Ant Prevention Tips

Telling the difference between carpenter ants vs termites can be confusing. Some people assume that any pests causing structural damage in their homes must be termites, but carpenter ants can be destructive and costly, too. Our pest experts at Pest Defense Solutions have years of experience dealing with both carpenter ants and termites in El Paso TX and will make sure that your home is cleared of wood-boring pests for good.

How Do You Tell Apart Carpenter Ants vs Termites?

If you can tell apart termites and carpenter ants, you can solve your pest problems much more quickly. Here are three ways to identify a termite or carpenter ant issue:

1. Their bodies: Termites have smaller, less pronounced bodies than carpenter ants, but have larger and symmetrical wings. Carpenter ants have two sets of differently-sized wings, and also have larger limbs and antennae.
2. Their diet: Carpenter ants just chew through wood—they don’t actually eat it! Instead, they venture out of your walls to find fruits, plants, and other insects. Termites stay in the walls eating as much wood as they can.
3. Their habits: Given that termites only eat wood, they don’t have to leave to find food. This is why they can go undetected for so long. Carpenter ants have to leave your walls to sustain themselves.

Signs of Carpenter Ant Damage vs Termite Damage

Take a look at areas that you suspect to be damaged to determine whether you’re dealing with termite or carpenter ant problems. Carpenter ants leave wood looking shaved or sandpaper-like in texture. They find their way to solid wood through wood that’s already decaying.

Termites eat the cellulose from out of the wood, causing layered damage inside the structure. If they have found their way into your home, you might find mud tubes constructed in your yard, leading from their outdoor nest. Termites cause more damage than any other pest here in the United States; they cause an estimated $500 billion in damage every year.

How to Eliminate Carpenter Ants and Termites

Besides keeping your yard organized and checking up on any decay or cracks in your house, there is not much you can do to prevent carpenter ants and termites on your own. Pest Defense Solutions offers services that can remove wood-boring pests from your home with updated and informed techniques, and can also help ensure that you don’t deal with similar problems again. For a free quote on termite or carpenter ant inspection in El Paso TX, contact us today!