There Are 3 Big Step to Identification Carpenter Ants,
Part 1 of 3: Marking Attacks
1. Know how to recognize Carpenter ants. Carpenter ants are
ants Camponotus belonging to the group, which consists of more than 1,000
species. [1] wood ants live on every continent except Antarctica. As individual
species, these ants have a wide variety of distinctive features. However,
knowing certain characteristics that are common to the entire group of ants
would be useful to identify whether the ants in your home is wood ants or any
other kind. Some common characteristics include: [2]
Color: Usually red, black, or middle
Shape: Divided into abdomen oval and square, thin chest
cavity. The upper part of the chest cavity usually has a more subtle curve and
average than uneven or bumpy.
Size: Approximately 0.95 to 1.27 cm, depending on the caste
Antenna: Yes
Wings: Worker ants do not have wings. However, a relatively
rare male ants could have wings.
2. Know where Carpenter ants live. Carpenter ants can
(and will) build nests inside or outside the structure, but the wooden house is
very risky because the wood ants like to make a small tunnel into the wood.
Unlike termites, ants do not eat wood timber - they just make a tunnel into the
structure to create a nest. [3] Due to more easily penetrate the wood ant wood
moist rather than dry wood, wood ant interior locations are often located near
sources of water, such as bathroom or a leaking toilet.
Sometimes, Carpenter ants build
a network of one or more satellites or parent colonies outside of the
structure, and traveling in between the colony and the ants stand in the room,
into the structure through cracks or small openings. In this case, the colony
will often be in a tree stump, flat wood, wood piles or wet wood sources. Wood
ants often follow the lead of the colony in the early morning or late afternoon
when foraging.
When the Carpenter ants make
a tunnel, they can leave the "fras", a substance that resembles wood
shavings or sawdust small, in the back. Fras often contains dead insects. It
can provide clues to the location of the ant nest. If you find a small pile
fras or around the house, look for tunnels in the nearby wood - wood
investigate suspected tunnel with a thin screwdriver to reveal a hollow
section.
3. Know where Carpenter ants activity.
Although ants usually nest in wood, if the Carpenter ants colony is within the walls of the house,
you would be hard to find. If you suspect wood ants are at home, look at an
easily accessible place that tends to be a suggestion. Location wet and / or
have access to food at home is usually a place ant activity. Look for ants in
the following areas:
Carpet - Check around doors, fireplaces, and other areas
that have easy access to the outside.
Patio or foundation
Areas with vegetation - Ants like nesting and foraging
follow lesion behind any vegetation, tree stumps, branches of the foundation,
terrace, etc. Pull vegetation to look for ants. If you find ants are foraging,
follow up the ants back to the colony.
Mulch and leaf litter can be a place for many species of
ants other than wood ants, such as pavement ants, fire ants and Argentine ants.
Rake mulch on the ground to check the ant colony.
Floor - Plant pots, compost piles, or other objects that
come into contact with the soil can contain wood ants.