Carpenter ants rank as one of the worst pests in many regions of the United States. Infestations of carpenter ants cause structural damage of great significance to residences. Furthermore, although they prefer to nest in wet wood, they will, under the right circumstances, invade, infest, and even re-infest sound wood. This puts them in the classification known as primary infestation. Not all, but most, other wood-destroying insects are classified as secondary infestations because they only attack saturated or very moist wood and don\’t re-infest after the condition is corrected. Examples of secondary infestations in western Washington State are moisture ants and dampwood termites. What follows is an exploration of ways to rid houses of both primary and secondary infestations of wood-destroying organisms.

Carpenter ants typically establish colonies in rotten stumps or logs, in woodpiles, and in similar outdoor wooden habitats. If their nest is close to your house, they may target it as a good place in which to form a satellite colony. This may be true whether or not the structural wood has suffered moisture damage. Thus it is important to understand that eradication of satellite infestations is insufficient; to keep carpenter ants from coming back requires elimination of the \”parent\” colony or colonies nearby.

Best is to prevent excess moisture from developing in the first place. This is sufficient to keep out secondary infestations, and goes a long way to deter carpenter ants as well. The most common source of built-up excess moisture is a plumbing and/or roof leak. Annoyingly, leaks can be difficult to trace back to the cause because any slope or hindrance tends to divert water into remote areas. Plus, water might collect in out-of-sight regions, going undetected for long periods and not becoming evident until after considerable damage is done. Nonetheless, a good rule of thumb is to check plumbing pipe joints and roof flashings in valleys and around penetrations first.

Moisture can accumulate in more obvious ways, too, such as drainage systems that empty out on the ground near the foundation and sprinklers that spill their spray over onto the structure. And if the ground surface is sloped downwards towards the building, it\’s encouraging moisture accumulation. But even if there is no apparent excess moisture, check the attic and crawl space, because carpenter ants and other pests are likely to be here if anywhere.

In the crawl space, inadequate ventilation and/or missing, torn, or incomplete vapor barrier can result in gallons of moisture seeping into sub-flooring a day. In the attic, poor ventilation (possibly due to soffit vents blocked by insulation) promotes condensation and excess moisture. Even tight construction practices associated with green building trends may cause insufficient ventilation.

Because of their being a primary infestation, carpenter ants require extra precaution, a going beyond simply prevention of moisture build-up. Make sure they have no direct access through structural wood being in contact with soil. Make sure vegetation around the house is pruned back and move woodpiles well away from the structure. Look for and caulk small openings in the wall that may exist around windows and pipe penetrations. And be sure to eliminate that parent colony of carpenter ants is already present.

John W. Gordon is a licensed Washington State home inspectorwho is also authorized to provide pest inspection services. He operates his Dr. Inspector business out of Bellingham, WA. John is thorough and always puts the needs of his customers first. Visit his website at www.HomeInspectionWA.net.

John W. Gordon is a licensed Washington State home inspector who is also authorized to provide pest inspection services. He operates his Dr. Inspector business out of Bellingham, WA. John is thorough and always puts the needs of his customers first. Visit his website at http://www.HomeInspectionWA.net.

Author Bio: John W. Gordon is a licensed Washington State home inspectorwho is also authorized to provide pest inspection services. He operates his Dr. Inspector business out of Bellingham, WA. John is thorough and always puts the needs of his customers first. Visit his website at www.HomeInspectionWA.net.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: carpenter ants, termites, home inspection, home inspector, pest inspection, moisture