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Carpenter Ant Awareness Week, running from Sunday, June 21 to Saturday, June 27, 2026, sheds light on the often-misunderstood threat these pests pose to homes. Learn to identify carpenter ants, understand their destructive habits, and discover effective prevention strategies to safeguard your property.
Want to sponsor Carpenter Ant Awareness Week? Learn how
Expected Carpenter Ant Awareness Week Deals
During Carpenter Ant Awareness Week, many pest control companies, like Terminix and Orkin, offer discounted inspections and treatment plans to help homeowners identify and address infestations. Look for local providers to offer free consultations or reduced rates on initial assessments. Hardware stores such as The Home Depot and Lowe’s often feature sales on ant baits, insecticides, and DIY pest control products from brands like Spectracide and Ortho. Educational resources on identification and prevention are also widely available from organizations like the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). We will update this page with confirmed live deals as June 2027 approaches.
Platform Guide for Carpenter Ant Awareness Week
Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #CarpenterAntAwarenessWeek. Share visual tips on identifying carpenter ants, signs of damage, and prevention methods around the home.
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Mention @NatlToday and use #CarpenterAntAwarenessWeek. Post quick facts about carpenter ant behavior, debunk myths, and share links to educational resources for homeowners.
Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #CarpenterAntAwarenessWeek. Create a community poll asking about common pest issues or host a live Q&A with a pest control expert.
Carpenter Ant Awareness Week Hero
Charles C. Humes Jr.
History of Carpenter Ant Awareness Week
Carpenter Ant Awareness Week was created by the president of a Milwaukee-based pest control company. The event seeks to inform Americans of the issue of carpenter ants, how to recognize the problem, and the necessary steps required to solve it.
Carpenter ants are generally dark-colored, black or red, and can range in size from a quarter to three-quarters of an inch, which is large for ants. They are nocturnal creatures, meaning they usually come out at night.
Carpenter ants are found in door frames and windows, basements, or near anything wet or moist. While it is fairly easy to spot the ants, it is difficult to locate their nests. They build their nests far out of reach and even have satellite nests. Once they have established colonies, they start mating and creating more colonies. This can only increase a carpenter-ant infestation in a house.
They tend to forage for food at night and are attracted to sweet and sticky food items. To avoid this, it is advised that your kitchen is kept spotlessly clean and dry.
Carpenter Ant Awareness Week is important to help in discovering and destroying carpenter ant nests to prevent further infestations.
Carpenter Ant Awareness Week timeline
Ants first appear on the Earth during the Jurassic period.
The black carpenter ant is given its scientific name — Camponotus pennsylvanicus.
A journal article on carpenter ants by JL Pricer, ‘The Life History of the Carpenter Ant’ is published.
The book “House Infesting Ants of Eastern United States: Their Recognition, Biology, and Economic Importance” is published.
How Businesses Can Celebrate Carpenter Ant Awareness Week
Local pest control businesses can offer free educational seminars or workshops on carpenter ant identification and prevention for homeowners. Hardware stores can create special displays featuring products for sealing entry points and treating infestations, perhaps with a ‘Pest-Proof Your Home’ theme. Home repair services can promote inspection services for wood damage and offer repair solutions, highlighting the importance of addressing structural integrity compromised by carpenter ants. Use #CarpenterAntAwarenessWeek in all promotions.
Carpenter Ant Awareness Week FAQs
When is Carpenter Ant Awareness Week?
Carpenter Ant Awareness Week 2026 runs from Sunday, June 21, to Saturday, June 27, highlighting the importance of protecting homes from these destructive pests.
How much damage can carpenter ants cause?
Carpenter ants can cause significant structural damage to homes by excavating tunnels within wooden structures. While they don’t eat wood like termites, their tunneling can weaken beams, floors, and walls, potentially leading to costly repairs if left unchecked.
How widespread are carpenter ants?
Carpenter ants are common across the United States, particularly in forested areas and regions with ample moisture. They are found in both urban and rural environments, making awareness and prevention critical for homeowners nationwide.
What's the difference between carpenter ants and termites?
While both pests damage wood, carpenter ants excavate wood to build nests, creating smooth tunnels and pushing out sawdust-like frass. Termites, however, eat the wood, leaving behind mud tubes and irregularly shaped galleries.
How To Observe Carpenter Ant Awareness Week
Get pest control done
Whether you have carpenter ants or not, it’s good to get precautionary pest control done in your home. This will help to keep the pests away and nip the potential problem in the bud.
Research about carpenter ants
There is a lot of information we may not be aware of with reference to carpenter ants. Spend Carpenter Ant Awareness Week by reading up on them as much as possible. This will help you to be fully equipped with the requisite knowledge if you were to ever encounter a carpenter ant infestation in your home.
Conduct a check of your home
If you haven’t conducted a check of your walls and damp wood structures inside and outside your home, now is a good time to do so. Check all potential places properly to detect any early signs of carpenter ants.
5 Interesting Facts About Carpenter Ants
They’re big
Carpenter ants are some of the largest in North America, measuring between 0.3 and 0.5 inches.
Variety of colors
While they’re generally black, some species of carpenter ants can also be found in red, yellow, dark brown, light brown, orange colors.
Damp or damaged wood gives them entry
Damp or damaged wood generally found on the exteriors of a home is what gives them their entry into homes and eventually into solid wood structures.
There are thousands of them
Carpenter ant colonies can have thousands of worker ants and winged male and female swarmers.
They’re strong
Carpenter ants can lift between seven and 50 times their own weight.
Why Carpenter Ant Awareness Week Is Important
Carpenter ants can cause extensive damage
Once they make their way into your home, carpenter ants can start tunneling through solid wood structures. This can cause long-term damage to the foundation of your home making it rather unsafe for habitation. Early detection of these creatures in your home is necessary to keep damage at bay.
Carpenter ants can bite
Carpenter ants have strong jaws that they use to bite into wood and make tunnels. When they bite into the skin, they inject it with formic acid, which can cause a burn sensation. Though carpenter ant bites are rare, they can cause mild reactions. Hence it is important to be aware of carpenter ants and take the necessary precautions to keep them at bay.
They’re predators
While carpenter ants do not eat wood, they do feed on other insects, plant nectar, honey, syrup, meat, grease, and fat. They can hunt for food 100 meters from their nest. Carpenter Ant Awareness Week is thus important, as knowledge about the subject can help you deal with an ant problem if it ever comes up.
Carpenter Ant Awareness Week dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | June 21–27 | Sunday–Saturday |
| 2027 | June 20–26 | Sunday–Saturday |
| 2028 | June 18–24 | Sunday–Saturday |
| 2029 | June 17–23 | Sunday–Saturday |
| 2030 | June 16–22 | Sunday–Saturday |
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