Appearance: Carpenter ants get their name from their nests which are made by digging and tunneling in wood. They don’t eat wood, they just make nests in it. They are reddish, black or a combination of the two, with oval segments. sizes vary by type, up to 1.6 cm.
Behavior: Carpenter ants build their nests outdoors in a variety of wood sources, including tree stumps, firewood, or gardens. They need a constant source of water to survive. Carpenter ant will enter the house through wet and damaged wood.
Sign of Infestation: By findings of ant colonies and nests, and ant foraging behavior.
Diseases/Contamination: Carpenter ant does not eat wood but damages wood through its nest building. If they break into a building structure, they can pose a threat of significant damage.
Prevention: By reducing food sources that are potentially preferred by ants like food that contain sugar and carbohydrates, by closing any potential access, and by reducing humidity.
Reproduction: After mating, the ant queen will find a nest and start laying her eggs. The queen will provide care of the eggs, larvae, and pupae until the first worker ants appear. The workers start taking care of the colony and collected food. While the workers play a role in expanding the colony, the queen kept on laying eggs. The colonies are mature when wings are formed in males and females’ mate.