HABITAT
Black carpenter ant species reside both outdoors and indoors in moist, decaying or hollow wood. They cut “galleries” into the wood grain to provide passageways for movement from section to section of the nest. Certain parts of a house, such as around and under windows, roof eaves, decks and porches, are more likely to be infested by Carpenter Ants because these areas are most vulnerable to moisture.
BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR
Carpenter ants prefer sweets, although they also feed on living and dead insects. These ants forage alone or in groups, but do not follow trails very strongly. Peak foraging activity occurs at night. Colonies have only one queen and often consist of a parent nest with the queen and satellite nests. Workers are polymorphic.
DISTRIBUTION
Eastern and central United States