Carpenter Ant (Male Alate)

Natural Habitat

Carpenter ants typically establish nests in wood, primarily in moist or decaying wood, but can also tunnel into sound wood. Indoors, they may be found in walls, insulation, hollow doors, or wooden structures. Male alates emerge from these nests to swarm.

Diet & Feeding

While this is a male alate (reproductive form), carpenter ants generally feed on a wide variety of foods including insect honeydew, plant and fruit juices, other insects (live and dead), and household food items like sweets, meats, and fats.

Behavior Patterns

Adult male winged carpenter ants are reproductive swarmers, often seen during spring and early summer when they leave the nest to mate. They are attracted to light and may inadvertently enter homes. Unlike worker ants, they do not chew wood but are part of the colony's reproductive cycle.

Risks & Benefits

Carpenter ants can cause structural damage to homes and other wooden structures by tunneling into the wood to create galleries for their nests, which can weaken the integrity of the wood over time. They do not sting, but can bite, though this is rare. As for benefits, in natural ecosystems, they play a role in breaking down deadwood.

Identified on: 8/21/2025