This requires the wood to be wet by rain, leaks, condensation or high continuous relative humidity. Diet Carpenter ants are omnivorous. They eat a great variety of both animal and plant foods, including honeydew from aphids, scale insects and other plant-sucking insects, plant juices, fresh fruits, living or dead insects, other small invertebrates, common sweets such as syrup, honey, jelly, sugar and fruit, and most kinds of meat, grease and fat. Unlike termites, they cannot digest wood cellulose. They forage mostly at night.
Solitary ants seen during the day are usually scouts looking for suitable food sources.
The key to successfully managing carpenter ants is to identify all locations where a colony could exist. Inspect the structure thoroughly, both inside and out. Carefully examine the areas listed above for signs of carpenter ants. Conical piles of shredded wood debris are an excellent indicator of a nest site. Outside a structure, examine any tree stumps, roof edges, trim boards, attached fences, dead or dying shrubbery, wooden porch floors and columns, and overhanging tree limbs, vines, power or utility lines.