The carpenter ant is among the largest ants, and can be from 1/4″ to 3/8″ long. The most common species is black, but some have reddish or yellowish coloration. The workers have large mandibles. All kinds of houses, without regard to age or construction type, are vulnerable to infestation and damage by carpenter ants.
Carpenter ants usually nest in dead portions of standing trees, stumps or logs, and sometimes burrow under fallen logs or stones. They invade homes in search of food. The only external indication of infestation other than the presence of workers and/or swarmers is the appearance of small openings or windows on the surface of the wood. Through these, the workers expel debris which consists of sawdust-like shavings and/or fragments of insulation and insect body parts. The accumulation of such debris below such holes is a good indication of an infestation. They prefer to attack wood softened by fungus and are often associated with moisture problems.