Dealing With Carpenter Ants and Carpenter Bees

Most people assume bees and ants are nothing alike, but when it comes to a certain variety, there are a few similarities. Carpenter ants and bees both are capable of causing damage to the exterior of your home and your yard. Carpenters ants extermination and eliminating a similar type of been problem will probably be tops on your list if you discover you have a problem in your home or yard. The first step to protecting the structure of your home and your landscape is being able to identify the problem. Once you have confirmed your issue, it will be much easier to seek the correct treatment and have it work successfully. Start with the bees. They are capable of boring perfectly round holes through a variety of wooden structures. They work hard each and every day and leave behind nothing more than a tiny pile of sawdust. From the look of the holes, you would think they were carrying measuring devices, levels and tiny saws with them, but their work is done solely through the use of their bodies.

Their land-living counterparts are capable of accomplishing some of the same tasks, but usually are not as tidy. The bees are territorial and sometimes attack if you get near their nest. They do not have stingers, so they cannot do any harm, unlike other aggressive bees. The females can sting, but only do so if you come into direct contact with them. They spend most of their time digging and boring and accomplish about an inch worth of work each week. Remember, their land-living counterparts’ bite, so you want nothing to do with them when it comes to your flesh.

Neither of these bugs eats the wood. The bees eat pollen and nectar, similar to a regular bee. They also pollinate the trees and flowers and are actually good for your yard. They only do harm if there is an infestation, so think carefully about treatments before deciding to eliminate all of them. The crawling versions eat insects and meat and sugar. The destruction they cause is actually building for them. They are creating a maze of tunnels to live in.

You are more likely to find the crawling critters outside near moist areas. They spend most of their time working on wood near the bathroom or kitchen area, but sometimes target living spaces. They work from sunset until about halfway through the night, mostly in the warmer spring and summer months. It can be assumed that if you see 20 of these bugs indoors, there is likely a colony nearby and you need to deal with the problem. They are capable of traveling up to 100 yards to find food, so if you see the occasional stray, you are probably safe.

They are usually no more than a half inch in length, which is actually quite sizable for a bug. They are darker than termites and have narrower waists with bent antennae. They are frequently seen in the open, whereas termites stay behind and inside of wood.

Author Bio: Penny Lane is in need of carpenter ants extermination for her downtown hotel. They have found evidence of carpenter antsat that location.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: carpenter ants extermination,carpenter ants

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