This tiny insects or carpenter ants help the nature to become balance because they burrow and nest in dead trees and help in the decay of wood. Their colors are black or reddish black. They live in colonies having castes of different workers for different tasks, but later on, they become pests when a colony invades and damages the integrity of the wood within a house. Carpenter ants become pests when they start foraging in the houses for food. They may also cause serious damage to wood in the structure. Unlike termites, they do not feed upon wood, but merely use it as a place to nest. Generally they are jet black, but there may be varieties that are reddish in color. And it is known as one of the largest of ants in the world, each 1\8 inch in length. The queen is the major reproductive member and there are major and minor workers. They are differing in size and appearance. They are common in areas that have a high water table. They seek out high moisture areas in and around structures. These nature carpenter ants usually nest either in damp wood or close to it. They may also be found in hollow areas such as hollow doors and curtain rods. Ants will nest in attics near clogged gutters or areas that have been subject to water leaks.

The carpenter ants have a varied diet. They consume everything varying from dead insects to honeydew from aphids. However, they do not consume wood. Workers leave the colony in late afternoon or early evening and forage during the night, returning to the colony only in the wee hours they carry food back to the nest intact or ingested and later feed it to non-foraging members in the nest. Ants living in the wood smooth it out with their chewing mouthparts and then live within the galleries they create to take advantage of the high moisture content that they favor. Unlike Termites, Carpenter Ants cannot digest the cellulose in wood and thus do not destroy the wood in the same way as Termites.

It takes about 3 months the best condition for an ant to be hatched and reach maturity. In colder weather this may take as long as 10 months. The first few workers to emerge from the first brood of pupae are small and they assume the duties of the colony. Their tasks include opening the chamber to the outside, collecting food, excavating galleries to enlarge the nest, and tending the eggs, larvae, and pupae of the second generation. To manage the carpenter ants finding both the parent colony in the surrounding landscape and the satellite colony or colonies in the structure is crucial to successful control of carpenter ants. The control operation has recommended and still recommends that an effort be made to locate and treat the nest areas. The Washington State Pest Control Association also recommends careful inspection and that a professional attempt be made to penetrate and treat potential nesting sites. From Dr. Hansen’s research, it is evident that long term success will be greater if the parent colony also is located and destroyed.