The carpenter ant is Europe's largest ant and is matte black with a reddish-brown middle body. The queen gnaws a nest where she then gives birth to a litter of workers which grows into a colony of up to 3000 individuals. Nests are built in rot-damaged trees, stumps and buildings. The main nest is usually outdoors, but satellite nests can be hidden in structural timber indoors. The carpenter ant is omnivorous and feeds on, for example, sweet plant juices, insects and other small animals.
How to avoid them:
- Avoid piles of wood, timber and vegetation in close proximity to buildings.
Suitable treatments: settlement removal and chemical control.