Carpenter Ants

 

Carpenter ants get their name because they build their nests in wood. This pest can cause significant damage to your house. There are many types of carpenter ants throughout the U.S. measuring in size from one-quarter inch (about the width of a pencil) for a worker carpenter ant to three-quarters of an inch (about the size of a quarter) for a queen carpenter ant.

Each colony is established by a single, fertilized queen. She starts her nest in a cavity in wood, where she raises her first brood of workers. She feeds them saliva and does not leave the nest or feed herself during this time.

When they are ready, those workers then get the job of gathering food to feed the next generation. Once mature, this first generation of worker ants work to increase the food supply for the colony. The colony population grows very rapidly. A colony can eventually produce 2,000 or more workers.

 

• Size: 5/8"

• Shape: Oval

• Color: Range in color from red to black

• Legs: 6

• Wings: Varies

• Antenna: Yes

• Common Name: Carpenter ant

• Kingdom: Animalia

• Phylum: Arthropoda

• Class: Insecta

• Order: Hymenoptera

• Family: Formicidea

• Species: Camponotus

Diet:

Carpenter ants do not eat the wood they remove during their nest-building activities, but deposit it outside entrances to the colony in small piles. The diet of carpenter ants includes living and dead insects, meat, fats and sugary foods of all kinds, including honeydew and nectar from plants.

Habitat:

Carpenter ants build nests anywhere they can find water and moldy or damp wood, such as tree stumps, firewood or in the plants around your house. Carpenter ants also build nests inside, usually entering buildings through wet, damaged wood, although it isn’t uncommon for them to adapt to drier environments. 

Impact:

Carpenter ants don’t carry disease, but when building a nest inside a home, Carpenter ants dig smooth tunnels inside the wood. These tunnels weaken the wood and potentially damage the wood that keeps the house standing. This kind of damage can be very expensive to fix. 

Prevention:

• Eliminate standing water. Pests, such as ants, mosquitoes and termites, are attracted to moisture.

• Keep tree branches and other plants cut back from the house. Sometimes pests use these branches to get into your home.

• Make sure that there are no cracks or little openings around the bottom of your house. Sometimes pests use these to get into your home.

• Make sure that firewood and building materials are not stored next to your home. Pests like to build nests in stacks of wood.

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Odorous House Ants

 

This ant gets its name from the strong, rotten coconut-like smells it gives off when crushed and the fact that they commonly nest in or around houses. Native to the United States, these ants are very social, living in colonies of up to 100,000 members.

 

• Size: 1/16" to 1/8"

• Shape: Segmented, oval

• Color: Brown or black

• Legs: 6

• Wings: Varies

• Antenna: Yes

• Common Name: Odorous house ant

• Kingdom: Animalia

• Phylum: Arthropoda

• Class: Insecta

• Order: Hymenoptera

• Family: Formicidae

• Species: Tapinoma sessile

Diet:

Odorous house ants like to eat dead insects and sugary sweets, especially melon.

Habitat:

Typically living for several years, these ants commonly make their homes in exposed soil, under stones, logs, mulch, debris and other items. They will also nest in wall and floor cracks.

Impact:

Odorous house ants do not pose a health threat, but they can contaminate food by leaving waste behind. 

Prevention:

• Avoid using other individuals' combs, hats, towels, etc.

• Eliminate standing water. Pests, such as ants, mosquitoes and termites, are attracted to moisture.

• Keep tree branches and other plants cut back from the house. Sometimes pests use these branches to get into your home.

• Make sure that there are no cracks or little openings around the bottom of your house. Sometimes pests use these to get into your home.

• Make sure that firewood and building materials are not stored next to your home. Pests like to build nests in stacks of wood.

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Pavement Ants

 

Although these ants can live inside, they get their name because they make their nests in or under cracks in pavement. They are typically found in the eastern half of the United States, California and Washington. Pavement ant colonies average 3,000 to 4,000 members and have several queens.

 

• Size: 1/8"

• Shape: Segmented, oval

• Color: Dark brown to black

• Legs: 6

• Wings: Varies

• Antenna: Yes

• Common Name: Pavement ant

• Kingdom: Animalia

• Phylum: Arthropoda

• Class: Insecta

• Order: Hymenoptera

• Family: Formicidae

• Species: Tetramorium caespitum

Diet:

These ants will eat almost anything, including insects, grease, seeds, honeydew, honey, bread, meats, nuts and cheese.

Habitat:

This ant gets its name because it most commonly nests in soil next to and beneath slabs, sidewalks, patios, and driveways. Indoors, pavement ants nest under a building’s foundation and within hollow foundation walls.

Impact:

Pavement ants do not pose a health threat, but they can contaminate food by leaving waste behind.

Prevention:

• Eliminate standing water. Pests, such as ants, mosquitoes and termites, are attracted to moisture.

• Keep tree branches and other plants cut back from the house. Sometimes pests use these branches to get into your home.

• Make sure that there are no cracks or little openings around the bottom of your house. Sometimes pests use these to get into your home.

• Make sure that firewood and building materials are not stored next to your home. Pests like to build nests in stacks of wood.