Research indicates that foraging carpenter ants will venture as far as 300-350 feet from their nest when searching for food and water. This is why pest control experts recommend that you keep stacked firewood off the ground -- and as far away from your home as possible! Most species produce adults that range in size from 1/5 to 1/2" long, while large individuals within certain species (such as C. festinatus, the Texas Carpenter Ant) can grow to lengths of up to one full inch, making them the largest ants in North America. But what really concerns folks beyond the insect's size- or even the stinging bites it sometimes inflicts on resting hikers who unwittingly sit on infested logs -- is the carpenter ant's impressive capacity to destroy wood inside and outside the home. In fact, people routinely mistake the handiwork of these destructive pests for termite damage, even though the two insects are not closely related.

Unlike termites, however, carpenter ants do not actually consume wood as food. Instead, they chew through it to create long, meandering tunnels known as galleries, which serve as indoor nesting sites for the rearing of the colony's young. But either way, the damage to structural timber of all kinds- from wood paneling, to floor joists, to windowsills and drywall- can be both extensive and costly.

Carpenter ant colonies nearly always begin outdoors, in subterranean nests established beneath rocks, under tree stumps, below rotten logs, or in the hollowed out or pitted portions of decayed or termite-damaged wood. The "brood nest" is the colony's home base and point of origin: It typically houses a single egg-laying queen, along with a small contingent of her youngest offspring, or larvae. Carpenter ant queens, by the way, tend to be greatly enlarged in size and exceptionally long-lived by insect standards, often surviving and reproducing for as long as ten years and more. This longevity, coupled with the queen's ability to produce thousands of offspring per season, makes her the key figure in the colony's long-term survival and growth.

As the colony gradually increases its numbers, several nearby "satellite nests" are built. These nests shelter larger larvae, as well as winged reproductive adults (also known as alates or swarmers) and the scores of wingless worker ants that take care of all the colony's vital day-to-day tasks, such as nest building, food gathering, tending to the young and defending the nest. Worker ants, of course, also make frequent visits to the brood nest too, in order to carry food to- and perform essential services for- the queen and her latest batch of newborns.

The expansion of a carpenter ant colony proceeds relatively slowly at first, but gains momentum rapidly after a population of 3,000 to 6,000 workers has been attained. And, though a newly established colony may require some six to ten years of steady growth to reach this stage, the pace quickens perceptibly once it does: With so many workers available to provide food, shelter and protection, the now-mature colony has the luxury of releasing winged adults for mating (i.e. swarming) without seriously jeopardizing its own chances of survival.

The original colony, in effect, continually divides and re-divides once it initiates an annual cycle of "swarming," in which reproductive adults conduct an airborne mating ritual each spring for the purpose of founding new colonies and perpetuating the species. Finally, because the insects aren't great flyers, new queens typically establish their brood nests in wood not far from the nesting site(s) of the original colony, thereby increasing not only the local carpenter ant population, but also the likelihood that foraging worker ants will eventually find their way into nearby homes and buildings in their tireless efforts to find fresh sources of food, water and shelter.

Homeowners usually learn that they have a carpenter ant problem in one of three ways: (1) by working around the house and coming across pitted, damaged wood; (2) by seeing the insects suddenly swarming indoors in early spring; or (3) by spotting worker ants roaming the kitchen in search of morsels to take back to the nest. Lastly, the discovery of small mounds of coarse sawdust- also known as frass piles, or the remains of masticated wood from gallery excavation- is yet another means by which infestation can be detected, though these piles are often difficult for non-experts to spot owing to the secluded spaces the insects generally inhabit.

Carpenter Ant Control Tips

Though termites and carpenter ants destroy wood for different reasons- the former for food, the latter in the course of nest building- many of the preventive measures recommended below will serve to discourage both pests, as well as insects of all types, from invading your home. To make your home a less attractive target, you should...

• Keep doors, windows and screen doors tightly sealed and closed throughout the year, but especially during spring when ants are hungry and swarming is taking place.
• Keep floors, counter-tops and cupboards clean and dry. Store any opened food in airtight containers and clean off your breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes right after eating.
• Eliminate potential water sources such as dripping faucets, leaky plumbing, leaky air conditioner tanks and damp areas of the basement, attic or garage. Keep your gutters clear and free-flowing.
• Remove potential carpenter ant nesting sites from your property by clearing away any dead or rotting wood, fallen tree limbs, old tree stumps, mulch that has started to break down and any loose wood that is resting directly on the soil.
• Store firewood in a metal frame that keeps logs at least 18 inches off the ground. Check your stacked firewood for signs of tunneling or pitting. 
• Protect the exterior wood surfaces of your home from exposure to moisture with a good coat of weather-resistant paint, stain or water sealant.
• Treat likely points of entry and any areas you believe to be infested with insecticide. Ttreat all doorways and window openings, along cracks and crevices, near the openings around pipes and sinks, under refrigerators, along baseboards and in storage areas. Outdoors, do not use these products on firewood, but do treat all other likely points of infestation, including wooden fences, wooden decks and patios, exterior window frames and doorways, foundations, eaves, etc.

Spray nests, indoors or out, whenever and wherever you find them. This is perhaps the single most effective way to control carpenter ants and combat infestation as it gives you a chance at killing the reproductive queen, not just the worker ants.