ant spray? On 2013-02-26 by MJ

Answer by (mod) here's where to buy carpenter ant spray

MJ: any hardware store, building supplier, garden supplier as well as online vendors sell a variety of treatments for carpenter ants including both sprays and granular crystals that can be safely sprinkled in some areas and that are intended for use by homeowners.

Other pesticides can not be applied - in many countries, states, or provinces, without a pest control operator's license.

Watch out: just about every pesticide also comes with serious environmental, contamination, safety & health warnings from the manufacturer: follow the manufacturer's application instructions when using any pesticide.

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• CARPENTER BEES
• INSECT INFESTATION / DAMAGE - home
• STRUCTURAL DAMAGE PROBING
• TERMITE DAMAGE PROBING
• WOOD STRUCTURE ASSESSMENT - damage inspection & testing

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