A3641

Controlling carpenter ants

P.J. Pellitteri
If you see large black ants skit- Identification hatch, and the queen feeds them
tering around your home, they may Carpenter ants (Camponotus with fluid secreted from her mouth.
be carpenter ants. These ants incite spp.) are medium to large, all-black It takes 210 months for a larva to
more complaints from homeowners or black-and-red ants. Workers complete development, spin a
than any other insect in Wisconsin. range from 38 to 12 inch long, and silken cocoon, and emerge as a
Because they nest in weakened or queens grow up to 1 inch. The small wingless worker ant.
decaying wood, carpenter ants bodies of carpenter ants distinguish Carpenter ant queens suffer very
often get blamed for structural them from other ants. Carpenter high mortality during this early
problems. But they do not eat wood ants have rounded thoraxes and nesting phase, and over 90% of the
and are normally just a nuisance. only one segment, or node, that colonies fail during the establish-
Outdoors, carpenter ants feed connects the thorax to the abdomen. ment of nests.
on dead and live insects, and on Other Wisconsin ants have either Workers born in the first brood
aphid-secreted honeydew. Indoors, two segments or a thorax that is collect food, enlarge the nest, and
they are attracted to meat, honey, uneven in profile (see illustrations). tend the next newborns. The larvae
sugar, jelly, grease, and fats. If Red, yellow, or very small ants are are helpless and depend on the
nesting indoors, they may be found of different species. workers for protection and nourish-
in water-damaged or decaying ment. Adult workers (sterile
wood, foam insulation, or hollow Life cycle females) are the ants that are seen
cavities such as hollow-core doors, During late May or early June crawling indoors. During the first
wall voids, and even curtain rods. winged carpenter ants leave the 35 years a strong colony will grow
Outdoors, carpenter ants nest in colony in swarms to mate. After to 2,0003,000 individuals. It will
dead or rotting trees and stumps, in mating, the queen will tear off her then produce 10400 winged ants,
landscape timbers, or in logs and wings and search for a nesting site. called kings and queens, that will
boards lying on or buried in the Having excavated a small cavity in emerge and swarm during the
ground. the soil or in wood, the queenthe spring. If the nest is indoors, the
only carpenter ant capable of repro- swarm can occur anytime, even in
ducingwill seal the entrance and winter. The larger the swarm, the
lay 1520 eggs. Grub-like larvae stronger the colony.

