Carpenter Ants are a wood destroying insect. The US Department of Agriculture estimates that there are over 5 billion dollars worth of homeowner damage caused by wood destroying insects each year. That's on average more damage than all fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods combined in the United States. When Carpenter Ants invade a structure they hollow out galleries in the wood. The smooth clean, sculptured appearance of their nesting galleries is a characteristic of Carpenter Ants - thus their name. This is an interesting point, but these perfect galleries can diminish the structural integrity of your home.