Carpenter ants are crawling all over the Southeast.

Daniel Stanke from Fortress Pest Solutions in Steinbach says it’s becoming a crisis. “As of yesterday it was a bloom of calls, relentless calls from all areas: Niverville, Ste. Anne, Blumenort, Mitchell, and Kleefeld.”

Local residents took to social media on Thursday posting about black ants in their yard, on the deck, and in their house.

John Gavloski, Entomologist with Manitoba Agriculture, says carpenter ants differ from other ants. “They like to nest in soft, rotting wood. They do not feed on the wood like termites do they just nest in the wood.” The ants which are large and are darkish brown or black in appearance, will leave small sawdust piles near the entrance of their nesting areas.

Meanwhile Stanke adds “They’re very destructive towards wood-based houses in general. The majority of the calls, fortunately enough, the carpenter ants have not made it inside the home, but they will start working their way towards the homes and start taking over.” Stanke stresses if you see any evidence of the ants on your property to call a pest control professional as soon as possible.

To prevent these ants from coming onto your yard remove all rotting wood from around and on your house.