Are Carpenter Ants Active In Winter?

You read that right! Although rare, we were called out to a home in Franklin, MA to treat for live carpenter ants in a bathroom in the winter.

The customer saw ants occasionally in the spring and summer but never called because they “went away” on their own. Sadly, this is never the case. When ants (of all species) find a nice moist, warm and concealed environment with accessible food sources, why would they ever leave? The truth is that ant activity peaks while they’re SEARCHING for a place to nest and forage for food. After a nesting site is indentified, many ant species will become more active at night so they can stay concealed from predators. 

In this particular case, the ants had identified an area in the upstairs bathroom that had a small water leak. The water provided the necessary combination of moisture and humidity to keep their eggs from drying out during reproductive season. As the cool weather of November and December took hold, the ant activity essentially ceased because the ants can live off of sugars their bodies built up all spring and summer, eliminating the need to search for new food. However, each time someone took a shower in that bathroom, the humidity would rise, confusing the ants into thinking that the summer had returned so the ants would poke their heads out which finally prompted the owner to call someone. 

Since the ants weren’t really in need for new food, using baits here would never work. Unfortunately we had to remove a section of the baseboard and inject the wall with a “flushing agent” to force the ants out of the area so we could treat them properly. We will be seeing the owner again in the spring to begin their preventive quarterly treatment.