As temperatures begin to cool across New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, homeowners start preparing their homes for winter. Unfortunately, you aren’t the only one seeking warmth and shelter—carpenter ants are too. While most people associate ant control with spring and summer, fall is actually a critical window when carpenter ants seek overwintering spots inside home foundations, walls, and structural wood.
Unlike many ants that are mostly a nuisance, carpenter ants can cause costly structural damage if left unchecked over the winter months. Keep an eye out for warning signs, take preventative measures, and learn how to get rid of ants before they settle in for the winter with our guide.
Fall is Peak Season for Overwintering Ants
Like many other pests, ants move indoors to protect their queen and colony as nightly temperatures drop across the Tri-State Area, Carpenter ants don’t hibernate in the traditional sense; they enter a low-activity state called diapause inside warm interior walls, continuing to damage your home unnoticed. That makes October a critical time for stopping infestations and preventing a massive colony from emerging when spring arrives.
Carpenter Ant Early Warning Signs
Unlike common household ants, carpenter ants have a few distinguishing characteristics that are easy to spot:
- Physical Differences: Carpenter ants tend to be longer than common household ants (1/4 to a 1/2 inch) and can be black, reddish or brown. While workers have no wings, you may see the winged male and female ants that mate and reproduce as well.
- Frass: You’ll find what looks like wood shavings or piles of sawdust near baseboards, crawlspaces, or basements from carpenter ants. This is a key difference from termites, who leave small, hard pellets behind instead.
- Rustling Sounds: Do you hear faint, but audible rustling inside walls or behind insulation? That may be a colony settling in for the winter.
DIY Fall Prevention Checklist for Ants
Carpenter ant prevention starts with these DIY steps inside and outside of your home. These steps will also help keep many other ants and pests at bay!
- Seal Entry Points: Caulk cracks in the foundation, gaps around utility pipes, and wear around door thresholds and windows.
- Yard Maintenance: Prune tree branches and shrubs touching the house (ants use these as direct bridges to roofs and siding). Remove damp leaf piles, rotting stumps, and organic debris near your foundation.
- Firewood Management: Store firewood at least 20 feet away from the home and elevated off the ground.
Fix Leaks: Repair leaky hoses, gutters, and roof valleys; carpenter ants prefer softened, moisture-damaged wood.
Professional Pest Control Solutions from the Masters
Like many pests, ants are persistent and will find ways around your DIY pest control solutions. Using a store-bought ant spray, for example, might only scatter the ants from one colony into many satellite colonies inside your walls. They may also go dormant for several months—exactly what we want to avoid as winter approaches.
Our most effective ant treatment program is a three-season application in the spring, summer, and fall. These treatments make sure that the protective barrier created doesn’t break down. October is the ideal time to set up your first treatment to prevent overwintering ants. Our team will also schedule Spring and Summer follow-ups to keep your home free of ants year-round.
Don’t wait until next spring to realize you shared your home with a carpenter ant colony all winter. Taking preventive steps today protects your property’s value and structural integrity. Call the Masters at 877-546-9575 today.
How Ant Control Also Helps Keep Mice from Overwintering in Your Home
In addition to carpenter ants, mice and other pests are also looking for places like your home to overwinter. Luckily, many of the preventative pest control measures mentioned above—sealing potential entry points, clearing yard debris, moving firewood away from your home—are also recommended to keep mice and other pests away.
Learn more about house mice and rodent pest control and fall pest control tips in our latest blogs.
