Carpenter Ant
Large black ants that tunnel into wood — slow structural damage like a termite.
Carpenter Ant (Camponotus spp.) is a Florida pest we rate as a high concern. Rhino Pest Management is a licensed (#JB242881) and insured ant control company serving Florida's Treasure & Space Coast, rated 5.0★ by 16 Google reviewers. The estimate is always free — (772) 589-6842.
Photo: 爱蚁小白 (CC0) · Wikimedia Commons
Among the largest ants in Florida at 6–13 mm, usually black or dark red-black, with a single node and an evenly rounded thorax.
Damp or decaying wood: window and door frames, decks, fascia, wood near roof leaks, and tree stumps near the house.
- Piles of sawdust-like shavings (frass) below wood
- Faint rustling in walls at night
- Large winged ants indoors in spring
- Smooth, hollowed galleries in damp wood
They don't eat wood like termites but excavate it for nests, weakening framing, decks and trim over time — especially wood softened by a moisture leak.
Should I call today?
Yes, get it looked at promptly. Carpenter Ant causes damage or health problems that compound while you wait, and the cost of that damage is the part that actually gets expensive — not the treatment. An inspection is free, so there's no reason to guess.
Rhino locates the parent and satellite nests, treats the galleries directly, and addresses the moisture source so they don't return. Covered under our general pest plans.
Our Ant Control serviceCarpenter Ant guides
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Scientific source
For the biology behind this page, the University of Florida's IFAS Extension publishes a detailed Featured Creatures profile of this species — free to read, and written by entomologists in this state:
Florida Carpenter Ant, Bull Ant, Tortugas Carpenter Ant, Camponotus floridanus (Buckley) and Camponotus tortuganus (Emery) — UF/IFAS Extension