Carpenter Ant Damage
The damage caused by carpenter ants is a result of nesting. They excavate galleries for queens to lay eggs and for young ants to develop Termites and the larvae of some beetles actually eat wood. However, carpenter ants gain no nutritional value from wood, but damage it to make nests.
Carpenter ant workers prefer to dwell in damp wood. When carpenter ants do enter houses, they come via ducts of heating and cooling equipment, windows, telephone wires cable lines, areas where trees connect to the structure, sheds, porches and firewood from outdoors. Carpenter ant infestations are apparent when workers travel through rooms in search for water or food, or winged ants fly in hopes of escaping to the wild.
Although the damage caused by carpenter ants is not as severe as the damage caused by termites, carpenter ant nests may cause significant damage over a period of years. As the number of individuals inside a colony grows, their expansion through the wood increases, causing further damage.
To distinguish a carpenter ant infestation from a termite infestation, it is important to examine the hollowed-out wood. Carpenter ants clean and polish their galleries of wood so that they appear smooth inside, while galleries of termites contain large amounts of soil and mud. Carpenter ant galleries also have holes through which worker ants eject unwanted debris. There is often a pile of wood shavings below these holes. The shavings resemble the scraps produced from sharpening a pencil. While the surface of wood may appear undamaged, carpenter ant galleries can be identified by these telltale window holes.
Carpenter Ant Identification: How to Identify a Carpenter Ant
What Does a Carpenter Ant Look Like?
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