Carpenter Ants vs Fire Ants: 7 Key Differences

Ant identification can be a challenging task – mainly due to the tiny size of these insects. You’d need a microscope or even use the help of a pest control professional.

But in this article, I’ve outlined some major characteristics that’ll help you differentiate between carpenter ants vs fire ants – you’ll thus easily identify the ants in the house or yard.

In summary; on Carpenter Ants vs Fire Ants – we’ll consider their behavior, nesting habits, and coloration.

First, carpenter ants are black (to orange), brown, or black while Fire Ants are red-brown in color. Fire Ants.
Next, Fire Ants are aggressive when disturbed and cause painful bites while carpenter bites are less aggressive but may bite if threatened.
Finally, carpenter ants create nests in structures such as walls, boxes, doors, or trees while fire ants create their nest in ground molds.

Carpenter Ants vs Fire Ants

1. Identifying Carpenter Ants

You can recognize the carpenter ants, which are mainly in the Southern states such as Texas – and they behave like termites, with some key features.

Carpenter ants have waists that have a rounded thorax behind their head and a waist having a single petiole (node).
Worker carpenter bees measure about 3/8 – 1/2 inches in body length.
Worker carpenter bees are black or red

You’ll mainly find the carpenter ants in the yard, trees, or the house. Notably, the carpenter ants will cause extensive damage to the house if ignored.

Thus, you – as a diligent homeowner, must take care to ensure that the carpenter ants won’t nest in the trees and your home.

Carpenter ants build their residence of nests inside solid woods but they’ll largely occupy cracks in soft materials and cardboard boxes, hollow walls, and hollow doors.

Carpenter ants will mainly love occupying places with moisture.
So, check for house or structure wood that has moisture or ones that are rotting.

However, winged ants may be black while other species could be black and yellow.

You’ll notice the elbowed antennae and a pinched waist on the carpenter ants – which allows you to differentiate it from the termites.

But carpenter ants are ready for reproduction, just like the termites move in a swarm and are winged – which allows them to move rapidly in mating.

2. Identifying Fire Ants

You can identify Fire ants quickly from the dull red color in their body – but this color may vary from reddish black or reddish-brown.

On their anatomy, you’ll also notice a stinger on the fire ants.

In sunny places, the fire ants will create some noticeable soil mounds

The soil mounds could be as big as 61 centimeters wide and 18 centimeters tall – or they may be shaped like a dome.

Fire ants will have less activity in the bot sunny times; they also evade shades and darkness – and thus you’ll mainly find them in open lawns and fields.

These ants are considered aggressive and they’ll mainly feed on dead animals and living insects. But when they get into their house, the fire ants will invade sweet foods and fats.

In brief, we can easily know fire ants from the size and shape of the mounds, and the type of bites they cause. Also, fire ants are seen to be very aggressive compared to other ant species.

The worker fire ants will bite humans using their chewing mouthparts while also injecting some poison using the stingers that’ll cause a tingling or painful feeling.

You’ll know when you have fire ants in your spaes from some key indicators; these are –

Presence of an ant mound that has worked, fluffy soil – this will be seen shortly following some heavy rain
Further, that ant mound lacks an opening at its top area like other ant mounds. Notably, fire ants use underground tunnels to get into their mound.
You may see white pupae, larvae, and eggs on the soil mound.

Collecting the fire ants for proper identification requires adequate keenness from that ant mounds.

Take your dishwashing gloves and pour some baby powder on them; wear those gloves now and this will hinder ants from crawling up.
Take a vial and put some rubbing alcohol onto the ant mound – the top part. Notably, the worker ants of the fire ants will climb and drop into the vial.
Finally, close the vial (with the fire ants inside) – but ensure to still use gloves to avoid ant bites – if bitten, you can treat the ant bites.

Notably, fire ants come in 5 different species; red-imported fire ants, little-fire ants, desert-fire ants, tropical-fire ants, and the Southern (native) fire ants.

When the nests of these fire ants are attacked, the pest will move out aggressively ready to bite and sting in defense.

Level of Damage? Carpenter Ants vs Fire Ants

So, you’re considering if carpenter bites or fire ants will cause significant damage in and around the yard or house. Let’s find out!

1. Fire ants

Fire ants create their nest (moist soil mounds) or dwellings that you’ll find on lawns, parks, golf courses, and landscaping -= and they’ll come out aggressively to defend if disturbed.

The fires ant will cause significant headaches to lawn or yard-based or care activities such as picnicking, gardening, and mowing – since these may result in ant bites to humans.

Fire ants may even clog electricity or utility boxes – which could trigger to short- circuiting.

2. Carpenter ants

Carpenter ants will make their nest in weakened or moist wood pieces or structures such as the decking, window frames, door frames, water-damaged walls, ceilings, and hollow trees.

Notably, carpenter ants wood feed on wood but they’ll bring massive damage by gnawing or boring it.

You might not notice the damage caused by the carpenter ants since the bug’s nests are in hidden areas.

So, you should check the entry points to the ant nests for wood shavings (“frass”) – these will show their presence and wood-damage activity.

Ant Removal Methods? Carpenter Ants vs Fire Ants

Fire ants have been described to be very aggressive and thus care must be a priority when treating these pests.

Controlling fire ants may require a number of DIY or chemical techniques – but you may hire a proper ant-treatment professional.

Carpenter ants control may require a cheap method but you might need skills and expertise to use professional chemicals to helo in ant extermination.

However, preventing the carpenter ant infestation may require that you seal crevices & also cracks in the structures and houses around.

Conclusion

Finally, on Carpenter Ants vs Fire Ants; Fire ants will bite humans to leave itchy, painful, and swollen skin while carpenter ants are largely wood-destroying bugs that’ll gnaw structures to even lower the property value.

Carpenter Ants vs Fire Ants: 7 Key Differences