About Carpenter Ants

The diet of carpenter ants is made up of sources of sugar and protein. When they nest outdoors, they feed on insects, both alive and dead insects. They also feed on honeydew which is a sugary substance produced by sap-sucking insects. It is noteworthy that the ants do not feed on wood.

Carpenter ants specifically search for food between sunset and midnight, traveling from their nests to sites where they can find food. The ants have two types of nests: the parent nest and the satellite nest. The parent nest is typically situated outdoors. The nest is also mostly located in areas with a bit of moisture or decaying wood. Every parent colony has one or two satellite colonies with their nests situated both indoors and outdoors. The satellite nests are usually located in areas with a low level of moisture. Such areas include insulation and sound wood.

The parent nest usually has the queen and numerous workers. In the satellite nest, there are workers, mature larvae, and pupae. Generally, the ants like to live in wood, whether living or dead wood. They also tend to prefer wood with some form of moisture exposure.

Within wood, carpenter ants create galleries where they live. The worker ants cut through the wood to create the galleries. The galleries of the ants differ from those of termites in that they are lined with mud. They create the galleries as nests as well as pathways from one section to another.

The lifespan of carpenter ants could be as long as 25 years. The queen lays an average of 8 eggs every time. It takes about 6 to 12 weeks for the eggs to metamorphose into adult ants.

Carpenter ants are well distributed globally, and their activity differs according to the period of the year. They establish new colonies by swarming.