Carpenter Ant

Carpenter ants are large ants. Each colony has several sizes of workers. The workers have only one node. The key identifying characteristic is the evenly-rounded thorax, when viewed from the side. No other ant encountered around structures, except for the velvety tree ant, has an evenly rounded thorax. Many different species of carpenter ants are found in the United States, and each may be colored differently. The most common carpenter ant in the eastern U.S. is black in color. The Florida carpenter ant, and another species found in the southern states, are red and black in color. One species found in Hawaii, and another found along the East Coast are colored light tan. Therefore, color is not a characteristic used to identify carpenter ants.

Carpenter ants get their name from their habit of hollowing out wood to build a nest. They need a moist or humid environment in which to establish a colony. They usually prefer to nest in moist wood, although they will nest in wood which is seemingly dry. In structures, they are commonly found where leaks have occurred, and water has soaked into the surrounding wood. When carpenter ants nest in wood, they chew off tiny bits of the wood and deposit them outside the nest. A key indication of a colony's location is the presence of piles of "sawdust," or frass, created by the ants' nesting behavior. The frass made by carpenter ants usually contains body parts of dead ants and other insects, mixed in with the tiny pieces of wood.

Carpenter ant colonies produce swarmers after the colony is two to five years old. Swarms usually occur during the spring in the East, but swarmers can occur any time, depending on the area and environmental conditions. The presence of a swarm inside a structure is a good indication that a colony is located somewhere within it.

Colonies of carpenter ants are very mobile. They can move to a better location if conditions are unfa- vorable. The ants will also create satellite colonies, containing workers, larvae and pupae, which are located in other areas away from the main colony. Workers travel frequently between the main and satellite colonies.

Carpenter ants feed on a wide variety of foods including dead insects and the sweet honeydew produced by insects such as aphids. They will travel as far as 100 yards from the colony to search for food. The key to locating carpenter ant colonies is to determine where in the structure the potential for high levels of moisture exist, and to have a Bug Doctor Certified Inspector inspect those areas. Correction of conditions contributing to the infestation is the first and most important step in a carpenter ant management program. Two valuable tools your inspector will have are a moisture meter and a stethoscope. Wall voids or wood which have more than 20% moisture content are prime colony locations. Their presence of a colony in wood or in a void is easily confirmed using a stethoscope. Carpenter ants make noise which sounds like crinkling cellophane as they move about in their colony. Before listening to an area where the ants are suspected, Bug Doctor Inspectors will bang on the wall to stir up the ants. If the structure has two or more readily identifiable colonies, all areas that may be suspected of harboring carpenter ants (but where a carpenter ant colony has not been confirmed) may require some type of treatment. Several different treatment techniques exist; the appropriate selection(s) are dependent upon the location of the colony. Various techniques include drilling and use of dust or aerosol insecticides, vacuuming, removal of infested wood, and sealing of exterior cracks. A perimeter treatment to the exterior of the structure with a residual wettable powder or microencapsulated insecticide may also be necessary.