Carpenter ants survive in your walls during the winter because they find warmth, food, moisture, and shelter inside your home. While they may become less active during colder months, they remain protected from the freezing outdoor temperatures and continue to sustain their colony. To manage an infestation, it’s important to address both the ant presence inside the walls and any moisture issues or structural damage that may be attracting them. Carpenter ants are resilient and adaptable creatures, capable of surviving in a variety of conditions, including colder temperatures like 4°C. Here are a few reasons why carpenter ants might remain in your walls even when it’s chilly outside:
1. Indoor Warmth
- Insulation from the Environment: Even though it’s cold outside, your home provides a much warmer environment. Carpenter ants are likely seeking warmth inside your walls, where the temperature is usually higher than outside. Homes are often insulated, and areas like walls, attics, and basements can provide stable temperatures that are more favorable for their survival, even in the winter.
2. Access to Food
- Search for Food Sources: Carpenter ants are scavengers that feed on protein, sugars, and other organic matter. During winter, food sources like crumbs, spilled food, or sugary substances inside your home become a tempting target. Carpenter ants can survive without needing to be outdoors as long as there is a food supply available inside.
3. Nesting Sites in Warm Areas
- Safe Nesting Locations: Carpenter ants typically nest in wood (hence the name “carpenter”) and will establish colonies in decaying or damp wood, often hidden behind walls or inside insulation. These locations provide a secure environment for the queen to lay eggs and for the colony to grow. The warmth inside the walls can be crucial for the survival of the eggs, larvae, and workers, especially in winter.
4. Colony Survival Strategies
- Winter Dormancy and Reduced Activity: Carpenter ants don’t truly hibernate, but their activity levels can drop in colder months. They may slow down, becoming less active during winter, which can make them harder to detect. However, their colony often remains alive and functional because the queen and workers stay in a somewhat dormant state in the warmest, most protected areas inside the structure. The queen may continue to lay eggs, and the workers will still forage occasionally.
5. Temperature Tolerance
- Cold-Resistant Ants: Carpenter ants have some natural cold tolerance, but they do need warmth to survive the winter. If the temperature inside the wall is warmer than the external environment, they can remain active and functional, though much less so than in warmer months. This makes them adaptable to varying temperatures, allowing them to survive in places where other insects might not.
6. Moisture Retention in the Walls
- Moisture in Wood: Carpenter ants are attracted to moist or decaying wood, which can be more common in areas like basements, attics, or behind walls where leaks or condensation may occur. The moisture provides a more hospitable environment for the ants, especially when the temperature outside drops. Carpenter ants often nest in rotting or water-damaged wood, which retains heat and moisture, creating a microhabitat that helps the colony survive through the colder months.
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-carpenter-ants-still-wall-when-its-4-degrees-celsius-bilesky-oqedc
- https://insectandrodentexterminators.com/why-are-carpenter-ants-still-in-the-wall-when-its-4-degrees-celsius-outside/
- https://gogreenpestcontrol.ca/why-are-carpenter-ants-still-in-the-wall-when-its-4-degrees-celsius-outside/