Carpenter ants are serious pests of buildings in Oregon, particularly west of the Cascade Mountains. Although they normally excavate in logs, stumps, and hollow trees, these ants become pests when they move indoors.
Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood, and so they kick out the sawdust-like chewings during nest building.
This is a sure sign of carpenter ant infestation; termites do not make sawdust.
Carpenter ants do not restrict their nesting activities to wood. They can establish nests in any material they can bite into--insulation, paper, bark, and wood product mulches are just a few examples.
Nests even have been found in stored clothing and sleeping bags. In some instances, these ants will carry nest-building material, such as fir needles, into a wall space or attic.
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