Carpenter Ants

· Size ranges from one-fourth inch for a worker ant 
to up to three-fourths inch for a queen in the most 
common species. 

· May range from red to black in color.

· Build nests in deteriorating, moist wood; 
often the colony will extend its nest into 
adjacent, sound wood. 

· Are commonly found in porch pillars and roofs, 
window sills, telephone poles, live and dead 
trees, rotting logs and stumps and wood in 
contact with soil

· Do not actually eat the wood removed during 
nest-building activities; rather, deposit it 
outside entrances to the colony in small piles.

Fire Ants

· Three species are common to the Southern US: 
the red imported fire ant, the imported fire ant, 
and southern fire ants. 

· Pose a significant health threat due to their stings.

· Can be lethal to quail, deer, lizards, songbirds, 
horn toads and a small portion of the population who 
experience severe allergic reactions.

· Infest wall voids, bath traps, shower stalls, and 
hot water heater walls.

· Have been spreading Northward, Westward, and 
Southward since the 1950s. 

· Are sensitive to vibration or movement. Fire ants 
can swarm up a person's leg and when one ant stings 
that person jerks or moves. This triggers many of 
the other ants to sting in response. Thus, 
it appears they all sting at the same time.