Service
Ant & carpenter ant control
Ants in a kitchen are an inconvenience. Carpenter ants are a structural problem: they hollow out damp wood to nest in it, and on Long Island and in suburban New Jersey they are common. They are often mistaken for termites — we do not treat termites, so the first thing we do is tell you honestly which one you have.
How to know that’s what you have
- A steady trail of ants along a counter edge, windowsill or foundation line
- Small piles of what looks like coarse sawdust, often with insect parts in it, below a beam, sill or window frame
- Large black ants indoors, especially at night or in spring
- Winged ants at a window in spring — a pinched waist and elbowed antennae mean ants, not termites
- A faint rustling inside a wall or a soft, damp spot in wood near a leak
What we actually do
- 01
Identify the species first
Carpenter ant, pavement ant and odorous house ant all need different treatments — and if it turns out to be termites, we tell you so and point you to a termite specialist rather than sell you the wrong treatment.
- 02
Find the moisture
Carpenter ants follow water. We locate the leak, the grade problem or the wood-to-soil contact that made the structure attractive in the first place.
- 03
Treat the colony
Non-repellent products and bait that the workers carry back, rather than a repellent barrier that splits a colony into satellites and makes it harder to clear.
- 04
Close the way in
Trim back branches touching the house, seal the gaps around pipes and wires the trails use, and tell you what to fix so the colony does not come back to the same wet wood.
Carpenter ant or termite? How to tell
They both turn up in spring with wings, and they both damage wood — but they are different insects, and we only treat one of them. Here is how to tell which you have.
| What to look at | Carpenter ant | Termite |
|---|---|---|
| Waist | Narrow and pinched — clearly three body sections | Thick and straight — no visible waist |
| Antennae | Bent at an “elbow” | Straight, like a string of beads |
| Wings (spring swarmers) | Front pair longer than the back pair | Four wings the same length, much longer than the body |
| Damage to wood | Clean, smooth tunnels that look sanded — they dig, they don’t eat wood | Tunnels packed with soil and mud, following the grain — they eat the wood |
| What you find nearby | Little piles of coarse sawdust, often with insect parts | Mud tubes on the foundation; piles of shed wings near windows |
| Do we treat it? | Yes | No — we’ll tell you, and you’ll need a termite specialist |
In real life
Carpenter ant
Termite
What termite damage looks like
Wall framing opened up during a renovation. Note the soil packed into the tunnels — carpenter-ant tunnels are clean. Old damage like this does not by itself mean termites are active in the building today.
Not sure? Send us a photo of the insect or the damage and we’ll tell you which it is before anyone visits.
How we treat ants
How long it takes
Nuisance ant trails usually stop within days. Carpenter ant colonies take two to four weeks to collapse.
Questions about ants
Are those winged insects termites or flying ants?
Do you handle termites?
I only see ants when it rains. Why?
Is it carpenter ants or termites eating my wood?
Other pests we treat
Get the ants handled.
Free inspection, written price, no obligation. Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM