Carpenter ants might not eat wood like termites but make no mistake, they can chew through your home’s wooden structure from the inside out. In fact, carpenter ants are the most common wood-destroying insect in New England. Here in Vermont’s Champlain Valley, with our wooded landscapes and moist climate, these ants pose a serious risk to homeowners. This article explains why carpenter ants are a big problem, when and where they’re most active in our region, how to recognize an infestation, and how Pulaski Pest Control can help with inspections, treatments, and follow-ups. 

Why Carpenter Ants Are a Serious Problem

Unlike some of the smaller nuisance ants you might find nibbling crumbs on your counter, carpenter ants tunnel through wood to carve out nest galleries. Over time, this can hollow out beams, floors, and walls, compromising the structural integrity of your home. An infestation often goes unnoticed until the damage is advanced. By then, repairs can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars and most homeowner insurance policies won’t cover insect damage repairs. In other words, ignoring a carpenter ant problem could leave you with a hefty repair bill down the road.

These ants are widespread in our area. Pest professionals rank carpenter ants among the top nuisance pests nationwide (pestworld.org), and ant infestations are one of the most common pest problems for Vermont homeowners. Why so prevalent? Vermont is about 78% forested, and the Champlain Valley is surrounded by lush woods. Those forests harbor countless carpenter ant colonies that can expand into nearby structures (like your house). In New England’s climate, carpenter ants have even overtaken termites as a leading wood-destroyer. The bottom line: if you live in the Champlain Valley, carpenter ants should be on your radar as the most destructive wood destroying insect. 

Finally, carpenter ants are resilient. Once they gain a foothold, they’re difficult to eliminate. Spraying a few visible ants with store-bought insecticide won’t solve the problem. The real issue is the hidden colony; queens and thousands of workers tucked away in your walls. DIY treatments usually fail because they only kill the foraging ants you see, not the ones back in the nest. This is why professional intervention is often needed. 

When and Where Are Carpenter Ants Most Active?

In the Champlain Valley (and New England in general), carpenter ants are mostly inactive during our cold winters. They hunker down in their nests and may only venture out on the odd warm day. Come spring, though, especially late spring and early summer, they surge back to life. As temperatures rise and spring rains hit, winged “swarmer” ants emerge from mature colonies to mate and start new nests. Homeowners often first notice an issue in spring, when swarms of winged ants may appear indoors or large black worker ants start showing up in kitchens and bathrooms. 

Carpenter ants are primarily nocturnal foragers. They work at night, leaving the nest to seek food. This means you might rarely see them during the day, even if a colony is active in your home. Often, people will spot a big black ant scurrying across the floor late in the evening or find them in the glow of a flashlight if they check the kitchen at midnight. If you only see ants occasionally in daytime, don’t assume they’re gone, they’re likely just more active after dark.

Moisture and Habitat: Carpenter ants thrive in damp, decaying wood. Wet, softened wood is easier for them to chew, so any part of your home that stays damp can be a target. In Vermont we get heavy spring rains and humid summers, conditions that can create soft, water-damaged wood in structures. During especially wet seasons, carpenter ant activity tends to spike. Leaks and moisture problems in your home make it even more inviting. Common trouble spots include leaky pipes, damp window or door frames, crawl spaces, kitchens, and bathrooms, essentially anywhere wood has been exposed to water. Homes with poor drainage, clogged gutters, or chronic humidity (like an unventilated attic or basement) are at higher risk.

Outdoors, carpenter ants build primary colonies in sources of natural wood: fallen logs, tree stumps, firewood piles, old fence posts, etc. If your property has these features close to the house, you’ve got potential ant launching pads right next door. And if tree branches touch your roof, carpenter ants can literally use them as highways to enter your home. 

Signs of a Carpenter Ant Infestation

Carpenter ants excavate wood, leaving smooth tunnels and piles of coarse sawdust-like frass. If you notice unexplained wood shavings (sometimes mixed with bits of insulation) accumulating indoors, it’s a red flag of carpenter ant activity.

