This document provides information about carpenter ant infestations. It notes that carpenter ant colonies have a main nest that requires moisture, often located outside or near indoor leaks. Colonies also establish up to 20 satellite nests connected to the main nest by trails. Treatment requires using non-repellent insecticides like fipronil to control the ants via trophallaxis within the colony, as well as installing monitors to detect termite infestation. Organic treatment options using essential oils are also available.

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(Camponotus pennsylvanicus)
George E. Williams Jr., A.C.E.
General Manager - Staff Entomologist
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, INC.

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• Carpenter ant problems are notorious for being costly and
difficult to solve.
• Carpenter ants often build a large parent or brood nest and
then add as many as 20 satellite nests.
• The main nest requires moisture, so it will either be outside
or, if indoors, near a leak or a poorly drained area. Typically
the parent nest is in decaying or rotten wood.
• Often the parent nest is located in a tree or stump, while
most indoor nests will be satellites. The ants maintain trails
for travelling between the satellite nests and the main nest.
• Carpenter ant colonies grow slowly in the first 2yrs. Within 3-
4yrs the colonies begin to grow rapidly adding several
hundred workers per colony. In 4-5yrs the colony begins to
swarm further accelerating colony size.

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• Carpenter ant infestations within a property area have had
as many as 41 functional queens which are defined as
polygyny.
• Swarming occurs when colony size exceeds 2,000 workers.
• Carpenter ants nest indoors + outdoors, above ground as
well as below.
• Carpenter ants do not eat wood, they excavate galleries
within the wood and push out frass (sawdust).
• Carpenter ants are among the largest ant species in the U.S.
however they are polymorphic (varying size) and range from
¼” minor workers (minims) to ½” major workers. Swarmers
(winged reproductives) are up to 7/16” in size.

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• Carpenter ant workers live approximately 7yrs while the
queen may live 25yrs.
• Carpenter ants take approximately 60 days to develop from
egg to adult.
• Carpenter ant colonies can contain up to 50,000 workers
with some studies finding colonies in excess of 100,000
workers.
• Carpenter ant brood nests prefer moisture but satellite
colonies will take advantage of dry environments.
• Workers travel in excess of 100ft in search of food and will
eat any sugar or protein based food debris.

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• Carpenter ants use pheromones (odorous produced
compounds) as well as structural guidelines (landmarks, sun,
moon, railroad ties, cables, walk ways, etc.) to navigate
around a structure.
• Carpenter ants are social insects which means they all
interact with each other.
• Satellite & brood nests are
all linked together
• Ants share food through a
process called trophallaxis.

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• We provide an EXTERIOR ONLY treatment!
• We use Termidor®, the #1 ant control product in the U.S.
• This non-repellent active ingredient (fipronil) uses the ants own
social behavior to eliminate them. They do not detect it and thus
transfer the product within the colony by contact (lateral transfer)
and ingestion (trophallaxis)
• We also supplement our treatment with ant granular & gel baits if
the infestation size warrants this. Once again trophallaxis helps
eliminate the colonies.
• Our work is 100% guaranteed for 1yr, if the ants come back,
we come back!
• We also include installation of Eco-Monitor TM-1® at no
additional charge. This is an in-ground termite monitor that
detects termites before they enter your home!

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• What is the Eco-Monitor TM-1???
• It is a monitoring tool that detects termites BEFORE they enter your home.
• It is include FREE with every EHS carpenter ant program.
• Early termite detection can save you thousands of dollars in structural damage
repair.
Installed
&
Inspected Damaged
&
Detected

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• We use Termidor at a .06% rate. The same active ingredient (fipronil)
has been prescribed by vets for over 10yrs. It is used on your dogs
& cats (Frontline Plus) at a 9.8% concentrate rate. That is 163% time
the active ingredient & re-applied on your pet every 30 days!
• The product is applied exterior only and less than 2gal of diluted
material (1pt of active) is required within one calendar year.
• The ant bait (granular + gel) is considered a minimum risk product
by the U.S. EPA. Less than 2oz of
product is required per treatment.
• ALL of our service specialists are
licensed applicators and undergo
continuous training.
• The state requires 12hrs of training per year. Our
specialists exceed this requirement by 350%-
500%

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• While our traditional ant programs are considered low-impact and do not
leave a footprint on the environment we do offer a certified organic
treatment.
• The botanical products used in this offering have been classified as
minimum risk and exempt by the U.S. EPA. The active ingredients are
made from essential plant oils like eugenol, clove oil, rosemary oil, and
lemongrass.
• These products are ORMI + NOP certified organic.

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YOURYOUR home.home. YOURYOUR children.children. YOURYOUR pets.pets. YOURYOUR
property.property.