Carpenter Ants

There are over a thousand species of carpenter ant world wide, but the most common species in the U.S. is a large (can be over a half inch long) black, brown or reddish ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus. In nature, these ants carve trails in moist, softened or rotted wood for their nests and where nature and wood framed homes overlap, they will frequently seek moist and rotted construction timbers for their nests.

Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood as a food source, their preferred diet is other insects, vegetation and household garbage. Termite nests are filled with packed mud and carpenter ant nests and tunnels have smooth pathways.

The differences between ant drones and termite drones (flying ants and termites) can be subtle. Look for a thin waist on ants, bent antennas on ants vs. straight ants on termites and shorter front wings on ants. This image shows the visual differences between these two dangerous pests.