A few times during the year, the queen produces winged males and females that leave the colony to start a new nest. Pharoah ants are very tiny, about one millimetre long. They are yellowish orange. Pharoah ants are often found in dwellings, bakeries and restaurants. Colonies nest in piles of clothes, between floorboards and in cracks and crevices.
Colonies have several queens.
Carpenter ants are large, measuring 13 millimetres long. They are black or black and brown. Carpenter ants nest in moist wood. Carpenter ants in a building are often a sign of a moisture problem. In natural areas, the ants nest in logs, stumps or dead or dying trees.