What Is A Carpenter Ant

We will tell you how to find their nests and distinguish them from termites.

What is a carpenter ant.

Worker ants can be 1 4 inch up to 5 8 inch. Unlike termites carpenter ants don t eat wood they only tunnel into the structure to create a nest. If the ant has wings there is very little doubt that it is a carpenter ant. Carpenter ants are very difficult to control.

Carpenter ants are known to cause the most damage of all the different species of ants that commonly infest structures. And are the largest of all common ant species. However size will vary even within a single colony and type. While most carpenter ants are black some species will appear reddish brown or yellowish.

However unlike termites they do not consume wood discarding a material that resembles sawdust. Colonies can contain up to 50 000 workers. How do carpenter ants get inside a home. However the presence of carpenter ants in your home doesn t necessarily mean you have a carpenter ant problem.

Carpenter ants love wet and or moldy wood so if there is a moisture issue in any part of your home they ll be attracted to those areas. Carpenter ants also are usually red black or all red all black or all brown. Carpenter ants will enter the house through wet damaged wood. Spring is when the black carpenter ants come inside.

However carpenter ants don t always get into your home by chewing their way through wood. Typically black in color these relentless insects will threaten the structural stability of homes by digging into wood to build their nests. You ll know the best methods of getting rid of carpenter ants according to the scientists and find the 18 best carpenter ant killers. Carpenter ants can and will establish a nest inside or outside of any type of structure but wooden homes are especially at risk because carpenter ants like to bore tiny tunnels into wood.

They need a constant water source to survive. On the other hand carpenter ant infestations often go unnoticed until it s too late becoming a cost ridden situation that is not easily corrected. Carpenter ant facts all kinds of buildings regardless of age or type of construction are vulnerable to infestation and damage by carpenter ants. Carpenter ants are common across the u s.

The damage caused by carpenter ants is often confused with termite damage as are the insects themselves. Carpenter ants camponotus spp are large 0 3 to 1 0 in or 0 76 to 2 54 cm ants indigenous to many forested parts of the world. Carpenter ants or camponotus build their colonies in wood. Carpenter ants do not eat wood but damage wood through their nest building.

What is the best carpenter ant killer. They build nests inside wood consisting of galleries chewed out with their mandibles preferably in dead damp wood.