Carpenter ants build their nests outdoors in a variety of wood sources, including tree stumps, firewood or landscaping. They need a consistent water source to survive. Carpenter ants will enter the home through wet, damaged wood.
Most species of carpenter ants attack wood that is currently or has previously been wet and damaged by mold. Although carpenter ants first invade wet, decayed wood, they might later begin excavating tunnels through dry, undamaged wood. They usually come into buildings through cracks around doors, windows, or through plumbing and electrical penetrations in the home. They will also crawl along overhead wires, shrubs, or tree limbs outdoors that touch the building above ground, then enter the house through any small opening. Commercial pest control service
Carpenter ants build their nests outdoors in a variety of wood sources, including tree stumps, rotting fence posts, old firewood, under stones, etc. The parent colony, or main colony, is usually located outside and provides the queen, eggs and young. Satellite nests can occur and branch out of the main parent colony and they just contain workers, mature larvae and pupae. Satellite nests are formed in mid-summer both indoors and outdoors and do not form until the parent colony matures over several years. Usually around August, the workers and winged ants will emerge from the pupae.
Carpenter ants will become mating flights in a process called swarming. Winged males are normally the first to emerge when environmental conditions like temperature and extended daylight signify that it's time for you to swarm. If conditions are right, the male releases a pheromone that stimulates the feminine to leave her nest. The initial appearance of winged males in a home often causes homeowners great concern, since it signifies that ants are living within the house. Otherwise, the clear presence of a carpenter ant nest indoors might be indicated with a rustling sound that may result from wall voids or from wood where the nest is located once the winged forms are disturbed.
Carpenter ants feed primarily on insect honeydew, plant and fruit juices, insects and other arthropods. Inside, they will also feast upon sweets, eggs, meats, cakes and grease. The workers will forage up to 300 feet from their nest. Although some workers are active throughout the day, most activity occurs from shortly before dusk until dawn.
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