As we do with many pests, we tend to associate ant infestations with warm summer days and the fresh air of spring. Carpenter ants are a particularly dangerous pest when they get inside your home and they’ll demand immediate and professional ant control. Similar to termites, they can eat your home inside out and cause extensive damage to properties across North America.

But what happens to carpenter ants in winter? Are you right to assume that they, along with other pests, will perish in the cold? Sadly, that isn’t always the case. Fail to properly prepare your home for carpenter ant infestations before winter arrives and you could have a serious problem on your hands. In today’s article, we’re going to look at what happens to carpenter ants in winter and why you may still need professional ant control assistance from Truly Nolen.

What Happens to Carpenter Ants in Winter?

Let’s be clear about it – carpenter ants don’t die in winter. They’re one of a surprising number of pests that live year-round. That being said, they can only survive the sub-zero Canadian winters when they protect themselves efficiently.

When the temperatures drop significantly, outdoor carpenter ants will enter a mild form of hibernation and remain dormant during the colder months. Their activities slow down and reproduction comes to a halt. Ants in outdoor nests – normally found in piles of damp or rotten wood – will slow down and burrow deep, hoping to find some warmth and survive the season. Their nest will probably be close to a heat source around your home, and they hope that some of that heat spreads. Sometimes, if there’s a particularly mild winter, carpenter ants are able to skip this form of mild hibernation altogether, but it’s rare.

If you’ve been particularly unlucky or haven’t sealed your home effectively, carpenters ants may have built their nest inside your home. If that’s the case, they’ll benefit every single time your heating switches on. 

These ants prefer moist, dark places such as bathrooms, kitchens, and piping. If they establish nests inside your home during fall, then they’ll survive winter without a problem. Since conditions inside your home are warm enough and they’ll also find all the food they need, indoor carpenter ants will skip their dormant condition altogether. Not only will you have a carpenter ant infestation, but you’ll have an incredibly active one that’s reproducing fast.

Do They Still Cause Problems?

So, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that carpenter ants can still pose serious problems during the cold winter months. This goes against our typical assumption that most pests and the damage they cause will disappear when the snow starts to fall. If only that was the case.

Instead, carpenter ants inside your home will chew tiny tunnels through turrets, beams and important wooden structures. The foundation and structure of your home can be seriously compromised if left untreated. Piles of wooden shavings are an obvious sign of an infestation, but you may even see them foraging for food and working it back to their nest. When you do, you need to deal with the problem immediately.

Truly Nolen Can Help

And if you do need to deal with a carpenter ant infestation in winter, there’s nobody better to call than Truly Nolen. Our expert technicians will know exactly where to look for carpenter ant infestations and they’ll come up with a plan to control the population immediately. 

Our unique Four Season’s approach means that we’re fully trained and prepared for infestations in every season. Even if you aren’t expecting to find pests in winter, we are, and we’ll remove them for you quickly and safely. 

Call our team today for a free ant control quote.