Carpenter Ant Frass

To the left and right you see conical piles of sawdust and carpenter ant body parts (carpenter ants are cannibals) that piled on folding tables below a pair of skylights and outside a garage. This sawdust material with ant parts in it is called “frass” and when falling continuously from the same spot forms conical piles. Carpenter ants do not eat wood, just nest in it.  When they excavate the wood members, they push out this frass.  Carpenter ants usually start in wet wood and then move to dry.  This is a sure sign of a structural carpenter ant nest and should not be ignored. An integrated or green pest management program should be implemented to eradicate the nest and a plan put in place to protect the structure from further attack.
-Lauren Greenhow, General Manager, GreenHow, Inc.
www.GreenHow.com. Effective Organic & Low Impact Solutions, Lawn Care, Pest Control & Termite Control in Newton and Metro Boston.