Camponotus spp.. Carpenter ants are one of the largest and most common species of ants in Michigan. Although certain carpenter ants have wings, you can distinguish them from termites. Colour Reddish brown to dull black, ranging in hues from red to yellow; Size Up to 1 inch or 25 millimetres long (workers can be 3 to 13 mm), nearly 5 times the size of a typical pavement ant or black garden ant. Most are large black ants, though some be red or a combination of red and black. Carpenter ant species reside both outdoors and indoors in moist, decaying, or hollow wood, most commonly in forest environments. Carpenter Ants Facts, Identification & Control Latin Name. Carpenter ants leave behind small holes in wood and kick out debris that will include coarse sawdust and insect body parts. Carpenter ants feed on sources of protein and sugar. Carpenter ants can be found in dead or damaged trees, stumps and wood piles outside as well as in mulch. I’ve been seeing large black ants with wings around my bedroom window. Male and female adults have wings … Inside, carpenter ants are usually found where wood has retained excess moisture from a leaky pipe or other leak in a void. Alates typically have yellowish wings. Workers are most active at night. What are these large black ants with wings? They are glossy and completely black… Identification. A flying male carpenter ant will usually die after mating with a female, and after that, the female will become the queen of the nest. Whether the winged ant you see is a carpenter ant or a termite, however, the wings mean that the insect is a reproductive male or queen—the only members of an ant colony that can reproduce. Spray any ants … Recognized mostly by size and color, this type of ant also has one segment at its waist and a long abdomen with lightly-colored gray-black hairs on it. Workers usually range in size from 3/8 to 1/2 inch long; one species is only 3/16 inch. Black ants and carpenter ants are both quite common, widely found in North America. I didn’t see them last year but I did notice some big black ants walking outside the house on the wall just below that same window. Queens and males are larger than workers and have wings. Most will swarm in the spring. The size of the two is the most obvious difference, with the carpenter species more than three times bigger than that of the black ant. Outdoors, they feed on living and dead insects. Unlike termites, they only nest in … To get rid of carpenter ants, mix equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and place it wherever you've seen the ants. Carpenter ants vary in color from black to dark red; Carpenter ants can bite but they cannot sting; Carpenter ants can be found in dead or damaged trees, stumps and wood piles outside. Tags: Ants. Carpenter ants … Carpenter ants … They are glossy and completely black. carpenter ants in the ground. They feed on a sweet liquid produced by aphids and scale insects, called honeydew. Carpenter ants … Even carpenter ant workers of the same species vary in size (major and minor workers). Learn about carpenter ants, including if they have wings, and what makes them different from a wood-destroying pest like termites. Large black ants with wings. ; Body Carpenter ants have six legs and a single, narrow segment connects a bulbous abdomen and a smooth, evenly-rounded thorax. Carpenter ants vary in color from black to dark red; Carpenter ants can bite but they cannot sting; Carpenter ants can be found in dead or damaged trees, stumps and wood piles outside.