Carpenter ants are one of the most valuable insects we have on earth. They enter man made structures they are considered the most destructive common insect pest we have in Canada. They chew up tons of wood and turn it into fine sawdust that rots and provides compost for new growth.
Carpenter Ants typically have a parent colony in outside nesting areas, such as live or dead trees, stumps, logs or decorative landscape wood. Two common species of carpenter ants found in Canada. The Modoc they are all black, legs may have a rusty red color, One queen in parent nest. The Vicinus are black head, rusty red thorax and black abdomen. Multiple queens in parent nest. Most carpenter ant species have other similar characteristics.
FIVE SIZES
Carpenter ants can be as small as one quarter inch or as large as three quarters of an inch nut all sizes can be found in one nest. Most carpenter ant species establish their initial nest in decayed wood, but they extend their tunneling into sound wood and can do massive
damage to a structure. Carpenter ants nest in both moist and dry wood, but prefer wood which is moist. When the colony grows larger and needs room to expand satellite colonies are established. These species commonly nest in standing trees either living or dead, or in logs on the forest floor. Reproductive carpenter ants winged males and females leave
the nest as early as January if the nest is in a heated structure. This is especially true when the homeowner insists that the home be built with a minimal removal of trees.
Ants are generally active along ant trails from April to mid-October. When the colony grows larger and needs room to expand satellite colonies are established. These satellite colonies often develop in nearby structures presumably because they offer warm protection. These trails follow natural contours and lines of least resistance and also frequently cut across lawns. The extent and potential damage to a home depends on how many nests are actually present within the structure, and how long the infestation has been active.
Only the parent colony contains the queens, young larvae and workers, while the satellite contains the mature larvae, pupae, workers, and/or winged reproductives. Winged carpenter ants can be distinguished from termites by their larger size and shape of their antennae, waist and wings. Wood which has been damaged by carpenter ants contains no mud-like material, as is the case with termites. Shredded fragments of wood, similar in appearance to coarse sawdust, are ejected from the galleries through preexisting cracks or slits made by the ants. In some cases, the damage may be relatively insignificant,
but this can only be determined by locating and exposing the nest area.
Carpenter ants, vary in size and color but are usually large 1/4-1/2 inch and blackish. Occasionally, swarms of winged carpenter ant reproductives will emerge inside a home. Nests are especially common in moist, hollow spaces such as the wall void behind a dishwasher, or in a hollow porch column.
