Carpenter Ant Identification

Carpenter ants vary in size and color but are usually large (1/4-1/2 inch) and are black. Occasionally, swarms of winged carpenter ants will emerge inside your home. One way to identify Carpenter ants is to observe if the ants are all different sizes. This means they are polymorphic. Carpenter ants are polymorphic and black, sometimes with a burgundy thorax (middle body part). Carpenter ant swarms usually occur in the spring and are a sure sign that a colony is nesting somewhere near or even inside your home.

Habitat

Carpenter ants damage wood by hollowing it out for nesting. They excavate tunnels in wood which have a smooth, sandpapered appearance. Shredded fragments of wood, similar in appearance to coarse sawdust, are ejected from the tunnels through preexisting cracks or slits made by the ants. When such accumulations are found it’s a good indication that a carpenter ant nest is adjacent to this area.

Carpenter ants nest in both moist and dry wood but prefer wood which is moist. Consequently, the nests are more likely to be found in wood dampened by water leaks, such as around sinks, bathtubs, leaking windows/door frames, roof leaks and poorly flashed