Carpenter Ants Pest Control

 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.

More importantly, parent colonies may be located outside the structure with satellites located within. Contact us for professional management options

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