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ARROW'S PROFESSIONAL CONTROL TO YOUR ANT PROBLEM CARPENTER ANT The CARPENTER ANT is a unique insect that maintains its life span most generally in galleries within the wood. The CARPENTER ANT can readily be distinguished among other insects by the size that ranges from ¼ to ½ in length and is dark brown to black in color. The body is also divided into 3 sections: head, thorax, and abdomen denoted by the two small joints. CARPENTER ANTS are extremely successful social insects and belong to the same order as bees and wasps. Carpenter Ants may be the most numerous of ll insects in the world. As a group, Carpenter Ants feed on practically anything humans or domestic animals can eat. The Carpenter Ants' antennae are elbowed. They have four wings with the front wings much larger than the hind wings. Their body will appear to be pinched where the thorax and abdomen connect. The average layman often confuses the winged reproductive carpenter ant with the winged swarmer termite. The swarmer termite has four wings all of equal size. They also have a thick waist and straight antennae. KNOW THE DIFFERENCE CARPENTER ANTS form colonies with various physical castes. The queen, or female ant, lays her eggs as a mere prisoner of the colony. The worker caste cares for her every need of food and comfort. The soldier caste protects the colony and in some species may capture slaves. There are carpenter ant colonies known to be as much as 40 years old. When a colony is established inside the walls of a building, it can be extremely difficult to control. On the exterior areas, carpenter ants may infest hollow logs or trees, stacked firewood, behind rain gutters and spouts, under shingles, porch pillars, plugged drain gutters, or even in live trees. The carpenter ant sometimes gains entry to a structure by traveling from tree to tree by using ranches or across the ground. These ants may travel as far as 100 yards from their nest in search of new food sources. They forage alone so that a trail of any kind is not easily detected. On the interior of a structure, a carpenter ant may be found invading in search of a food source and an area to set up housekeeping (nest). They may enter the structure through the attic or roof lines, under doors, around windows, and through cracks in the siding. Once the entry has been made to the structure, the carpenter ant starts his search for a moist area and a food source. Some of the nesting areas may consist of hollow doors, window casings, attics, wall voids, floor joists, and ceiling rafters. The most common moist areas are crawl spaces, leaky roofs, bathrooms, and kitchens. These high moisture areas must be corrected so that the carpenter ant may be properly controlled. The Professional Arrow Service Technician is well qualified in detecting these problem areas. The carpenter ant will enter into a solid piece of wood by the means of chewing out the center in order to set up housekeeping. This may sometimes be detected by the appearance of small quantities of shredded wood that would be pushed out of the nesting sites by the carpenter ants. The moist areas must not be taken for granted because occasionally the carpenter ant is found in perfectly dry environments such as hollow doors. The carpenter ant is an insect considered to be in the wood destroying family although it is not as destructive as termites, but must be corrected in order to stop a continued expansion of additional nesting and damage to the structure. It can also contaminate food stuffs. The Professional Arrow Service Technician can detect and propose to you a thorough professional service for their control. The Professional Arrow Service Technician is thoroughly trained for the safe application of insecticides so not to impose an adverse effect on the environment. Call Arrow the Professionals Today 1-800-334-9955 Sentricon System      Flea Control      Fly Control      IPM Program      Rodent Control      Weed Control