|
Carpenter Ant:
This page has pictures of carpenter ants, carpenter ants control, and carpenter ant prevention.
| Argentine Ants |
Black Ants |
| Carpenter Ants |
Crazy Ants |
 
Don't see what you're looking for? Click here for more examples.
Need to control Carpenter Ants? Click here.
Where to look for the carpenter ant in your house?
Need for info on general ant control? Click here.
COMMON NAME: Carpenter Ant
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Camponotus spp.
CLASSlORDERIFAMILY: lnsecta/Hymenoptera/Formicidae
METAMORPHOSIS: Complete
INTRODUCTION: The black carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGreer), is a native species and the common species in the east. Camponotus modoc Wheeler is the common western species. These ants get their common name from their habit of hollowing out galleries in pieces of wood for nesting purposes. This nesting habit can result in structural damage. Carpenter ants are found throughout the United States.
RECOGNITION: Workers polymorph, large (1/8-1/2") but vary greatly in size; queens about 1/2-5/8" long. Carpenter ant color ranges from black, combinations of red and black, or completely red or brown. Its antenna is 12-segmented and does not have a club. Ant thorax lacks spines and the profile is evenly rounded on the upper side. The pedicel is 1-segmented with the gaster having a round anal opening, surrounded by a circlet of hairs. (This is destinctive) A stinger is not present. The workers are capable of emitting a strong formic acid odor.
Camponotus pennsylvanicus with workers about 1/4-1/2" long and completely black except top of gaster with long, pale yellowish hairs pressed against its surface. Camponotus modoc with workers about 1/4-1/2" long, dull black with reddish legs and with golden hairs covering abdomen. Queens up to 5/8+" long. Other species black, various combinations of red and black, or completely red or brown. Although carpenter ants do not sting, their bites can be quite painful, especially when they inject formic acid into the wound.
DAMAGE: The only external indication of infestation other than the presence of worker and/or swarmers is the appearance of small openings or windows on the surface of the wood. Through these, the workers expel debris, which consists of sawdust-like shaving and/or fragments of insulation and insect body parts. The accumulation of such depth below such holes is a good indication of an infestation.
Inside, the galleries follow the softer springwood with numerous connections through the harder/dark summerwood. The gallery walls are smooth, with a sandpapered appearance. The active galleries are kept clean of debris. They prefer to attack wood softened by fungus and are often associated with moisture problems.
BIOLOGY: Black carpenter ant colonies are of moderate size, usually containing over 3,000 workers (up to 10-15,000 which includes satellite nests) when maturity is reached or about 3 to 6 years. The typical western carpenter ant (C. modoc) mature colony contain about 10-20,000 workers, with large colonies having up to 100,000 workers Developmental time (egg to adult) for workers takes at least 60 days. Workers are polymorphic, with majors, minors and intermediates present. There is usually only one functional, wingless queen per colony. Swarmers are not produced until the colony is more than 2 years old for C. pennsytvanicus and often 6 years old for C. modoc. Swarmers appear from May until August in the east and from February through June in the west. During swarming, food location and feeding is unimportant.
HABITS: Most carpenter ant species establish their first nest in decayed wood and later expand or enlarge this into sound wood. Inside, nests are located in wood (preferably softened by fungus rot), in insulation, and/or in wall voids. Workers are a nuisance when out searching for food but are destructive to timbers utilized for nesting activities. Outside, nests are typically located in rolling fence posts, stumps, old firewood, dead portions of standing trees, and under stones or fallen logs.
The presence of a carpenter ant nest is sometimes indicated by a rustling sound coming from wall voids or from wood where the colony is located. Otherwise, the emergence of swarmers indoors may be the first indication of an indoor colony.
Carpenter ants feed primarily on insect honeydew, plant and fruit juices, insects, and other arthropods. Inside. they will also feed on sweets, eggs, meats, cakes, and grease.
The workers forage for distances of up to 800 feet (91.4m) from the nest. They typically enter buildings around door and window frames, eaves, plumbing and utility lines, and shrub and tree branches in contact with the building. Although some workers are active during the day, most activity is from dusk till dawn, with peak activity between 10 pm and morning. The trail between the parent and satellite nest is usually about 1/4-3/4" wide and is kept clear of vegetation and debris. It usually follows contours but typically will cut across lawns.
If you can not find the pest control product or products you are looking for call us toll free at 1-866-545-9064 and we will find it for you in one of our alternate shipping warehouses. Our home office is located in Houston, Texas with warehouses located throughout the United States that enable us to service all 50 states including New York NY, Los Angeles CA, Miami, FL. Chicago, IL., Denver CO., El Paso, Texas, Dallas TX, San Antonio, TX, Austin, TX, Boise ID, Atlanta GA, Albuquerque NM, Raleigh-Durham NC, Washington DC, Albuquerque NM, Huntsville AL, Fayetteville AR, Norfolk VA , Madison WI., Corpus Christi, TX, Plano, Texas, Garland, TX, Laredo, Texas, Lubbock, TX.
|
