What do carpenter ants do in the winter

What do carpenter ants do in the winter?

Carpenter ants are a frustrating infestation to have, they can multiply incredibly fast and make colonies all over your house, how can you get rid of them and when are they active? We know that carpenter ants are active for most of the year, spring, summer and fall. But what happens to the ants when the winter arrives. Do carpenter ants hibernate? How do they survive the cold winter? They do it often by living in a humans home. The residual heat from the HVAC system is more than enough to keep the ants warm enough to continue being active all winter. This gives them more chances to breed and more chances to forage and find food in your home.

It is best to contact professional carpenter ant exterminator Guelph in the Greater Toronto Area to declare your home ant-free as soon as possible!

What happens if the ants are not in a house and live outside in a nest in an old log or in a pile of wood or garden mulch. Well if they don’t have enough heat then the ants cant function. They will become slow and lethargic and will seal up their nest and sleep for as long as possible and feed on their food stores built up over the rest of the year. 

Carpenter ants usually start their primary nest on your property but not in your home unless your home has a bad leak that is causing the wood in your house to become unstable and rotten. The ants begin usually in a tree, an old stump or even an old shed. They build their first colony and when that colony matures it produces winged ants, these ants are usually about half male and half female. They find a place that is safe and far from predators, which often times will be in your home by an open window. The males die when mating is finished and the females chew off their wings and find a crack in furniture or a void in the wall to lay their eggs and start an entirety new colony. Your house could be over run by carpenter ants in a matter of days and you may not notice for years. 

The worst part is the colonies in your home will be able to continue functioning even in the winter. They can still forage for food and still lay eggs which allows them to dramatically increase their population when they would normally have to hibernate.

If you have carpenter ants in your home don’t try to get rid of them yourself, call the professionals at the exterminators inc and we can help you evict those pests in short order.

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