Carpenter ants are about 1/2 inch long. A single queen is all it takes to begin a colony. The first eggs hatch to be young workers to feed the queen and grow. The colony will expand to b about 2,000 to 3,000 ants. This ants are among the largest of all ants. These ants cause serious structural damage. Carpenter ants do not eat wood. They excavate in order to provide themselves with living space. Since they do not eat wood one way to know that you have carpenter ants is if there are wood shavings coming out of a hole in the wood. There favorite spots for them are wall voids, hollow doors, cracks and crevices, furniture and termite galleries.
Prevention
Check for moist , soft or rotting structural wood. Especially check attics, roof edges, eaves, gutters, flashing around chimneys, porch or deck roofs, door and window frames.
Keep gutters and downspouts clear of debris
Repair dripping outdoor water faucets or other plumbing leaks
Maintain proper drainage around the outside of the house
Whenever wood must be in direct contact with soil or masonry use the correct type of pressure-treated lumber
Repair cracks in your foundation that provide easy access for ants
Keep your crawlspace dry and well-ventilated
Never stack firewood on your porch and deck. Keep firewood stacked up off the ground for easier inspection
Keep tree limbs and shrubs pruned back away from your house.
Remove nearby trees that are dead or in poor health.
Control
A colony within a wall can be reaches by injection insecticide through a small hole. Dusts formulations are useful since the ants carry dust to hard to reach places. Colonies in soil can be soaked with water-based insecticide. Baits placed in the path of foraging ants is another possible treatment.
