Silver Bullet Pest ControlBig black ants walking across the kitchen floor at night, a little pile of wood shavings under a window, or a trail of tiny ants that won't quit? Silver Bullet Pest Control serves Union Township for carpenter ants and the smaller house-invading ants. We figure out which ant you have, track it to the nest, and treat the colony instead of the trail.
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Not sure what you're looking at? Text a close-up photo of one ant to 973-510-2585 and we'll identify it.
To get rid of carpenter ants in Union, NJ, you have to find and treat the nest, which is usually hidden in damp wood inside a wall, window frame, porch or deck, and then fix the moisture that drew the ants there. Silver Bullet Pest Control serves Union Township: we identify the ant, track it to the parent and satellite nests, treat them directly and with baits, and point out the wet wood to correct. NJ License 90568B, 4.9 stars on Google, free quotes. Call or text 973-510-2585.
Carpenter ants get the most attention, but they aren't the only ants that end up in a Union kitchen. Here's how the usual suspects differ:
The biggest ant in a North Jersey house. Carpenter ants carve galleries in wet or softened wood to raise their brood. They don't eat the wood, but years of tunneling can weaken window framing, porch posts and roof edges.
Odorous house ants and similar small ants nest under mulch, stones and slabs and forage inside. People often call these "Argentine ants" because of the huge trails. Either way, the fix is baiting the colony, not spraying the line.
Termites eat wood; carpenter ants just nest in it. Swarmers of both appear in spring, so a quick identification decides whether you need ant work or a termite inspection.
Seeing one big black ant on the patio in June doesn't mean much. Carpenter ants forage across yards and trees all summer. What matters is whether they're nesting in the structure. These clues point that way:
The common thread is moisture. Carpenter ants start where wood stays damp: under a leaky window, behind a bathroom tub, beneath a roof edge where the gutter overflows, or in a porch floor that never fully dries.
Found frass? Leave the pile alone and text a photo to 973-510-2585. It shows us exactly where the ants are working.
Union Township is mostly single-family neighborhoods: Cape Cods, colonials, split-levels and ranches, many built in the decades after World War II, on lots with mature shade trees. That mix lines up with where carpenter ants like to live.
We also help businesses along Route 22, Morris Avenue and Stuyvesant Avenue with ants in food and office spaces. See commercial pest control.
Not every ant problem in Union is a carpenter ant problem. Plenty of calls are about tiny ants marching along the counter, the dishwasher or the bathroom sink. Some homeowners search for "Argentine ant control" because of the huge trails.
True Argentine ants are far more common in warmer parts of the country than in North Jersey. Most of the small trailing ants we see here turn out to be odorous house ants (crush one and it smells like rotten coconut) or pavement ants (small piles of sand along driveway and sidewalk cracks). The treatment ideas are similar either way:
Want to read more on specific small ants? We have pages on Argentine ants, pavement ants and pharaoh ants.
| Carpenter ants | Odorous house / trailing ants | Pavement ants | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Large, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch | Tiny, about 1/8 inch | Small, about 1/8 inch |
| Where they nest | Damp or soft wood, hollow trees | Under mulch, stones, in wall voids | Under slabs, sidewalks, driveways |
| When you see them | Spring through fall; indoors in winter means an inside nest | After rain or during dry spells | Warm months, along cracks |
| Damage | Hollows out wood | Contaminates food | Sand piles; contaminates food |
| What works | Find and treat the nest, fix moisture | Baiting plus perimeter work | Baiting plus sealing slab gaps |
Seeing more than one kind? That's normal in older Union homes, and we plan the treatment around each species.
We check the specimen and the signs, and rule out termites and wood rot.
Inside and out: window and door frames, porches, decks, roof edges, basement sills, trees, stumps and wood piles. Night trails help us follow workers home.
Direct treatment of nest sites and wall voids where we can reach them, plus baits workers carry back, and an exterior treatment where it makes sense.
We show you the wet wood, the branches touching the roof and the gaps to seal, so a new colony doesn't move in next spring.
Small trailing ants get a bait-first plan instead. For ongoing protection ask about recurring home pest control, which comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Most carpenter ant jobs are caught before the wood is badly hurt. But a colony that has been working in a porch beam or window header for several years can leave galleries deep enough to matter.
After the ants are treated, we can repair damaged wood the same way our crew repairs termite damage: replacing or reinforcing sill plates, joists, beams and framing. Just as important, the moisture source has to be fixed. Rebuilding a sill under a window that still leaks only gives the next colony a fresh start.
Learn more about the repair side on our termite damage repair page. The work is similar.
Our base is in Garfield, and Union Township is farther out than our core Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson service area. We do serve Union, and we schedule those visits ahead so the technician has time for a full inspection, inside and out. A same-day visit is sometimes possible, but we won't promise it.
To make the first visit count:
Call or text 973-510-2585 for a free quote.
Text a photo of the ant and tell us where you're seeing it. We'll identify it and explain the plan before we schedule.
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Frass piles, winged ants coming out of a wall, and big black ants indoors in late winter are the strongest signs. A single ant on the patio in summer usually just means they're foraging.
No. They chew galleries to nest in but don't digest the wood, which is why they leave sawdust-like frass behind and termites don't.
They prefer wood that's wet or already softened, so leaks around windows, roofs, tubs and porches are where nests usually start.
Yes. After treatment we can repair damaged sill plates, joists, beams and framing, the same way we handle termite damage.
Probably not. Most small trailing ants in North Jersey are odorous house ants or pavement ants, and a photo lets us tell you for sure.
Sprays kill the workers you see, not the queens in the nest, and with some small ants they make the colony split into more nests.
Activity usually drops off within days to a couple of weeks once the nests are treated. Hidden satellite nests can take a follow-up.
Yes, we serve Union. Because it's farther from our Garfield base, visits are scheduled ahead; same-day is sometimes possible.
We explain where and what we treat and any precautions before we start, and baits are placed where kids and pets can't reach them.
Yes. Silver Bullet Pest Control holds NJ License 90568B and has over 15 years of experience.
Sí, hablamos español. Mande una foto de la hormiga al 973-510-2585 y le decimos qué tipo es.
More ant pages for nearby towns and other ant species.
Updated November 2026 by the Silver Bullet Pest Control team, Garfield, NJ • NJ License 90568B
