Home »
Carpenter ants
By Larry Halverson/Friends of Kootenay
Carpenter ants are excavators and not wood feeders like termites. They usually build their nests in dead or decaying trees and logs.
Carpenter ants are the largest ants found in Kootenay National Park. They can measure up to a centimeter or more. In the established colonies you may find ants of varying sizes as there, two castes of sterile females – major and minor workers. The major workers, are larger, defend the nest and forage for food. Minor workers tend to the young and maintain the nest. Look for the two different sizes in the video.
Click the link to see the one-minute video – Carpenter Ants.mov
Carpenter Ants have occupied an old Pileated Woodpecker hole and by the looks of the sawdust pile they have been busy excavating new nest galleries. by Larry Halverson
