for A P R I L Carpenter ants PROPER NAME: Order Hymentoptera, Family Formicidae, Genus Camponotus. WHEN MOST PREVALENT: All year round in rotting wood; winged reproductives are most often seen in April, May, and June while swarming. SIZE RANGE: Workers are 6-10 mm in length; queens are much larger at 15-20 mm in length. [View magnified Insect] WARNINGS: Carpenter ants are not aggressive but they will bite if handled (most ants do). They build their nests in rotting wood, but do not ingest wood as termites do. Presence of carpenter ants around your home does not necessarily indicate an infestation, and in any case, if you do have an infestation in your home, it is merely an indication of a more serious problem that needs to be attended to - rotting wood. Repair or replace the substandard wood and the carpenter ants will no longer want to be guests in your home! GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Throughout North America SOUNDS: None. Carpenter ants build nest galleries in soft wood. They are predators, feeding mainly on other insects. Workers forage from the nest and return there with food; others remain in the nest to feed and care for the eggs, the developing larvae, the pupae, and the queen. Nuptial flights of winged reproductives take place once or twice a year, when individuals leave a crowded nest to start up new colonies elsewhere. A carpenter ant queen lays eggs in rotting wood, and larvae hatch out in 10 days to a few months, depending on temperature. Larvae eventually pupate, and adults emerge from the pupae some time later. An ant colony contains many workers and a single queen. Occasionally winged reproductives (both male and female) will be produced. These leave the nest, pair up, mate, and the female of the pair will become the queen of a new colony in a different location. Carpenter ants are an important part of a forest ecosystem because in addition to live prey they also feed on dead and decaying organic material, thereby helping to recycle wastes and return essential nutrients to the soil. Care should be taken to use only good quality treated lumber during construction. Areas adjacent to buildings should be kept free of wooden debris, stumps, and dead or dying trees. The presence of carpenter ants in a building indicates water leaks or poor quality wood that is in need of repair. Often you may not see the ants themselves, but may notice piles of sawdust near the foundation of your home, a by-product of their excavations. FAMILY RELATIONS a) Order Hymenoptera, Family Formicidae, Monomorium pharaonis - pharoah ants. b) Close cousins: Order Isoptera - termites. [TO TOP] [BUG of the MONTH TABLE] [HOME]