When Are Carpenter Ants Active In Maine?

Carpenter ants in Maine 

Have you ever caught yourself watching ants march across your kitchen floor or deck and not really gave it a second thought? For the most part, ant activity often goes unnoticed by property owners because it’s commonplace. That’s not necessarily a good thing. You see, Maine is home to wood-destroying carpenter ants and while they don’t pose as big a threat as say termites do in states to the south of us, carpenter ants are still a serious problem.

What makes carpenter ants more of a threat than other types of ants in Maine?

Pavement ants, odorous house ants, cornfield ants, crazy ants, field ants, little black ants – there are quite a few types of ants that can be lumped into the nuisance ant category. What does that mean exactly? Well, while all of these ants are (at least on occasion) house-infesting ants, they do not pose a serious threat to the structure. 

Carpenter ants, on the other hand, are wood-destroying insects that inflict damage to structures when they tunnel through wood in order to create galleries or nesting sites. These large black ants often start in water damaged wood, weakening the structure as they excavate. If that’s not enough, they will move onto sound, healthy wood inside a home and the resulting damage is often extensive and costly to repair.

When is carpenter ant season in Maine?

Carpenter ant activity typically starts in April or May- depending on the weather – when the days grow warmer and stay warm. As spring rolls into summer, carpenter ants become even more of a problem for property owners in Portland, Auburn, and throughout the state. 

Summers in Maine provide the perfect conditions for these wood-damaging ants. Hot weather, high humidity, and plenty of food sources keep carpenter ants happy and working hard until colder weather sets in and they become dormant over the winter months (unless a mild winter day wakes them up). 

Signs of a carpenter ant problem

If you’re trying to determine whether or not a carpenter ant problem exists in your home or on your property, look for these warning signs:

• Large black ants (or red ones) foraging in the house or outside
• Infested trees or poles on your property
• Coarse sawdust, also known as frass, on the floor under small kick-out holes in the walls
• Flying ant swarms (inside or outside)
  
  

Treating carpenter ants 

In order to completely exterminate carpenter ants, it is imperative that their nest(s) are located and treated. Because carpenter ants enter structures around pipes, through vents, along wires and through cracks in the foundation among other places, tracking down a carpenter ant nest is not an easy task and is best left to trained professionals. 

Simply spraying those large black ants you find roaming through your home with a product purchased at the store will not solve the problem. You must treat the entire infestation – especially the part you cannot see because it’s behind walls or in a location not accessible. Again, and not to sound like a broken record, this is a job for an experienced pest control specialist. 

Guaranteed carpenter ant control in Maine 

Our locally owned and family-operated pest control company has been taking on carpenter ants for more than 10 years and offer effective carpenter ant control in Cape Elizabeth, Lewiston, and throughout our multi-county service area. 

When you contact us about carpenter ants, we’ll schedule an inspection to confirm the presence of these pests, locate carpenter ant damage, and assess the severity of the infestation. Based on our findings, we’ll recommend a treatment protocol that often includes interior and exterior carpenter ant treatments and follow-up treatments as necessary.  

Carpenter ants aren’t the only pests… pestering you?

For property owners whose homes or camps have been infested by more than carpenter ants, Pine State Pest Solutions offers home pest control plans that start as low as $35/month and include year-round protection for all general pests including carpenter ants and several other types of ants, mice, and roaches. 

Home Protection Plan

Starting as low as $35/month*