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
- 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.
- They favor damp, warm environments to build their colonies.
- The presence of carpenter ants is noted by small sawdust piles near the entrances to their colonies.
- A colony can have as many as 2,000 workers.
- They can range in color from red to black.
- Have elbowed antennae, small waists and two wings of a different size.
- Carpenter ants burrow smooth tunnels in wood.
- Worker ants burrow mostly at night, after midnight.
- Carpenter ants will forage for food up to 1,000 ft. away from the colony.
- 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.