Seeing big, black (or black and red) ants inside your home is often the first clue. Carpenter ant workers are relatively large (¼ to ½ inch), much larger than common pavement ants or sugar ants. If you spot a large black ant wandering indoors, especially in areas like the kitchen, pantry, or around wooden door frames, take note. A few “scout” ants indoors can mean a nest is nearby. Unlike smaller ant species, carpenter ants usually roam individually or in small numbers, you won’t necessarily see a long trail. 

Winged ants (“swarmers”): These are the reproductive carpenter ants that fly out to start new colonies. They look like oversized ants with wings (often confused with termites at first). If winged ants appear inside on your windows, near lights, or in the basement, it’s a strong indication that a mature carpenter ant colony is present either in your home or very close by. Swarmers typically emerge in late spring or early summer on warm, humid days. Finding discarded wings on the floor or windowsill is another sign; after mating, the queens shed their wings and crawl to find a nesting site.

Holes and wood damage: Carpenter ant tunnels inside wood are smooth and sandpapered in appearance (as opposed to mud-packed termite tunnels). You generally won’t see these clean galleries unless you cut into the wood or the ants chew an exit hole. However, you might notice small openings or slit-like windows on wood surfaces, often with frass falling out. Wood that sounds hollow when tapped, or wood that can be easily pierced with a screwdriver, could indicate internal damage. If a structure like a deck post or porch beam is infested, it may start to feel unstable. Any unexplained wood deterioration (in a home that’s not just old and rotting) should prompt a closer look for pests.

Carpenter Ant Life Cycle and Nesting Habits

Each carpenter ant colony is founded by a single queen. In spring or early summer, mature colonies release winged males and females (alates) to mate. After a mating flight, a young fertilized queen sheds her wings and seeks out a nesting site, typically water-damaged or decaying wood. In a forest, this could be a rotting log or stump. In a house, it might be inside a porch column, window frame, sill, or roof eave, especially if that wood has started to decay from moisture. The queen tunnels a small chamber, lays her first eggs, and raises the initial brood of worker ants. This process is slow; the queen must nurse her first larvae herself until they become workers. During this period, you likely won’t notice any signs of infestation, the colony is too small and hidden.

Once the first generation of workers matures, they expand the nest and care for the next eggs, while the queen remains deep in the nest producing more offspring. Carpenter ant colonies grow steadily and can persist for years. A new colony typically needs about 3-5 years to reach maturity. At that point, it may contain thousands of ants and will start producing its own winged reproductives to send out each year. A fully developed mature colony can number in the tens of thousands of ants over time, all chewing and carving tunnels through wood. It’s easy to see how such numbers, all gnawing away at the wood in your walls, can quickly equate to serious damage!

One reason carpenter ants can be so pernicious is their habit of forming satellite colonies. The main (or “parent”) colony is often located outside in a log or tree. As it grows large, the ants may establish one or more satellite nests in nearby structures to expand their territory. These satellite colonies usually contain workers, older larvae, and pupae, while the original queen and eggs stay in the main colony. The satellite nest might be in a wall void, attic, or other sheltered wooden area of your home, often drier than the parent nest. Carpenter ants in the Northeast have a tendency to set up new nests close to an existing nest and co-exist, meaning multiple nest sites can infest one property simultaneously. This can greatly expand the damage radius – you might eliminate one nest, only to have another one still active. It’s important to locate all nest sites when treating carpenter ants.

Pulaski Pest Control: Inspection, Treatment, and Follow-Up

Carpenter ants are formidable, but Pulaski Pest Control is here to help homeowners tackle this threat head-on. We offer comprehensive carpenter ant services, from identifying the problem to eliminating the colony and preventing future infestations. Our approach is both professional/scientific and homeowner-friendly, with a focus on keeping your family and property safe. 

Carpenter ants might be small, but they spell big trouble for New England homeowners. If you suspect these wood-destroying ants are in your home, or you want to prevent an infestation before it starts, don’t wait. The longer carpenter ants are allowed to tunnel through your wood, the more damage they’ll do. Luckily, you’re not on your own in this fight. Pulaski Pest Control is ready to provide prompt, professional help to evict those ants and safeguard your property.

Call now for a free inspection by calling (802) 330-7759 or fill out the contact form below.