Carpenter Ant Season in New Jersey
You’re relaxing on your beautiful New Jersey front porch, and you notice some powdery sawdust on the ledge. You know that nobody’s been working with any carpentry tools, so the material is alarming given that termites can leave such a residue behind. Alas, the termite isn’t to blame for this mess, as it’s the destructive work of another pest known as the carpenter ant.
These miniature woodworkers live all around the wooded areas of the world. They represent about 1,000 species. Just in the United States alone, there are at least 24 species of carpenter ants. Camponotus pennsylvanicus, the black carpenter ant, is the largest species and was the first one to be identified in Northern America.
Two of the most prominent ones you’ll find in the Garden State are the black and red carpenter ant varieties. However, the black species is the one most people are familiar with in the Northeastern part of the country. The winged variety is often confused with termites, another detrimental pest, but these wings are there to help them only during the mating season.
Physical Features to Identify Carpenter Ants
Source: NPIC Oregon State University
Of the 51 ant species that call New Jersey home, carpenter ants are the largest. However, you can’t always go by size to determine their identification since worker ants in different species vary in size. Carpenter ants have some prominent features that can help you quickly identify them.
These wood-boring pests are usually 4.3 to 13 mm long, depending on species and gender. Queens can be as large as an inch in length. The biggest species, the black carpenter ant, has a shiny black appearance. Some of these insects may have some areas of red coloring on their bodies. You’ll also notice fine black hairs covering them.
• Head
Like all insects, carpenter ants have three distinct body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. They have a set of compound eyes with blurry vision, but they usually have better eyesight than the smaller ant species. Their hinged antennae are their connection with each other and the world.
Carpenter ants depend on their strong jaws, called mandibles, which are like pinchers on their mouth. They also use the mandibles to carry food and transport their eggs and pupa. These pinchers are formidable weapons against prey and predators.
• Thorax
Carpenter ants have mesosoma that connects their head and thorax, which acts as a neck. Another insect feature is three pairs of legs attached to their thorax. Each leg is jointed and can work like arms or legs for quick and efficient mobility.
• Abdomen
Their most prominent section is their plump abdomen that is joined to the thorax. The core has the most vital organs and is the terminal end for laying eggs and excreting wastes. Instead of an internal skeleton, carpenter ants and insects are protected by a clear, hard covering called an exoskeleton.
The 411 on Carpenter Ants
Since these minute lumberjacks depend on wood for nesting, they live in wooded areas and thick shrubbery. They feel at home in the forests, parks, and wooded backyards in the Garden State. Carpenter ants prefer soft, rotting wood that’s easy to bore through to make a series of tunnels for their nests.
• Habitat
Like many members of the insect world, carpenter ants are very social creatures. They live and work together in colonies that are bored in stumps and other wood structures. Each colony can contain as many as 3,000 to 10,000 adult ants. They often have satellite nests with thousands more, creating a massive collection of colonies.
Their nests are a series of bored tunnels that are called galleries. The galleries connect different areas such as food storage, nurseries, queen’s chamber, and escape routes. As they chew through the wood to make galleries, they brush out the dust leaving their tell-tale sawdust piles outside for you to see.
• Diet and Nutrition
Contrary to popular belief, these woodland pests don’t eat wood. Their bodies can’t digest the cellulose in the wood cells. Instead, they are omnivores that will attack and eat live insects. They also are scavengers that roam at night, collecting bodies of dead insects for a snack.
Carpenter ants have a ravenous sweet tooth, and they uniquely get their sugar fix. They have a symbiotic relationship with the tiny aphids that suck nectar from leaves, plants, and fruits. While the aphids are feeding, their carpenter ant partners caress them while sharing their sweet sap, called honeydew. The carpenter ants protect the aphids from predators in exchange for the delicious syrup.
• Behaviors
The natural caste system includes males, sterile female workers, and a queen within each colony. Each ant varies in size, including the differences in major and minor female workers. Males die soon after mating, so the only ones in a nest will be male pupae.
The rest of the colony’s duties are carried out by the major and minor female workers. The more prominent primary workers guard the nest and forage for food. Smaller minor workers create galleries, are nursemaids for the young and chambermaids for the queen.
Since there can be tens of thousands of carpenter ants in a large, wooded area, how do they recognize nestmates from strangers? They have evolved an ingenious pheromone system that allows them to recognize familiar scents. They know instantly when a rogue ant is an intruder, and the larger guard ants will attack.
You’re most likely to notice carpenter ants working and foraging in the late evening because they’re primarily nocturnal. The darkness creates the perfect camouflage for protection and to prey. Of course, you’ll see them scatter any time of day that you accidentally disturb a nest.
The Life Cycle
It’s not a coincidence that you notice so many ant species during the warm picnic season in the Garden State. The life cycle of carpenter ants began at the mating season, which is usually May through late July. You’ll see the winged queens and males joining the countless other insects in a perpetual race to propagate their species.
