In nature, wood-boring insects provide an invaluable service to the environment. By infesting and deteriorating weak and damaged trees, they help keep forests healthy by making room for new trees. In deteriorating dead wood, they break down wood fibers to replenish soil. Five of the most common types are termites, wood wasps, carpenter ants, boring beetles and carpenter bees.
As eusocial insects, termites live in colonies that, at maturity, number from several hundred to several million individuals. Colonies use decentralised, self-organised systems of activity guided by swarm intelligence to exploit food sources and environments that could not be available to any single insect acting alone. A typical colony contains nymphs (semi-mature young), workers, soldiers, and reproductive individuals of both genders, sometimes containing several egg-laying queens.
The different growth stages and forms of termites: eggs; newly hatched larva; larva; worker; soldier; nymph; and swarmer. Subterranean termites cause the most damage to wood in US. Each colony has three types of termite or castes; soldiers; workers and reproductives. A female that has flown, mated, and is producing eggs is called a "queen." Similarly, a male that has flown, mated, and in proximity to a queen is termed a "king." Research using genetic techniques to determine relatedness of colony members is showing that the idea that colonies are only ever headed by a monogamous royal pair is wrong. Multiple pairs of reproductives within a colony are not uncommon. In the families Rhinotermitidae and Termitidae, and possibly others, sperm competition does not seem to occur (male genitalia are very simple and the sperm are anucleate), suggesting that only one male (king) generally mates within the colony.
Carpenter ants are large ants indigenous to many parts of the world. They prefer dead, damp wood in which to build nests. They do not eat it, however, unlike termites. Sometimes carpenter ants will hollow out sections of trees. The most likely species to be infesting a house in the United States is the black carpenter ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus). However, there are over a thousand other species in the genus Camponotus.
Carpenter ants are large ants, usually black in color, which live in colonies. Depending on their form and species, they range from -inch to -inch in length. Ants in this size range may be found in the same nest, since size varies among workers. While carpenter ants don’t sting, their bites can be painful.
Evidence of Infestation in your home.
Presence of ants (workers or winged reproductives): An occasional ant may be a scout looking for food and may not indicate the presence of a nest, but continuous or numerous ants are a sign of nesting. Sawdust: Accumulating in piles or caught in spider webbing; has a finely-shredded appearance. Do not confuse with small sawdust from construction. Trails: Detailed discussion later. Sounds: Rustling or tapping noises produced when disturbed ants rasp the substrate with their mandibles or gasters or when excavating wood. (Other insects such as the golden buprestid or yellowjackets nesting in wall voids also produce sounds.)
