Ant Season

As a kid, there was nothing better than the classic Warner Brothers cartoon featuring Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny and my favorite befuddled hunter Elmer Fudd bickering over Duck Season or Rabbit Season.  Now as an adult homeowner, I face Elmer Fudd's frustration every spring.  Spring is known in my house as Ant Season and taking a shotgun to the critters crawling around my kitchen is more than a little tempting.

While little sugar ants are an annoyance, spring is also a time for carpenter ants, which can be a devastating to wooden structures. Now is the time to inspect your home for signs of carpenter ants, especially if you've seen any of the large black ants around your home.  Here are some things to look for:

Frass, which is made up of wood shavings, bits of soil, dead ants and parts of insects.  This material is often piled up outside of nest openings and found in spider webs and window sills.

Small windows or slit-like openings that carpenter ants cut into infested wood.   These windows are actually "garbage chutes" which are used to dispose of frass or unwanted materials.

Swarmers are the winged reproductives that take flight in the spring.  Look for them trapped in spider webs, on window ledges or in light fixtures.

Worker carpenter ants are active mostly at night, so you may not see any activity during normal working hours.  Even if you do, it does not mean that the nest is nearby.  Worker ants can travel up to the length of a football field booking food.

Clicking or rustling sounds can sometimes be heard coming from carpenter ant nests.  If you identify a potential nest site, try tapping against it with a screwdriver.  You may hear a response -- the clicking of alarmed ants.  The use of a stethoscope makes listening easy.

Wood damaged by carpenter ants contains galleries that are very clean and smooth.

If you suspect carpenter ants have a nest in or near your home, call a professional home inspector or an exterminator.