• Air Nuptials
Queens and male pupae from last season emerge as winged adults. Sterile female workers don’t have these temporary wings. During the warm mating months, the queens and males swarm and mate mid-air. Shortly after mating, the male dies, and the queen finds a secure place to land. She will shed her temporary wings and seal herself safely in some rotted wood. It’s the beginning of a new colony.
• Eggs
Her short incubation period can last between 15 to 25 days. During this time, she will lay up to 25 eggs. She will use the deposited seed of the male to lay as many as 60,000 eggs in her lifetime. Many of the eggs will be unfertilized and will hatch as males.
After laying her eggs, the queen will rest and sustain herself on fat stored in her body. In about 21 days, her eggs will hatch, and she will guard and provide for her first brood. It’ll be a mixture of males and females.
• Larvae
Carpenter ant larvae are like tiny maggots, and this second stage will only last about 12 days. The new queen will feed the constantly hungry larvae if it’s the first brood. The ones they provide the most will develop into queens that will later leave the nest to start their own colonies.
• Pupae
The tiny larvae will grow and molt their skins several times during those 12 days. Next, they will spin a soft cocoon to rest and complete their metamorphosis in about 30 days.
• Adult
After 30 days in their cocoons, these pupae will emerge as fully formed adults. The females will naturally take their worker roles, and they will be responsible for foraging and caring for the colony’s next generations. New queens and males are ready to mate, and the process continues as it has for millions of years.
• Life Expectancy
Since carpenter ants are so tiny and have countless predators, many don’t survive. The worker ants that survive can live up to seven years, while the males only live a few short weeks. On the other hand, queens can live up to ten years.
Hazards of Encountering These Ants
Carpenter ants aren’t aggressive and will only defend themselves if they feel threatened. They can’t sting, and you can barely feel a tiny defensive pinch from their mandibles. It’s usually not strong enough to even pierce your skin.
After a carpenter ant pinches, they spray a microscopic bit of formic acid. Fortunately, it’s not enough to affect humans or pets unless they have an allergic reaction, and such cases are rare. They also don’t carry any known diseases or harmful germs on their bodies.
• They Cause Damage to Flowers and Gardens
Just because these bitsy woodcarvers don’t carry disease doesn’t mean they don’t pose other hazards. Their symbiotic relationship with aphids and other plant suckers can allow the former to propagate and damage your flowers and gardens. The potential damage can be worse if they decide to invade your home.
• The Structural Damage Can Be Costly
Carpenter ants don’t eat wood as termites do, but their drilling and nesting can cause massive damage. They can crawl through the tiniest cracks and crevices in your foundation and create nests between walls, floors, and any of the house’s wood structures.
Over time, these nests can cause wooden supports and other beams to weaken and possibly break. It can cause floors to crack and collapse and lead to costly repairs. Once you have a carpenter ant invasion, they can multiply and cause a severe infestation in little time.
• Food Contamination Is a Major Concern
If you have carpenter ants invade your home, they’ll feel quite comfortable. Instead of foraging for food outdoors, they’ll be attracted to food in your cabinets and pantry. They will indulge in any protein, fat, or sweets and contaminate them with their microscopic feces.
Ways to Repel Carpenter Ants
The best way to deal with a carpenter ant invasion is prevention. Since they prefer soft, decaying wood, keep woodpiles a safe distance from your house. Replace any soft or rotting boards that may attract them around your foundation, porch, patio, or outbuildings.
Seal any holes, cracks, or crevices in your foundation, in walls, or around doors and windows. Trim hedges neatly around the foundation and don’t allow the brush to pile up around the house. Look for small, smooth holes and powdered sawdust that are tell-tale signs of their destructive work.
Knowing the Difference Between Carpenter Ants and Termites
A close inspection will determine if carpenter ants or termites are causing wood damage in your home. They make similarly bored holes with sawdust that lead to wood deterioration. While winged carpenter ants may be mistaken for termites, you’ll notice that their body structures are different.
Termites tend to have a clearer to light brown appearance, while the ants you will encounter are black or red. Additionally, the ant has three segments of their bodies, while the dreaded termite only has two. Upon close examination, these two insects look nothing alike.
Do You Need an Exterminator?
If you’ve noticed a few wood holes and suspect carpenter ants, you can deal with them before they become a more significant issue. Spray a simple vinegar and water solution on these areas to kill and repel these pests. It’s organic and completely safe around humans, pets, and the environment.
However, sometimes a simple home remedy or chemical you buy at your local hardware store is not strong enough to handle your issue. You certainly don’t want to wait until the carpenter ant invasion has caused thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to your home. Call our professional exterminators who can get rid of the entire colony. It will save your home’s structure and a lot of money and frustration in the long run.
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