Carpenter ants on the roof can be a problem for many reasons, but it’s usually a symptom of a bigger issue.
The person who finds them is usually a carpenter or a roofer.
Carpenter ants on the roof usually means water damage
Carpenter ants are a wood destroying insect and they love wet wood. These areas of wet wood are plentiful on homes where roofs are at the end of their life.
If you think logically that vast majority of homeowners are not itching to get a new roof. It’s done normally because there is a need. That need is usually precipitated by finding a leak. Some of the most likely areas to have water damage and leaks are also the hardest areas to access. One such area would be skylights.
At least a few times per season we’ll have a homeowner call and say that they see ants inside that are falling from the ceiling. More often than not the home has a cathedral ceiling and the culprit is either the roof peak or a skylight.
Water damage doesn’t always mean there’s a large leak, but ants love these areas anyhow
Carpenter ants on the roof are looking for a void to nest in that’s wet. The area doesn’t have to leave a wet spot alerting you to the problem, but it’s growing. In fact, most carpenter ant colonies start in a small area and get bigger as the wood gets wetter.
Getting rid of carpenter ants on the roof that are nesting in a skylight is not easy
Carpenter ants that have managed to nest around a skylight can be tough to eliminate. This normally is because of the height of the interior ceiling and the inability to drill into a roof. For that reason it’s imperative that if you’re getting a new roof and think you may have ants around a skylight that your roofer knows about it. The picture to the left was taken by a roofing contractor that found a colony under shingles that were recently removed.
Getting rid of carpenter ants
The trick to getting rid of carpenter ants is finding the colony. This is easy if you’re planning on doing renovations or getting a new roof. However, what if that’s not in your budget?
At Envirocare Pest Control we take a few approaches to carpenter ant problems. The first is to do a thorough inspection. What may not be obvious to a homeowner may be obvious to a experienced service person. Many ant problems have been solved within 30 minutes of arrival.
The next step after an inspection is to begin treatment. In many cases drilling a small hole into a wall void where ants are nesting will solve even the longest standing ant issues.
Last, we can use chemistry. Envirocare uses the least toxic products available. However, least toxic doesn’t mean least effective. In fact, the vast majority of products we use are unavailable to the general public and the entire reason that professional pest management companies are so successful.
In the end all ant problems are solvable, you just have to partner with the right company. At Envirocare Pest Control we pride ourselves on professional, but affordable services.
Give us a call at 1-888-879-6481. You’ll be glad you did.