Investigating The Damage Pests Can Wreak In Your Home

When it comes to pests, most people think about the ones that can be seen roaming around or flying around. What a lot of people don’t realize is that there are many pests that can cause serious damage to your home and cost you a lot of money if they’re not taken care of quickly.

In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the pests you should watch out for and what kind of damage they can cause. We’ll also provide tips on how to detect and prevent pest damage from happening in your home. Stay safe!

Wood Destroyers

There are certain pests that tend to have a preference for wood. The more time elapses since a pest infestation in your home, the more damage is done to the wood. But how do you tell which pest is responsible for the damage you see? Here are some insights:

Carpenter bees, for example, bore circular tunnels in untreated wood. These holes are about the size of a nickel. If this is the kind of damage you’re seeing and it’s on the exterior of the house, you’re not dealing with carpenter ants or termites, but carpenter bees!

Now, if you’re seeing lots of tiny holes, those aren’t carpenter bee holes. Instead, they could be the work of a smaller wood-destroying insect such as the carpenter ant. But not all tiny holes are created by carpenter ants. Powder post beetles can create tiny holes as well.

So, if you’re seeing these signs, you have to consider what type of wood is being damaged to figure out whether or not you have a powder post beetle infestation or a carpenter ant infestation. Powder post beetles prefer hardwood and often attack furniture as well as hardwood building materials whereas carpenter ants are more likely to target softwood, especially softwood that is rotting or has been water damaged. Read more at Arrow NJ

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are some of the most common ants you’ll find destroying your home. They get their name from their tendency to make little nests in wood and are quite large. Here’s some more info on these tiny destroyers…

In their natural habitat, carpenter ants seek out moist locations to nest, frequently in decaying wood like dead tree limbs, stumps, tree holes or landscape timbers.

Carpenter ants in homes are most likely from satellite colonies. A parent colony may be a football field’s length, or further, away. Typically, they will be found in moist areas around windows and doorways, as well as bathrooms, kitchens, pipes, drains and roof vents. Crawl spaces or attics that are consistently damp or have water leaks may also attract ants. Like other ant species, carpenter ants will eat virtually anything, including other insects, so it can be easy for them to wander into your home while they’re foraging for food. They like protein, fats and sugars, and any number of kitchen spills, from pet food to sugary substances, can draw them inside. Read more at Terminix

Common Target Areas for Carpenter Ants

Now that you know what kind of environment they thrive in, you need additional info. This is about the damage to look out for. The following post explains this in detail…

If the door and window frames in your property are often wet due to leakages or bad weather, they can make an excellent destination for Carpenter Ants. As usual, they will carve hollow tunnels through these pieces of wood, compromising their integrity. If not addressed, the pests can weaken the frames and make them easy to break…

If your home’s drywall is moist, it might be an ideal nesting place for Carpenter Ants. Professional Carpenter Ant exterminators reiterate that walls and attics insulated with fiberglass and other foam insulation may create a perfect shelter for these pests. However, if your walls have cellulose insulations, you might be lucky since their outer layer is coated with repellant chemicals that will ward off Carpenter Ants…Read more at Envirotech Pest Control

Your roof and hardwood flooring may also be a target of carpenter ants. But you don’t have to wait until its too late. An inspection can really help to arrest a potential ant invasion.

At Backyard Bug Patrol, we offer an organic pest control treatment plan. It is effective against several pests including spiders, crickets, silverfish, and other additional pests. We have a separate ant barrier program too. But if your issue is with carpenter ants, you need to call to discuss options to eradicate them. Our passion is in ensuring your home is pest-free. Get in touch with our expert team today!