Carpenter Ant Control in Spokane and North Idaho
Carpenter ants are the big black (sometimes red and black) ants, a quarter to half an inch long, that you see on the deck in May or find a few of in the bathroom. They do not eat wood like termites; they hollow it out to nest in, and they prefer wood that is already damp: deck framing, window sills, eaves, the wall behind a leaky shower. Piles of fine sawdust (frass) and winged ants indoors in spring mean a nest in the structure.
Or call 208-889-9222. Monday to Friday 9 to 5, emergency call-outs available.
Why carpenter ants are a problem here
North Idaho and Spokane are carpenter ant country: big trees, wet springs, decks and log homes. A parent colony is usually outside in a stump or tree, with satellite nests in the house.
How we treat carpenter ants
We inspect for the nest, not just the trail: moisture meters, tapping, following foragers at dusk. Then we treat the nest sites and the trails between the house and the outside colony with non-repellent products and baits the ants carry home. We tell you what moisture problem invited them, because fixing it keeps them from coming back. Carpenter ant work is targeted to the infestation: we inspect first, then quote the job, so you know the cost before we start.
What you can do
- Fix the leak first: gutters, roof, siding, the shower pan.
- Keep firewood off the ground and away from the house; never stack it against the siding.
- Trim branches that touch the roof.
- Remove stumps and dead trees within a few yards of the house if you can.
- Watch for sawdust piles under window sills and along baseboards.
Plans and prices: the cheapest carpenter ant job is the one that never starts
Carpenter ants are handled differently from the rest of the list, and we want to be straight about why. An established infestation inside a structure, with satellite nests in the walls, is a separate, targeted job: it takes a proper inspection, more time and more product, and resolving one can run into the thousands before any repairs. So if you already have them in the walls, we inspect first and quote the work before we start, no surprises.
Here is the part that matters more. Carpenter ants don’t appear in your walls overnight. They start outside, in a stump or a tree or the woodpile, and spend a season or two sending foragers along the foundation and up the siding before a satellite colony ever moves in. That is exactly where a regular plan works: every visit we treat the foundation and the entry points, knock down the trails, and tell you about the damp wood, the gutter or the branch on the roof that is inviting them. Catch them as foragers and it is covered by your plan at no extra cost; let them get established and it is a project. Most homes do best on the Quarterly plan, four visits a year at $150 each (about $50 a month); all plans are on the Pricing page. No sign-up fee on anything.
Questions we hear about carpenter ants
Do carpenter ants mean I have rotten wood?
Usually they mean damp wood somewhere. Not always rotten, but worth finding.
Can I treat them myself?
Spraying the ants you see does nothing to the nest. The products that work are bait and non-repellent treatments applied where the nest actually is.
How fast do they damage a house?
Slowly compared with termites, but a nest left for years can hollow out structural members. Do not ignore winged ants indoors.
Ready to be done with carpenter ants?
Or call 208-889-9222. Serving Spokane, Spokane Valley, Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, Rathdrum, Sandpoint and the Silver Valley.