What is a Carpenter Ant?
(1/4 to 1/2 inch long) Nesting in wet or water damaged
wood they forage throughout the home looking for food
crumbs or insects. Although they come in many colors the
most important ones are black.
Where You'll Find Carpenter Ants
The largest of the ant family they take their name from their
ability of chewing passageways (or galleries) in wood. They
live inside the wood leaving only to forage (mostly at night)
for food. They will set up satellite colonies inside the home from their parent colonies outside in trees or landscape timber.
Carpenter ants love damp climates and moist areas – wet or water damaged
wood, any dark place, and a few morsels of food. Areas that get a lot of rain
are especially susceptible. So are homes built in heavily wooded areas or in
low, shady places where the ground stays damp. In your home, you're likely
to find carpenter ants nesting around a sink in the kitchen or bathroom.
Maybe even around plumbing leaks, clogged gutters and downspouts, behind shower walls where there
is cracks where leaks can occur.
A clean house is no guarantee. When carpenter ants move in, the first thing
they do is look for food. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood.
They search for syrup, honey, jelly, meat, fruit, grease, fat, and other
domestic foods. If these favorites are not available in your home, the ants
will feed on dead or living insects or any other type of organic matter.
Telltale Signs of Carpenter Ants