Are There Flying Ants?

With so many insects making their appearance this time of year, it can be difficult to keep them all straight. One you might think you know for sure is the ant, invader of picnics and expert at marching in straight lines. But is there more to the ant you think you know so well? Are there flying ants too?

Aren’t All Ants The Same?

We are used to ants being wingless creatures and termites having wings, but that is not always the case. That makes it easy to confuse the two.

Some carpenter ants have wings, leading homeowners to mistake them as termites. There is an important distinction between the wings, though–on termites the wings are equal to twice the length of the body. On carpenter ants the wings only reach just beyond the end of the body length.

When termites swarm their wings come off, which often leads to them being mistaken for ants. These swarms usually occur where a patio/porch/driveway slab touches the house, and the swarm can be inside or outside. Since the wings come off in the swarm, the termites will now resemble typical ants. If you see discarded wings nearby, you have termites and not ants.

Another way to tell the difference between the two is that termites will congregate in a large number close together. Ants will tend to be found in the previously mentioned, stereotypical line of ants.

I Don’t Care If They Have Wings Or Not…I Just Want Them Gone

If ants are the problem, the only way to successfully get rid of them, or any other insects/pests, is to have your home professionally treated. Holper’s has been taking care of St. Louis homes since 1985, using low-impact materials for the safety of you and your pets. Holper’s uses a three-pronged attack on your ant infestation: treating the inside, treating the outside, and using bait outside of your home. Once the initial infestation has been exterminated, this service is done quarterly to make sure your home stays free of ants, and many other unwanted insects. Best of all, the program includes a full guarantee!

Holper’s Can Do It All!

Whether you have insects, spiders, nuisance wildlife, or a combination from the list, Holper’s really is the “Do It All” pest control company. Call our friendly customer service reps today at 314-732-1413 to have all your questions answered and to set up an appointment to have peace of mind restored in your home.


How Do I Find Carpenter Ant Nests?

carpenter-ant-removalWhen we hear the word “carpenter” it invokes strong images of creation…building…construction. Which is why the cruel irony of discovering you have carpenter ants brings exactly the opposite–a compromised structure that has had its stability altered. How do I get carpenter ants? What signs of carpenter ants should I look for? How do I find carpenter ants nests?

Know Your Enemy

The most common ant types you will find inside your St. Louis area home are odorous house ants, acrobat ants, and the wood-destroying carpenter ants. Carpenter ants are the largest of these three types of ants, at roughly a half an inch in length. These ants are going to be found on windowsills and doorframes. (Outside of your home, carpenter ants are found around trees, gutters, fascia board, or your deck.) The major sign of carpenter ants will be a pile of sawdust, which means you are near a nest. If you see ants that still retain their wings close to the pile, you’ll know the nest is nearby for sure.

Why Ants Like Your House (and How to Prevent Them From Visiting You)

Ants are most often drawn indoors for food and water. High moisture areas (e.g. kitchens and bathrooms) will always be most attractive to ants. They also move inside if their outdoor nests get flooded during periods of heavy rainfall. Carpenter ants eat outdoors, but tunnel through your moisture-damaged wood to make their satellite nests.

What does this mean for you, the homeowner? It means there are three ant prevention tips to keep in mind:

  • Keep moisture in your home to an absolute minimum. (Ensure that all plumbing works properly and that there are no leaks. Keep areas around sink fixtures and drains dry after use.)
  • Keep your gutters clean and remove all leaf debris that gathers around the foundation of your house.
  • Keep limbs of trees trimmed back to limit access to your roofline.

How the Professionals at Holper’s Can Give You Your Home Back

The only way to rid your home of ants, or any other insects/pests, is to have your home professionally treated. The experts at Holper’s Pest & Animal Solutions have been taking care of St. Louis homes since 1985 and always use low-impact materials for the safety of you and your pets. What sets Holper’s apart, and contributes to their success, is a three-pronged attack on your invaders: treating the inside, treating the outside, and using bait outside of your home. This service is done quarterly (once the initial infestation has been eradicated) to ensure that your home stays clear of ants and many other unwanted insects.

At the first sign of carpenter ants or a carpenter ant nest, call Holper’s at 314-732-1413! We can give you back your home!



Carpenter Ant Removal: How the Extermination Process Works

Carpenter ants are miniscule insects that pose almost no threat when there is only one of them, but when they infest your home or business in the thousands, they can do what no human carpenter would: Damage the wood in the structure, weakening its dimensional stability and possibly causing visible damage to aesthetic elements, such as millwork. The sooner carpenter ant removal is performed, the less damage occurs at the infestation site.

How are Carpenter Ants Detected?

Carpenter ants tend to stay out of site, except when they feed. Unlike termites, carpenter ants don’t eat wood. Instead, they burrow “galleries” into wood and seek sustenance elsewhere. In a home or a building, foodstuffs and other insects are often primary food sources. Consequently, one of the first signs of infestation is consistently seeing ants forage for food in open spaces.

A second way carpenter ants are detected is through the presence of piles of wood dust and wood shavings that are mixed with dead ants. Because the ants cast off the wood they pulverize, the piles are often found directly below the insects’ colonies. When the collections of refuse are behind the surface of walls, ceilings, or floors, the colonies can be difficult to detect, unless other signs are present.

A third way carpenter ants are detected is through the appearance of winged carpenter ants, which are worker ants that leave the original nest to build satellites. Carpenter ants aren’t shy about searching out new nesting sites, so it isn’t uncommon for home or building owners to see migrating worker ants out in the open.

How are Carpenter Ants Removed?

pest-control-servicesCarpenter ant removal begins with locating the nest site(s). Because the nest is the source of the infestation, it’s most efficient to eliminate the nest first instead killing ants that appear in plain sight. After nests are exterminated, the structure can be treated to kill stray ants that weren’t in the nest when it was removed.

As a part of the extermination process, a thorough pest control company will also recommend eliminating sources of moisture that moisturize vulnerable wood. In nature, carpenter ants like to inhabit wood that’s been deeply moisturized, such as the wood of rotting logs. When they enter a home or building, they have the same preference.

Once ant removal is complete, the exterminator should also recommend that you seal up areas on the exterior where ants could reenter, and recommend that sources of water damaged wood surrounding the structure, such as railroad ties and tree stumps, be removed, as well. Once the ants are eliminated, insect entry points on the exterior are sealed, and sources of moisturized wood are removed, reinfestation becomes unlikely.

Having Trouble With Carpenter Ants?

If you’ve noticed what you think are signs of carpenter ants in your home or building, but you aren’t quite sure whether the structure is infested, contact Holper’s Pest & Animal Solutions to schedule a free inspection. If the ants are present, we’ll perform carpenter ant removal quickly yet thoroughly to minimize damage to wood in the structure, destruction that could compromise its safety and real estate value.

To set up an inspection, please call us at (314) 732-1413, or email us at

We have 25 years of experience in performing carpenter ant removal in the St. Louis metro area. Let us put our experience and expertise to work for your home or building today.