Introduction
Carpenter ant workers are about 6-12 mm long, dull black with reddish legs and golden hairs covering the abdomen. Queens are about 16 mm long. Other colour combinations of carpenter ants can be of red and black, or completely red or brown.
Biology
Carpenter ant colonies usually contain over 3,000 workers and will reach maturity in about 3 to 6 years. Full development from egg to adult takes at least 60 days for the worker ants. Swarmers appear in spring and summer months.
Habits
Carpenter ants live both inside and out and make their home in moist decaying wood. Outside nests are typically located in rotting fence posts, stumps, old firewood, dead portions of standing trees, and under stones or fallen logs.