Carpenter Ants
Out of ten species of carpenter ants native to BC the only
two species, Campanotus modoc and Campanotus vicinus are most
important. Most species are predominantly
black in color. Carpenter ants excavate galleries in wood
in which to lay eggs and raise their young but do not eat
wood. Depending on the species, carpenter ants range in size from about 3/8 of an inch to slightly more than
an inch in length. Nest in wood cause serious damage when
infestations occur in structures. Old and new structures may
be infested, and sound as well as decayed, wet wood is attacked.
Carpenter ants are social insects, having
queen, workers and re-productive in a well established colony.
In structures, they tend to prefer void areas with a high
humidity, such as soffits, wall voids (eg. in kitchens and
bathrooms), or crawl spaces, and the spaces around door frames
and windows. Carpenter ants prefer infesting wood that has
already been moisture damaged. It is unusual for carpenter
ants to infest dry, intact wood. Carpenter ants become active
in the spring (March/April) and remain active through the
early fall (September/October). During the winter, ants become
inactive and hibernate in their nest to survive the cold.
The habitat where carpenter ants are most common include areas
abundant in mature hardwood trees typified by older, well-established
suburban neighborhoods.
Carpenter ants are most active at night.
Ants emerge about 15 minutes after sundown and leave the nest
in large numbers in search of food, traveling up to hundreds
of feet from the nest on chemical trails. Unlike other pest
ant species, carpenter ants create semi-permanent trails through
the grass from their nest to areas where they collect food.
Movement between nest sites and feeding sites is often facilitated
by the use of these well-maintained, semi-permanent trails.
In general, wood suffering from moisture damage will attract
and be used by carpenter ants as nest sites because damp wood
is easier for the ants to chew than sound, dry wood. Damp
wood combined with warm temperatures also promotes the survival,
growth and reproduction of carpenter ant colonies. Colonies
of carpenter ants can be a single unit, or the colony may
consist of a main colony and several to many satellite colonies.
Their nests are found in a number of locations.
Carpenter ants are 0.63 to 2.5 cm large found in many parts of the world. Carpenter Ants usually dig wood that is damaged by water. They occur in various colors, but the popular ones are black. They got this name because they have the habit of chewing passageways (called galleries) inside wood. This species love damp climates and moist areas. Mostly found in rainy or wet areas. In your house you may find them nesting around a sink in the kitchen, bathroom, around plumbing leaks, clogged gutters and downspouts. The very first time they enter your house they look for food like honey, jelly, meat, fruit, grease and other domestic foods. If they can't find these things in your house, ants will feed on dead or living insects or any other type of organic matter.
When carpenter ants construct their galleries, they tear bits of wood and place them outside the nest. If left unnoticed, these galleries can become quite huge after a certain period of time. If you notice primary nest is usually found in damp wood and they establish many satellite colonies which over a period of time would be difficult to control, as colonies would be found in any dark void- hollow curtain rods, hollow-core doors, ceilings, dead wall space etc. Carpenter ants can be very difficult to control so most homeowners' employee the services of a professional company like avonpestcontrol.ca
Places where Carpenter ants build their nesting sites
- Roofs
- Ceilings
- Stumps
- Wood pile
- Sill plates
- Roots of dead trees
- Hollow core doors
- Interior wall voids
- Under exterior siding
Gateway of entry for carpenter ants
- Door frames
- Edges of siding
- Crawl space vent
- Plumbing
- Wiring entrances
- Clogged drains and gutters
- Window casings
More importantly, parent colonies may be located outside the
structure with satellites located within. Contact us for professional
management options
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