Carpenter ants are one of the more recognizable ants you might see in and around your home, but they have some fascinating characteristics that are helpful to know if you want to eliminate them, or if you are just a curious ant enthusiast! Let’s check out some interesting facts about carpenter ants.
Carpenter Ants Don’t Actually Eat Wood
Carpenter ants may seem like they’re chewing through wood, but they’re not eating it, but rather they’re tunneling. These ants are omnivores, feeding on a wide range of foods including plant nectars, honeydew, fruit juices, and even other insects.
Carpenter Ants Are Most Active at Night
You’ll usually spot carpenter ants emerging just after dusk, when they begin foraging across your home and yard. Their nocturnal habits help them avoid predators and efficiently gather food for the colony.
Carpenter Ant Queens Can Live for Over 25 Years
A carpenter ant queen can live 15 to 25 years, with some lab-recorded lifespans stretching up to 26 years. This remarkable longevity, combined with her ability to lay over 1,000 eggs annually, explains how a single nest can persist and expand for many years.
Carpenter Ants Build Satellite Nests Over a 3-6 Year Span
Carpenter ants will have nests spread across different areas with one being the parent nest in a more moist wood, while others will be established in warmer, dryer areas for their larvae to grow.
Colonies Can Have up to 20,000 Worker Ants
A mature black carpenter ant colony can contain up to 20,000 worker ants. Other species of carpenter ants are known to have between 2,000-4,000 worker ants that can span across multiple satellite nests and live for many years.
Carpenter Ants Can Fly
Like termites, several hundred mature, adult carpenter ants from each colony will develop wings and “swarm” in the spring. This means they are leaving their nests to find a mate and develop a new colony.
Carpenter Ants Can Carry 50x Their Body Weight
Many ant species have been known to carry anywhere from 10x-50x their body weight in order to transport food and resources back to their nests.
Carpenter Ants Bite
Many ant species can sting or bite, and that is especially true with carpenter ants. Their bites can be quite painful although they are not venomous or poisonous.
Carpenter Ant Control
Carpenter ants outside are mostly harmless, but once they begin attacking the structure of your home, or even worse, the interior of your home or business, you need to act quickly before they set up nests all around your property. The best method to carpenter ant management is to call a local pest control company to set up bait stations to eradicate the entire colony, and not just the ants visible to the naked eye.
If you are a New Jersey homeowner or business owner, reach out to the team at ELDER Pest Control and we can eliminate your carpenter ant problem.
Sources:
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/biology-and-control-of-carpenter-ants
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/HYG-2063