So we are in mid January now and carpenter ants are popping up around your house, what is up with that? So you ask, are carpenter ants really active in the winter? Well it depends on were they are living, in a wall or floor of your house where it is warm enough and they can access food, then you will have a satellite nest in your house. Most carpenter ants living outdoors go into a pseudo hibernation called diapause (a pause in activity) but all it takes is one warm day in the middle of winter for the ants to start moving around again. If carpenter ants are living in the walls your house that are being kept warm throughout the winter, then they will send out scouts in search of food to feed their colony. They really are not picky eaters, a couple small morsels of pet food, some food in the garbage or remnants that hit the floor is all they need. What they don't actually eat is wood. They burrow though soft, usually wet or rotting wood to live in, store eggs and larvae and food. The sawdust or frass that is left behind is a tell-tail sign that carpenter ants are slowly destroying your home. That is why it is important to quickly address a carpenter ant issue, no matter what time of year it is, so yes, right now is a good time.
Go Green Pest Control owner Randy Bilesky is a long-time South Delta resident. Trained and certified, Bilesky has first-hand knowledge of the pest problems that local homeowners and business owners encounter.
