There are several types of ants that can invade your home.
Carpenter AntsCarpenter ants get their name because they excavate wood in order to build their nests. Carpenter Ants are destructive and can cause structural damage. They do not eat the wood they remove. It is deposited outside entrances to a colony in small piles. These piles look similar to piles of saw dust. They are commonly found in porch pillars and roofs, window sills, telephone poles, live and dead trees, rotting logs and stumps and wood in contact with soil. Carpenter ants range in size from one-quarter inch for a worker ant to up to three-quarters inch for a queen. A carpenter ant colony can have a long life span. Each colony is founded by a single fertilized queen that establishes a nesting site in a cavity in wood.
House AntsThese tiny insects range in size from one-sixteenth of an inch to one-eighth of an inch long. They like to eat sweets and live for several years. Although they do not pose a health risk, they can contaminate food and it is best practice to eradicate them.
