Carpenter Ants get their name because they build their nests in wood. They build nests anywhere they can find water and moldy or damp wood, such as tree stumps, firewood or in the plants around 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. The eating habit of carpenter ants includes living and dead insects, meat, fats and sugary foods of all kinds, including honeydew and nectar from plants. The colony population grows very rapidly. A colony can eventually produce 2,000 or more workers.
| Common name | Carpenter Ants |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Camponotus Pennsylvanicus |
| Size | Worker ants; 3 to 13 mm Sexually matured; 20 to 25 mm |
| Colour | Black |
| Shape | Segmented; oval |
| Habitat | Buildings through wet, damaged wood and in the plants around house. |
| Life span | Worker ants - 7 years Queen ant - 25 years |
LIFE CYCLE:Eggs: After mating, each female leaves the old colony to begin a new colony with her newly fertilized eggs. These queens lay up to 8-15 eggs inside knots in trees, they take care of them until they hatch. Eggs hatch after about 18 to 25 days, after which ants enter a larval stage.
Larva:Larva stage takes 14 to 25 days to develop. Then these Larvae are cared for and fed by adult workers. Larvae then spin cocoons and become pupae.
Pupa:After the larvae stage completes. They will spend the final three weeks as pupae. This is the resting stage where they will form a small tan capsule, before emerging as adult ants.
Adults:Finally the pupal stage grows into the adult stage. The adult carpenter ants are 3 to 25mm in size, and black in color. Cold weather can stretch the development time of carpenter ants up to 10 months. Carpenter ant's body is divided into three segments, with a very slim waist separating the upper body and lower body. a single small segment between the thorax and the abdomen. Upper side of the thorax is smooth and round. Their antennae are bent and in sections. Male and female adults have wings at mating time.
Worker ants can live up to 7 years. Queen ants can live up to 25 years.
DAMAGES Carpenter ants damage wood by excavating and creating galleries and tunnels for their nest. These areas are clean, i.e. they do not contain sawdust or other debris, and are smooth, with a well sanded appearance. The damage to wood structures is variable. The longer a colony is present in a structure, the greater the damage that can be done. Structural wood can be weakened when carpenter ant damage is severe. 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.
