Alpha Ecological Blog


Carpenter ants: Now Active!

Date: March 27, 2007 / Posted by: Admin AH / Articles

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There's a danger to your home that you might not know about. The carpenter ant is the most comprehensively investigated type of ant in the United States, due to their rampant infestation and capability to cause much structural damage. They are among the largest ants found in the United States, generally 1/8 to 1/2 inch long, with the queen ant growing somewhat larger. In general, they are black in color, although some species are red and black, brown, or solid red. The adult winged queen loses her wings after mating and find an isolated nesting location where she raises her offspring. Her offspring are workers that are small in size but can take care of the queen and future larvae. Mature colonies are usually comprised of 10,000 to 20,000 workers, but they can be as large as 100,000. When they are able to grow at 90ยบ F, they are able to spend most of their 60-day life cycle destroying all the wood around them. Swarming for carpenter ants occurs February through June or May through August, depending on the species.

Carpenter ants are social insects that nest in wood by excavating tunnels in whatever wood they can find, but prefer to nest in water-damaged wood, often firewood, fence posts, tree stumps, or structure-supporting beams. Water is most likely to damage wood around dishwashers, showers, bathtubs, sinks, poorly sealed windows and doors, and poorly flashed windows. Wood can also be affected by moisture from contact with the soil such as steps, porch supports, or siding. Carpenter ants readily infest wood, foam insulation, and hollow spaces, often preferring to dig through wood that's already been damaged by fungus or other moisture problems. There can be hidden problems, since oftentimes there is no external sign of damage to the infested wood. It's important also to note that they can establish several nests near each other, often of parent colonies and satellite colonies, which can be either inside or outside a structure.

Carpenter ants feed on sugars made by other insects, but also on sugary items found in people's kitchens. They feed actively at night, starting well after sunset and on into the early morning. Their foraging trails can be as far as 300 feet from their nest, often entering through gaps or cracks in a structure.

The carpenter ants do not eat wood, instead they remove quantities of it to expand the size of their nest, which is often surrounded by little piles of wood shavings and bits of foam insulation that the ants have pushed through small gaps in the surface of the wood. Their nesting material is comprised of wood pieces, foam insulation, and other insects; sometimes, the slight noise of the ants creeping around can be heard in the walls near their nest.


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