Carpenter ant Pharaoh ant

rounded thorax uneven thorax

one node

two nodes
CONTROLLING CARPENTER ANTS

Damage Finding the nest Carefully check hollow-core

Carpenter ants excavate small The secret to carpenter ant doors, foam insulation, or other
tunnels and galleries in soft wood control indoors is to find the nest. If cavities or voids that ants might use.
or foam insulation. They are you cannot find the nest, your Newly constructed homes should
smooth, clean cavities, and turn the chance for long-term success is not have the type of water problem
wood to a swiss-cheese texture. The minimal. If you can kill the queen, that would attract carpenter ants to
damage is minor. In most cases the on the other hand, the colony will nest indoors, but occasionally the
real damage to the wood is caused not survive. Be observant and use ants will invade voids or beams that
by moisture or dry rot. Remember, the clues the ants give you in trying have pre-existing cavities.
carpenter ants do not eat wood; to locate the nest. Indoor treatment
they nest in already weakened or Watch the place where you see Even if it takes a few weeks,
softened wood. In the rare places the most activity by workers. locating the nest will be the most
where the ants excavate healthy Carpenter ants are most active important step toward controlling
wood, the effects are localized. between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Colonies the problem. Once you have found
are often found under tubs, around the nest, consider replacing the
Control sinks and toilets, in poorly venti-
It is not unusual to see a few damaged or decayed wood,
lated attics, in leaky roofs or in whether its an old windowsill or
carpenter ants in the home during
rotting windowsills or door damaged roofing material.
the spring. They are just scouts
framesin short, anywhere water Replacing the wood often resolves
from outdoors. However, if you see
problems may appear. If any ants the ant problem.
any of the following, you may have
are seen around a bedroom If you suspect the nest is behind
a nest in your home:
window, the nest is most likely in a wall or in a hollow door, find a
Carpenter ants inside between
the window frame or nearby in a way to get an insecticide into the
November and early March;
wall void. nest. Use any cracks and crevices
Large numbers of winged ants Most carpenter ants you see are for application. Often it is necessary
inside; workers searching for food or to drill 18-inch diameter holes to
Coarse sawdust mixed with water. If there is no pattern to their give you access. Treating just
insect fragments (called frass) activity, consider placing foods outside surfaces will keep ants from
falling from ceilings, cabinets or such as honey, canned cat food, view because they are repelled by
other wood sources; dead insects, or other sugar or sprays. However, surface sprays do
Consistent indoor sightings of at protein on a plate. Once the not kill the queen and will not solve
least 15 workers per day in places workers find the food they should the problem. Done correctly, a
other than the kitchen. Carpenter show you a pattern as they bring it single treatment should eliminate
ants come from outside in the back to the colony and recruit more the nest.
spring and summer looking for workers to take advantage of the Dusts are best for treating voids
food. A large number of ants free food. in walls. You can purchase dusting
around a garbage can or dish- Listen for sounds at night. A equipment or use a plastic squeeze
washer can be explained as an dry rustling sound can sometimes bottle or turkey baster to blow dust
outdoor colony coming in for be heard in spring and summer into the hole. Small, light applica-
food. But seeing numerous ants behind the surface of a door or wall. tions are more effective than heavy
every day in a bedroom, for Place your ear to the surface and ones. Dusts will not harm insula-
example, suggests an indoor listen. If you tap the walls and tion and they do a good job of dis-
colony. disturb the colony, the sound often persing within the walls.
becomes louder. Liquid or aerosol sprays for ant
If any of these conditions exists
in your home, you should try to and roach control can also be used.
control the colony. These will work well if the nest is
exposed. Active ingredients include
permethrin, pyrethrum, cyfluthrin,
deltamethrin, esfenvalerate, tetram- Treatments each spring or every timbers, and old stump areas for
ethrin, tralomethrin, and propoxur. 6 weeks should solve the problem. the main colony.
(As of December 2002, chlorpyrifos Use any of the materials listed
and diazinon are no longer sold for above. Continued activity after a
Professional help
Pest control operators have the
homeowner use, but existing prod- barrier treatment suggests that an
training and experience to deal with
ucts may still be used.) Be sure the indoor nest remains to be found.
carpenter ants. Often they will use
product is labeled for indoor use Outdoors the same pesticides you can buy. If
and read and follow all directions
Carpenter ants often nest in you decide to get professional
for use. The solvents in many liquid
trees with decaying wood or center helpeither for convenience or
sprays can melt some insulation
heart rot. Healthy, sound wood will because you are unable to find the
materials.
not support a colony. Control is not nestcontact two or three rep-
There are several types of baits
necessary for the health of the tree, utable firms and ask them about
available for carpenter ants: pellets,
and is often difficult to achieve. their service. Compare costs, guar-
gels, and traps. Most baits contain
Note, however, that the presence of antees, and types of treatment. Spot
small amounts of boric acid, insect
ants indicates decaying wood and treating the nest using the least
growth regulators, or other slow-
suggests vulnerability to storm amount of pesticides is the pre-
acting poisons. These products are
damage. ferred treatment.
typically less toxic and more tar-
If you find the outdoor colony,
geted in their activity than other
the nest can be treated with an
treatment methods. Baits rely on the
insecticide like carbaryl (Sevin),
worker ants to carry the poison
cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, esfenvaler-
back to the nest. They work best in
ate, permethrin, or a bait. Always
spring and early summer. If you
read the label for restrictions and
use a bait, be sure to select one that
instructions. Apply spray or dust
is made specifically for carpenter
directly into the nest. If the nest is
ants. Baits can be placed in plastic
underground, use sufficient water
containers to keep children and
to soak into the nest. Remember,
animals from coming in contact
you have to kill the queen to elimi-
with the poison.
nate the nest.
Foggers do not work well on
There is some evidence that
carpenter ants because they do not
strong outdoor colonies will estab-
penetrate walls sufficiently.
lish a seasonal satellite nest
Carpenter ants in spring indoors. These nests support small
If ants first appear in late April numbers of workers, pupae, and
or May and are seen mostly around mature larvae that move indoors in
the kitchen, there is a good chance summer when outdoor habitat is in
they are coming from an outside high demand. During the fall they
colony looking for food. Their pres- move back to the parent nest.
ence is not enough to conclude you Although satellite colonies do move
have an indoor problem. If the only indoors, your main concern should
References to products in this publication
visible activity occurs in a 23 week be whether you have the proper are for your convenience and are not an
period in spring, consider using a environment for the ants to nest in. endorsement of one product over other
barrier insecticide treatment to keep Satellite colonies can be spot similar products. You are responsible for
using chemicals according to the manu-
the ants outside. Windows, door- treated, but a more permanent solu- facturers current label directions. Follow
ways and a 23 foot treatment band tion, if the ants have been a long- directions exactly to protect the environ-
around the buildings exterior will standing problem, is to find the ment and people from chemical exposure.
repel or kill the ants without need- parent colony and treat it. Check
lessly exposing the residents. wooden porches, landscape
Copyright 2003 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System doing business as the division
of Cooperative Extension of the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Send inquiries about copyright permission to:
Manager, Cooperative Extension Publishing, 103 Extension Bldg., 432 N. Lake St., Madison, WI 53706.

Author: P.J. Pellitteri is distinguished outreach specialist of entomology, College of Agricultural and Life
Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension.
Produced by Cooperative Extension Publications, University of Wisconsin-Extension.

University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of

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A3641 Controlling Carpenter Ants SR-05-03