Carpenter ants are large, about a quarter to half an inch, usually black or dark, with a single waist segment, bent antennae, and an evenly rounded back. But the biggest tell of all are the piles of sawdust-like shavings they leave by the smooth tunnels they make in wood.
Carpenter ants don’t look like your typical ants. For one, they’re huge. And this is good because that, and some of their behavior, make them stand out before they have a chance to do further property damage.
The ants themselves are going to be among the largest you’ll see inside. Sometimes they can be up to half an inch in size. They’re usually black, but some are reddish or red-and-black. Up close, look for a single pinched segment at the waist, elbowed (bent) antennae, and a thorax that curves in a smooth, even arc rather than an uneven one. In spring you may also see winged swarmers, which is evidence of reproductive ants leaving an established nest.
Carpenter ants excavate galleries in wood and push the debris out. This leaves behind small piles of what looks like sawdust and is called frass. The galleries themselves, once excavated, are smooth and clean.
Carpenter ants live in wood, and when given a choice, they prefer moist, damaged, or decaying wood. So check around leaks, window frames, decks, or tree stumps and woodpiles. You might hear a faint rustling inside a wall where a large colony is active, or notice wood that sounds hollow when tapped.
Carpenter ants have a pinched waist, bent antennae, smooth galleries, and leave frass. Termites have a thick, straight waist, straight antennae, pack their tunnels with mud, and actually consume the wood, leaving no sawdust. If you're seeing clean sawdust piles, you're likely looking at carpenter ants.
You don’t want to let carpenter ants run amok. Their presence often points to a moisture problem and the damage they cause can weaken structural wood. If you have a lot of them in the home, you probably need an exterminator.
If you're tired of finding big black ants and little sawdust piles around the house, Mosquito Squad of Central New Jersey can help. Mosquito Squad offers perimeter treatments that help control carpenter ants and other crawling pests, applied by a trained technician alongside the barrier service that delivers up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity on a 21-day cycle.
