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CARPENTER ANTS
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- Largest ants, from 1/4- to 3/8-inch long
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- Most common species is black, some have reddish or yellowish
coloration
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- Workers have large mandibles
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- They cut "galleries" into the wood grain to
get from section to section of the nest
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- Resides both outdoors and indoors in moist in decaying
or hollow wood
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- Can leave "sawdust" behind that provides clues to nesting
location
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- Queen lays 15 to 20 eggs the first year and up to 30 eggs
the second year
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- Eggs complete their life cycle in about 60 days
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- Worker ants can live up to seven years
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- Queens may live up to 25 years
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- All kinds of buildings, regardless of age or type of construction,
are vulnerable to infestation and damage by carpenter ants
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- They are very difficult to control
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- Colonies can contain up to 50,000 workers
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