Pest Library
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All it takes is one pest sighting to ruin the reputation you’ve worked so hard to build.
Carpenter Ant
Camponotus spp.
The carpenter ant resides both indoors and outdoors in moist, decaying or hollow woods. If this happens to be inside your building frames, it could cause serious damage. They cut ?galleries? in the wood to provide passageways from section to section in the wood, which can cause building damage to occur faster.
RISK LEVEL:
LOW
MEDIUM
HIGH
Risk is defined as how much damage each pest can be to you, your family, or your home
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| Class: | Order: | Family: | |
| Insecta | Hymenoptera | Formicidae | |
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| Size: | Worker size varies between 1/8-1/2 in (3.5-13 mm) long; queen may be up to 5/8 in (17 mm) long. |
| Color: | The common western species is dull black with reddish legs and golden hairs covering the abdomen. Other species are black, a combination of red and black or completely red or brown. |
| Characteristics: | Larger than most ants, carpenter ants can grow up to an inch long. Most adults are black, but can also have some brown, yellow, or red coloring. Carpenter ant queens have large front wings. |
| Geographic Range: | Throughout the United States. The black carpenter ant is common in the east; the western carpenter ant in the west. |
| Food: | Outdoors: plant juices, insects, honeydew from insects, spiders. Indoors: sweets, grease, meat, eggs. Carpenter ants follow a regular trail when foraging. |
| Biology: | A mature colony of western carpenter ants may have 10,000-20,000 workers or up to 100,000. Swarmers aren't produced until the colony matures. In the West, swarmers may appear between February and June. There is usually just one functional, wingless queen per colony. Development from egg to adult takes at least 60 days. |
- Look for piles of sawdust-like shavings, sometimes with bits of insulation and insect parts.
- Listen for rustling sounds from within the walls. (A listening device is useful.)
- Watch for foraging trails outside, especially between 10 am and 2 pm.
- Be alert to the emergence of swarmers.
- With a tool gently tap exposed wood and rafters, listening for a hollow sound which might indicate a nest cavity. A knife blade will easily sink into the wood if a nest is present.
- Check attics, basements, and crawl spaces. Check wires and pipes. Locate high moisture areas. (A moisture meter can be useful.)