10 Wood-Destroying Carpenter Ant Facts

Have you seen ants around your home? Carpenter ants can be one of the most harmful wood destroying insects in a home or business.10 Wood-Destroying Carpenter Ant Facts

1. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood. They prefer sweet nectar, plants and fats. Carpenter ants destroy wood by making tunnels in wood for their homes.
2. They favor damp, warm environments to build their colonies.
3. The presence of carpenter ants is noted by small sawdust piles near the entrances to their colonies.
4. A colony can have as many as 2,000 workers.
5. They can range in color from red to black.
6. Have elbowed antennae, small waists and two wings of a different size.
7. Carpenter ants burrow smooth tunnels in wood.
8. Worker ants burrow mostly at night, after midnight.
9. Carpenter ants will forage for food up to 1,000 ft. away from the colony.
10. A colony begins with a fertilized queen. Very often a satellite colony will be built, but it contains only workers.

If you suspect a carpenter ant colony in your home or business, contact Suburban Exterminating of Long Island immediately. Most over-the-counter insecticides will only kill the ants foraging for food. The colony will continue to destroy wood.