Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants have the typical "ant" body - they are segmented and are a long oval shape. Unlike many other ants, carpenter ants have three segments and a round thorax when viewed from the side. They have six legs and two antennae that are jointed partway up. Carpenter ants are bigger than most species, generally getting to be about a quarter- to a half-inch in length. The queens can be as long as a full inch.

 

Carpenter ants are usually black, but they can be found in combinations of black, red, and brown. Some of the ants, although not the workers, have wings and can fly. They will swarm around their ant colonies.

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Carpenter ants, unlike termites, do not eat wood. They do, however, create tunnels in wooden structures in which to build their nests. They will chew the wood to create nesting sites, causing damage throughout the wooden structures, weakening or even destroying key support pieces for your home, deck, porch or other property.

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To learn even more about carpenter ants, check out our blog post