How to find where carpenter ants are coming from

Though there are over 12,000 known species of ants, you can ultimately divide them into two categories: annoying but harmless and seriously destructive. In the warmer months, your indoor and outdoor spaces can end up hosting critters in both categories, and you may be desperate to find out how to get rid of ants. There are the impromptu cities of tiny pavement ants that pop up on your paths, driveway, and sidewalk (harmless but the opposite of curb appeal).

There are also the little black sugar ants that magically make their way into your home to find that one minuscule crumb you dropped on the floor (relatively harmless, though they can carry bacteria). Then, there are the large carpenter ants who have picked up the summer job of destroying your home from the inside out. Not good—and they also bite. If you're wondering how to get rid of carpenter ants, here's everything you need to know.

What are carpenter ants?

Carpenter ants have gotten their name because of the way they damage the wood that makes up your home and furniture. While they don't consume wood the way termites do, they chew and excrete it in order to make pathways for themselves and their thousands of friends and family. If you start seeing random piles of particles that look like wood shavings, that's a sign you have carpenter ants. (Fun fact: Insect experts call that stuff "frass.")

You can identify a carpenter ant from other types by their size. They are big: About 1/2" to 5/8". Carpenter ants also are usually red-black, or all-red, all-black, or all-brown.

How do carpenter ants get inside a home?

Carpenter ants love wet and/or moldy wood, so if there is a moisture issue in any part of your home, they'll be attracted to those areas. However, carpenter ants don't always get into your home by chewing their way through wood. They can enter your home through any crack or tiny opening, even if it is high above the ground (carpenter ants will simply use a branch or climb up pipes and wires to get there).

Indoors, carpenter ants usually like to set up their homes near water sources. The areas near air-conditioning units, dishwashers, sinks, and bathtubs are all popular places for carpenter ants.

How do I get rid of carpenter ants?

It's not as easy as killing any ant you happen to see. Like all ants, carpenter ant colonies start with scout ants that forage your home for the best places to eat or hang out. Then, their buddies (the "workers") follow the trail once they've hit a good food source, building a nest nearby in your wall. If you've spotted a few stray carpenters, congrats, you've probably found these little explorers. Here's what to do next:

Make a bait to find the nest. Pest experts advise setting out a bait for the ant to take back to the nest, so you can actually find the nest just by watching them. They're attracted to sweets, so a little bit of jam or jelly can work. You can also mix equal parts sugar and baking soda, then place the mixture in a shallow dish. The sugar attracts the ants, but the baking soda will kill them naturally.

Eliminate scent trails. Carpenter ants rely on pheromone trails to find food sources and to travel. By cleaning surfaces where ants have traveled, you've destroyed this treasure map to your home. You can use essential oils like tea tree, lemon, orange, or cedarwood on a cotton ball to wipe down surfaces to interrupt these trails. Or, make a solution of one part dish soap to two parts water and pour into a spray bottle. (You can also use this to kill ants, after you've found their nest.) You could also use a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water.

Destroy the nest. Once you've found the nest by following ants, by spotting "frass" near a wall, or can detect a faint rustling sound in the wall, you'll need to get into the wall to destroy it. Terminix recommends drilling 1/8" holes every six inches in the area where you suspect the nest might be. Then, use a bulb duster to "puff" boric acid through the holes. (The boric acid will kill the ants.) You might have to repeat treatments multiple times in order to destroy the nest.

When do I need to call in a pro to deal with the carpenter ants?

If this sounds like more work or more of a mess than you're willing to make, then call in a professional. Even if you successfully get rid of the carpenter ant nest, there still might be more in your home. Call an exterminator to check that the nest is destroyed and to look for possible other nests. You should also call a pro if you haven't been able to find the nest, but still see carpenter ants.

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Carpenter Ant Infestation Signs

What Do Carpenter Ants Look Like?

Carpenter ants vary in size and can be anywhere from ½” to ⅝” long. While black carpenter ants are common, these pests may be a combination of black and red, or completely black, red or brown.

How Can You Tell If Carpenter Ants Are Living in the House?

The first appearance of winged males in a home often causes homeowners great concern, as it signifies that ants are living inside the house. Otherwise, the presence of a carpenter ant nest indoors is sometimes indicated by a rustling sound that will come from wall voids or from wood where the nest is located when the winged forms are disturbed. 

What are the Signs of a Carpenter Ant Infestation?

The only external sign of an infestation other than the presence of workers and/or swarmers are small openings on the surface of wood. Through these openings, the ants expel debris, which consists of sawdust-like shavings and/or fragments of insulation and/or insect body parts. The accumulation of this debris below the holes is a good indication of an active infestation. The gallery walls that carpenter ants create are smooth, with a sand-papered appearance. Active galleries are kept clean of debris.

The accumulation of this debris below the holes is a good indication of an active infestation and one way to locate the nest. The gallery walls they create are smooth, with a sand-papered appearance. Active galleries are kept clean of debris.

Find a Carpenter Ant Exterminator

How Do Carpenter Ants Mate?

Carpenter ants will begin mating flights in a process called swarming. Winged males are typically the first to emerge when environmental conditions like temperature and extended daylight signify that it’s time to swarm. If conditions are right, the male releases a pheromone that stimulates the female to leave her nest.  

What Do Carpenter Ants Eat?

Carpenter ants feed primarily on insect honeydew, plant and fruit juices, insects and other arthropods. Inside, they will also feed on sweets, eggs, meats, cakes and grease. The workers will forage up to 300 feet from their nest. Although some workers are active during the day, most activity occurs from shortly before dusk until dawn. 

How Big Are Carpenter Ant Colonies?

The western black carpenter ant colony, when mature, contains about 10-20,000 workers, with large colonies of more than 50,000 individuals. There is usually only one functional, wingless queen per colony. Swarmers are not produced until the colony is more than two years old. They are produced in the previous year and held over the winter in the nest for release the following year. Swarmers appear from May until August in the eastern United States and from February through June in the west. 

How Do You Find a Carpenter Ant Exterminator?

Not only are these big ants an annoyance, but they can also cause serious damage to your home. If you’re concerned about an infestation, the best course of action is to hire a licensed pest control professional who can help locate the nest and create a plan to keep these pests out of your home. This link is an easy way to find a quality exterminator near you. 

What Kind of Wood Do Carpenter Ants Attack?

Most species of carpenter ants attack wood that is or has been wet and damaged by mold. They prefer to attack wood softened by fungus, which is often associated with moisture problems, so homeowners should keep an eye out for excess moisture and soft, rotting wood around the home.Even though they first invade wet, decayed wood, they may later begin excavating tunnels through dry, undamaged wood.

How Do Carpenter Ants Enter Buildings?

Carpenter Ants 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 home through any small opening.

Where Do Carpenter Ants Build Their Nests?

Carpenter ants build their nests outdoors in various wood sources. This can include:  

• Tree stumps 
• Rotting fence posts 
• Old firewood 
• Under stones 

The parent colony, or main colony, is typically located outside and contains the queen, eggs and young. Satellite nests can occur and branch out from the main parent colony, and they only 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.