When people call for large ants they are usually one of two types—acrobat ants and carpenter ants. Acrobat ants are usually a bit smaller than carpenter. They get that unusual name for how they sometimes walk, with their posterior “up in the air,” making them look like an acrobat walking on on their hands.

But carpenter ants are what people typically think of when they worry about ants “inside their walls.” Acrobat ants are often seen in more numbers when they are outside and with denser trails of ants, particularly during the day. Carpenter ants are often seen more after dusk. If you want to check for carpenter ant activity you can walk around your home with a flashlight after dark. They walk over from nearby trees and limbs, fence lines or even utility lines and crawl around the eaves of a home. This is why it’s a great idea to keep your tree limbs trimmed back to reduce their opportunities to get to your house!

If they do get inside your walls, carpenter ants and acrobat ants can create light debris that shows up around windows and corners. Basically these are similarly to wood shavings or thick sawdust, and are the result of them chewing and burrowing and making small tunnels through wood. They can cause minor damage, but unlike termites they do not eat the wood. They basically extract it and deposit it near an opening such as around window frames. In some cases they can actually create a tiny hole in the drywall and paint where they push out this debris.

While they won’t destroy a home like a termite, they can cause some additional damage to already weakened or moisture-damaged wood. And they certainly can be annoying to have in your home!

For a thorough carpenter ant or acrobat treatment we investigate your home to find their source, where they are active and apply a combination of bait and long-lasting treatments to handle them. Give us a call at 512-443-0123 or email us through our website form for a fast, free quote. No contracts are ever required and no ongoing “service plan” is needed!