How do you tell if an ant is a carpenter ant in Las Vegas?

Carpenter Ant Frass vs. Termite Frass

Ant Frass vs Termite Frass: What’s the Difference? If you’re a homeowner, it’s important to learn the difference between termite frass versus ant frass so as not to mistake one for the other when they may be found outside your home or in your yard. Termites can cause significant damage to your house by eating away at wood – ants will not do this type of damage but may create an unsightly mess in your home or yard with their dirt piles, trails and bites on surfaces.

Carpenter ants have one goal: establish an expansive nest system. The first sign of their presence is the frass they leave behind, which homeowners can spot quickly.  Frass is the term for wood that has been chewed by insects. Carpenter ants use their powerful mandibles to chew through wood and create frass as a waste product, which they then scatter around in piles on your floors or other surfaces.

Termites are social creatures with one queen-like female who rules over her colony of fellow workers – she stays underground while the males fly about looking for mates and food sources like dry vegetation, rotting logs or any material containing cellulose fibers (read more). Termites cause significant damage when they continue eating away at wooden structures such as houses because it can lead to expensive repairs down the line. Termite infestations often go unnoticed until there’s extensive damage done to homes throughout an entire neighborhood.

Like all types of ants, Carpenter Ants are quite efficient in achieving this process, tunneling out extensive galleries for their colonies in decaying wood. The difference between ant and termite frasses comes down to the material each produces – ants leave behind finely ground up dirt mixed with bits of wood whereas termite emits coarsely chopped pieces or strands of dark brownish droppings.