INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT

Give us a call for a free estimate! Grand Island - (716) 774-8355 South Towns - (716) 648-0245 Toll Free: 1-800-207-8355

CARPENTER ANTS

These long-legged, swiftly-moving creatures are among our largest ants which may occasionally invade
homes foraging for food or for nest building. The workers are highly polymorphic, that is they vary greatly
in size ranging from 1/4 inch to more than 3/8 inch. The queens may be more than 1/2 inch long. The
black carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus, is the most common carpenter ant in the eastern states.
It is a dull black color with an abdomen covered with long yellowish hairs pressed against the body
surface. Foraging workers may be from 1/4 to 1/2 inch or more in length. Other common eastern species
include the red carpenter ant, C. ferrugineus, and the Florida carpenter ant, C. abdominalis. Although
found in much of the eastern United States, C. rasilis, is probably one of the most common species
encountered in the Gulf Coast states. Its head, thorax and petiole are reddish and the gaster is black.
Worker size varies from 4 to 9 mm long. A species found throughout the United States is C. nearcticus,
which is smaller with the workers being 4.5 to 7.5 mm long.

Carpenter ants, because of their large size and biting ability, attract more than a passing glance from even
the neophyte nature lover. It is a common experience of hikers, who seek the comfort of a woodland log,
to find themselves suddenly beset by large numbers of these biting ants. Carpenter ants are distributed
widely throughout the United States and range from sea level to well above 9,000 feet in the western
mountain ranges. They very often are pests in lawns as well as homes. Since theirs is the habit of dwelling
in and excavating wood, they were given the common name of "carpenter ant."

The colony is ordinarily initiated by one queen, who begins the nest beneath a rock or in the soil, or in an
insect-bored tunnel in a tree, etc. The queen lays only a few eggs and these hatch into very small workers.
The minims or small workers then go forth to forage. The small workers then feed the young and the
queen, whose sole interest in life is the production of eggs. If the enviroment is propitious, the colony
thrives. The pupae are closed in cocoons, which are referred to by most individuals as "ant eggs." When
the nesting site is in wood, it often resembles an ornate carving due to the multiplicity of the galleries.
These galleries are so smooth, they appear to have been sandpapered. The carpenter ants ordinarily
excavate that portion of the wood softened by decay or by the attacks of other insects. However, Fowler
(1986) stated that carpenter ants are more often found in sound wood than rotten wood.

Pricer (1908) made a detailed study of the life history of the black carpenter ant in Illinois at a temperature
of 70 to 90 degrees F. The female laid 22 eggs in 15 days. The eggs stage took 24 days, larval stage 21
days and pupal stage 21 days (66 days from egg to adult). Under natural conditions, the larval stage may
be of much longer duration during the winter. The winged sexual forms were observed to emerge about
the first of July. Large colonies may be characterized by winged males and females during the winter. The
colony does not produce the winged forms until it is more than two years old. These winged sexuals,
which may be produced during one summer, overwinter in the parental nest and emerge for their marriage
flight from May to July. One colony had as many as 3,212 worker ants.

Extensive Damage from Ants

FIRE ANTS

The red imported fire ant apparently was brought to the Mobile, Ala. or Pensacola, Fla. area from central Brazil between 1933 and 1945. Originally it was believed to be the species, S. saevissima richteri, with two color forms, red and black. However, Buren (1972) described the black form to be a distinct species, S. richteri, which was different than the red form, S. invicta. Literature prior to 1972 used the older name. The black imported fire ant was apparently introduced before the red species around 1918 in the Mobile area. The black variety is confined to a much smaller range and now inhabits northeastern Mississippi, northwestern Alabama and a small area in the southwestern Tennessee (Sorensen and Vinson, 1986). The red imported fire ant now inhabits 11 southern states from North Carolina through Texas. During the first 32 years of its establishment in Texas, this ant has extended to more than 160 of 254 (63 percent) counties in the state, with some 60 counties (23.6 percent) infested with both single and multi-queened colonies.

The red fire ants build mounds in all types of soil except swampland and dense forest. Recently a variety of the red imported fire ant was discovered with many queens. This variety is less hostile toward its neighbors, causing even more mounds to occur per acre. According to Bhatkar, with single queen colonies there may be 30 to 100 mounds per acre with up to 250,000 individuals per colony. With multi-queened colonies, there may be 200 to 700 mounds per acre. He has also calculated that there may be up to 2.5 million tons of fire ant biomass (live ants) in the infested southeastern United States. This is up to ten times more ants than earlier calculated to be present and is due to the growing presence of multi-queen colonies.

In some soils the mounds may be very hard. The mounds are unsightly and can even damage farm equipment. The presence of fire ant is not always negative.

The lifespan of workers depends upon their size. Minor workers live 30 to 60 days, medias 60 to 90 days and majors 90 to 180 days. Queens may live two to six years.

Controlling Ants

When Carpenter Ants are found in a structure, it means the colony is located in the building proper or merely entering to forage for food. Control of these invaders must begin with a thorough inspection of the structure noting all the contributing factors which will precipitate a continued infestation and thus limiting control. It is important, if at all possible, to find all existing colonies. When the inspection has been completed, our technician will begin procedures to eliminate the current infestation. If chemical applications are necessary, it is important for the health of the client to place all insecticides in areas which will contaminate the insects living environment, not the clients. Due to consecutive hatching it is important to follow up the initial application with a secondary inspection/application to find any residual colony activity which may not have been apparent on the initial application. Within ever increasing ant population in Western New York, it is important to maintain a barrier on the exterior of the structure to inhibit entrance and invasion from outside sources beyond our control.

Need More Information?

Return to Main Page