Carpenter Ants

• Usually Black or Black with Red Middle Segment
• Range in size from ¼ inch to 5/8 inch
• Excavate Wood to create a space to live (do not eat wood)
• Can nest anywhere in a home but usually behind insulation or in wall voids, attics or crawl spaces
• Often associated with moisture
• Typically there is one or more satellite colonies within a home associated with one or more parent colonies located outside the home.
• Most active at night

It is common for homeowners to assume that those “Black Ants” that show up every spring are some harmless species of ant other than Carpenter Ants.  They mistakenly believe (or hope) that Carpenter Ants are only the “Really BIG Ones” referring to the 5/8 inch winged queens or major workers.  But those “Black Ants” they are seeing are almost always Carpenter Ants.

Carpenter Ants create two different types of “Nests”.  They are Parent colonies and Satellite colonies.  The Parent Colony is the reproductive center where an egg laying queen and thousands (upwards of 14,000) of worker ants are busy rearing young, foraging for food and excavating wood to create additional space for the growing colony. 

Parent colonies are generally located in or adjacent to water damaged or decaying wood such as the heartwood of damaged trees, landscape timbers, old wood piles or any part of a home that is water damaged.

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A Satellite Colony is a group of ants (potentially a large number) that have departed from the parent colony (usually taking pupa with them) and established a new location.  The satellite colony will still be sharing resources with its parent colony.  But it too will likely be excavating wood to accommodate their growing numbers. 

Satellite Colonies are very adaptable and do not seem to necessarily need moisture damaged wood.   We often find them in unusual places such as hollow core doors, curtain rods, night stand drawers, cardboard boxes, even voids within appliances.  Any ready-made void seems suitable as a starting point and they will readily pick up and move at will.  The satellite colony seems to function as a remote base of operations with supply lines back to the parent colony.

Right now the research indicates that there is only one way.  Each year the parent colony produces hundreds of Winged Reproductives or alates both male and female.  The males’ only function is to fertilize the females.  And the females’ function is to get away from the parent colony, find a suitable nesting site, lay eggs and produce a new colony.  This ritual can be observed on many warm days between May and August when carpenter ant colonies are swarming all over the Northeast.  What is usually observed are very large, winged females flying and landing like B-52 bombers on the sides of houses.  This method of dispersion is very effective for carpenter ants and a primary reason for their success. 

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So what are the influences affecting how much damage can be done to a home?

The first thing to consider is the sheer volume of ants.  A mature parent colony will establish multiple satellite colonies (upwards of eight).  The second thing to consider is that our homes in the Northeast are surrounded by parent colonies.  Remember that every stump, log, old wood-pile or damaged tree where the ants can get to the heartwood eventually becomes the ideal environment for a parent colony.  This begs several questions:  Are all the trees on the perimeter of your house in perfect condition?  Did the root balls of many standing trees get damaged when the lot was cleared?  Did some branches get knocked off?  Have there been lightening strikes?  As you can see, the immediate perimeter of our yard provides as much or more opportunity for Carpenter Ants than the forest beyond.

Does this mean that a lot of ant colonies equal a lot of damage?

It means you’ll likely see a lot of ants to be sure.  It also means you will always run the risk of damage.  But a major influence on damage is moisture.  If the house has moisture issues such as a leaky roof, skylights, windows, doors or sliders; if it has a deck that isn’t flashed properly, if there are tub or shower surrounds that leak, or a sink or dishwasher that leaks;  these sorts of persistent moisture problems create a context in which Carpenter Ants thrive and create damage.  Parent colonies for example tend to start in damp, decaying wood and extend into sound wood.  Another factor is whether there is pest control happening or not.  Homes with water damage and ineffective or no pest control can sustain a lot of ant damage over a couple seasons.  Correcting moisture problems will enhance the effectiveness of pest control.

Sometimes the construction materials themselves create fantastic opportunities for ants.  Milled Log Homes are famous for persistent ant activity due to the slotted timber design.  A newer form of construction using Structural Insulated Panels or SIPs is even more attractive to these opportunistic creatures.  SIPs are large panels comprised of a sandwich of rigid foam and oriented-strand-board. 

These panels make an energy efficient envelope and have become the dominant design choice when timber frames are used.  Unfortunately, Carpenter ants love the thick foam interiors and slotted construction by which they fit together.  We have created a specific service procedure (very successfully I might add) just to deal with this situation.  

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How is Carpenter Ant Control performed?

True control occurs when you kill the nests that are in the structure now and prevent outdoor nests from reestablishing patterns of activity in the future.  I find that it is important to view control as a process rather than as an event. 

The first step in the process is to interview the occupants of the structure to learn what they know about “what” they are seeing and “where”.  This also gives us the opportunity to learn about moisture conditions that are known to the occupants.

Next we conduct a thorough inspection.  I find it most helpful to examine the exterior first.  Here we will look for actual ant trails, nests in the surrounding landscape and conditions on the exterior of the structure that are conducive to ant activity.  We will also look for tell-tale signs of infestation such as Frass (wood shavings and debris created by ants).  This will also help us plan our service strategy since it is situational and depends on what we find.


Carpenter Ant Frass

The particulars of what happens next depend greatly upon what we have learned about the conditions inside and outside the structure and the time of year.  At our disposal are an array of tools and insecticide formulations that are most appropriate for certain situations.  We do not believe that consumers should have to choose between living with pests and worrying about pesticides so we carry both traditional and non-toxic materials.  All of our technicians are trained in the principles of Integrated Pest Management, the goal of which is to control pests while minimizing the use of insecticides where people and pets may contact them. 

For Carpenter Ants we have developed a highly effective process that addresses both known and unknown areas of infestation.  The process is based on a combination of our experiences, the work of many field researchers and the information presented by Dr. Laurel Hansen and John Klotz, authors of the book Carpenter Ants of the United States and Canada. 

Whenever possible we seek to find the nest and treat it directly.  This the most efficient means of control.  But we also know that many nests are hidden deep within the inaccessible areas of structures.  To defeat these nests we use a combination of baits and other slow acting insecticides that ants will encounter as they forage and travel.  The ants will deliver these materials back to the hidden nests for us ensuring success over time.  In the 82 years we have been in the Carpenter Ant control business, we have never been more effective than we are right now.

After we implement our control strategy we consult with the client to let them know what we have done and what they can expect.  We will also provide them with information regarding what they can do to make their structure less appealing to pests such as correcting moisture problems that they may not be aware of.  We will also discuss the preventive service options that we can provide for Carpenter Ants or any other household pest they are likely to encounter.

If you would like more information please contact our Customer Service Representatives.

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1-800-222-2908