Carpenter Ants-How to Spot Them, Stop Them, and Keep Your Home Pest-Free
When it comes to household pests, carpenter ants are among the sneakiest troublemakers. Unlike termites that eat wood, carpenter ants chew through it to create tunnels and nesting galleries, compromising your home's structure over time. These ants are intelligent, persistent, and capable of going unnoticed for months—until the damage is done.
If you're noticing large black ants crawling around your baseboards, windowsills, or kitchen counters, especially in the spring and summer, there's a good chance you're dealing with carpenter ants. And trust us—they're not just a nuisance. They're a warning sign.
Let's break down how to identify a carpenter ant problem, what you can do to protect your home, and how Barrier Pest Control can step in to take the stress off your shoulders.
How to Identify Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are among the largest ant species in Canada, usually black or reddish-black and measuring up to 13 mm in length. You might notice them indoors searching for food or water. But the genuine concern isn't the ants you see—it's the ones you don't.
Carpenter ants typically nest inside moist or decaying wood. That means they love damp window frames, leaky attics, basements, or wooden structures near sinks or dishwashers. Over time, they can hollow out beams, joists, and walls to build their nests.
Signs of a carpenter ant infestation include:
- Large black ants are seen indoors, especially at night
- Piles of sawdust-like material (called frass) under wooden structures
- Faint rustling sounds inside the walls
- Winged ants emerging indoors (especially in spring)
If these symptoms sound familiar, you're probably not dealing with a stray ant or two. You're facing a growing colony.
Why Carpenter Ants Are a Problem
While they don't eat wood like termites, carpenter ants can cause just as much structural damage. Over time, as they tunnel and nest, they weaken wooden supports and open up moisture pathways, which can lead to mold growth or structural instability.
Additionally, carpenter ants are stubborn. Killing a few visible ants won't eliminate the colony, which is often located deep inside your walls, attic, or foundation. Carpenter ants are known to travel up to 100 yards from their main nest, which means the source of the infestation could be not only within your home but also in your yard or even neighboring properties. Because of their ability to move around so freely, it’s often best to pair an interior treatment with a comprehensive exterior treatment to effectively target the problem from all angles
DIY baits and sprays might offer temporary relief, but the infestation will continue to grow unless you locate and eliminate the main colony and satellite nests.
How to Keep Your Home Pest-Free
Preventing carpenter ants and other pests starts with simple, consistent habits and home maintenance. Here are a few expert tips to help protect your home:
Eliminate Moisture Problems
Carpenter ants love wet or rotting wood. Fix leaky faucets, roof issues, and poorly sealed windows.
Seal Entry Points
Inspect your home's exterior and seal cracks and gaps around pipes, window frames, doors, and the foundation. Don't forget to check the screens and vents.
Store Firewood Away from the house
Stack wood 20 feet from your home and keep it off the ground. Carpenter ants often nest in firewood and can migrate indoors.
Trim Tree Branches
Keep tree limbs and bushes trimmed back from your house so they don't act as ant highways into your attic or roof.
Keep Kitchens Clean
Wipe up crumbs and spills, seal food in airtight containers, and don't leave pet food out overnight. Even one food source can attract a colony.
Regularly Inspect Your Home
Pay attention to signs of frass, unexplained sounds inside walls, or seasonal swarms of winged ants. The sooner you catch an issue, the easier it is to manage.
How Barrier Pest Control Can Help
At Barrier Pest Control, we specialize in safe, effective pest management solutions for homes across Aurora, Newmarket, King City, Vaughan, Maple, Nobleton, Kleinburg, Schomberg, and Tottenham. Whether you're dealing with carpenter ants or want to prevent them, our team brings deep local expertise and proven tools to every job.
We use environmentally responsible treatments that are tough on pests but safe for pets and families. And we always keep you in the loop—so you'll know what we're doing, why it matters, and how you can maintain long-term protection.
Serving Your Community, Protecting Your Home
We take pride in helping families across York Region enjoy peace of mind in their homes. Whether you live in a cozy bungalow in Aurora, a new build in Vaughan, or a country property in Schomberg, Barrier Pest Control is your local partner for a pest-free environment—year-round.
Carpenter ants don't wait, and neither should you. The earlier you act, the easier it is to stop the damage.
📞 Call Barrier Pest Control today to schedule an inspection or learn more about our pest protection plans.