What Happens to Carpenter Ants And Other Ant Species in Winter?

A lot of people think that ant activity only happens when the weather is warm. But pest control professionals at pointepestcontrol.net have seen huge populations of ants in the winter, particularly carpenter ants. These professionals can educate you about where these ants hide to survive the cold and how to avoid an infestation. 

What Happens to Ants in Winter?

Often, ants will seek shelter underground to escape the cold. Their shelter areas usually include under rocks, in tree trunks located beneath bark layers, deep in the soil, and under their ant hills. Meanwhile, carpenter ants establish themselves in warm cavities above ground, like the walls, floors, and ceilings of houses. Once they enter your house, they can cause costly damage and create hazards for your home.

While carpenter ants make nests and settle, they destroy the wood, sheathing, and insulation to use for a nest. These pests are more drawn to wood that has decayed and is forever wet. In general, they will seek out your home’s unused areas. That is why regular home maintenance must be done. This includes fixing leaks and plumbing issues quickly.

Ant Winter Activity

During the fall and summer, most ant species consume too much food to store up fat. They will then hibernate or remain dormant as the weather gets cold. The cold temperature will make ant movement quite slow and sluggish. Ants usually conserve energy, stay inactive, and feed off the nutrients consumed during the past season. 

To keep themselves warm in winter, ants use each other’s body heat and crowd around the queen. In fact, some ants even close up their nests’ exits and winter houses. They just re-pen the entrance after winter and when it gets warmer outside. 

However, some homes are still infested with carpenter ants. These ants have a different lifestyle in winter. They stay active and still forage for nutrients and food during this season. They feed on different food products and dead insects. They carve out ceilings and walls while their colony expands, weakening a home’s overall structure. 

What Draws Ants to Your Home in Winter?

As the weather gets colder in winter, carpenter ants look for a shelter where they can build a nest. This shelter should give them food for foraging and warmth. Aside from wood, carpenter ants are also attracted to moisture, shelter, and food that can be found in your house.

Keeping Carpenter Ants at Bay

A home can have many entry points through which carpenter ants can enter. From tiny cracks to open windows and doors, carpenter ants can get inside and establish a colony. In the winter, these ants can go unnoticed because of their hibernation habits. Sometimes, they can come out of hibernation on sunny days in winter to forage for food. To keep your home free of these ants in winter, get rid of possible entry points. Seal access points and cracks around your home’s exterior. Also, fix loose or broken screens and keep doors and windows sealed. Decaying or damaged wood around your home should be repaired to prevent a carpenter ant infestation. Before you bring firewood inside, ensure carpenter ants are not hitching a ride on it. 

In addition, check for moisture areas in the basement or crawl space. Ensure unnecessary moisture is not causing deterioration or decay in areas with plumbing. Inspect and clean the gutters before the rainy season. Elevate firewood piles above the ground and store them away from your house. Prune trees and bushes away from your house since carpenter ants can use them as bridges. Make sure bushes and tree branches do not touch structures.