Among the largest ants, from
1/4- to 3/8-inch long. The most
common species is black, but
some have reddish or yellowish
coloration. Workers have large
mandibles.
Habit:
Resides both outdoors and
indoors in moist, decaying or
hollow wood. They cut
"galleries" into the wood grain
to provide passageways for
movement from section to section
of the nest. Can leave "sawdust"
behind that provides clues to
nesting location.
Diet:
Does not eat wood, but will feed
on nearly anything people
eat—particularly sweets and
meats. Will also feed on other
insects.
Reproduction:
Queen lays 15 to 20 eggs the
first year and up to 30 eggs the
second year. Eggs complete their
life cycle in about 60 days.
Worker ants can live up to seven
years, while a queen may live up
to 25 years.
Carpenter Ant Facts
Ants of the genus Camponotus are
known as carpenter ants because
they prefer to establish their
colonies in galleries excavated
from damp or damaged wood.
Carpenter ants do not eat wood
as termites do, but instead
remove wood and deposit the
debris outside of their nests in
small piles.
Carpenter ants clean their
nesting sites, and their
galleries are not lined with mud
or moist soil as termite
galleries typically are.
Carpenter ant workers keep their
galleries as smooth as
sandpapered wood.
Carpenter ants vary in size,
ranging from two to 20
millimeters in length. One
carpenter ant colony can contain
different sizes of ants
depending on caste and
responsibility. The color of
carpenter ants also varies
between species, ranging from
jet-black to dark brown, red,
black, yellow, orange, yellowish
tan or light brown.
Because the size and color of
carpenter ants vary between
species and even between
individuals within a single
colony, these characteristics
are not used in identifying
carpenter ant infestation.
Identification of carpenter ant
species can only be made through
careful observation of specific
physical characteristics.
In natural environments,
carpenter ants dwell in both
dead and living trees, stumps
and rotting logs. However, they
may also establish their nests
inside of homes and buildings
where wood is found. Carpenter
ants prefer to establish nests
in areas where wood has been
exposed to severe moisture.
Carpenter ants build two types
of nests: parent colonies and
satellite colonies. Parent
colonies consist of a queen, her
brood, and workers. Satellite
colonies consist only of
thousands of workers. Workers
create satellite colonies when
the parent colony lacks
sufficient space or when there
is a suitable supply of food or
water. Satellite colonies are
typically located within 20 to
40 feet from the parent nest.
There may be several satellite
colonies associated with a
parent colony.
If treated quickly, carpenter
ants are seldom responsible for
serious structural damage to
houses and buildings. However,
these ants could cause extreme
damage if they continue
undiscovered for an extended
period. Thus, it is best to
contact a pest control
professional in the event of an
infestation
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