Specimen 15 · Camponotus

Updated October 21, 2026

Kansas pesticide business license #3403

Carpenter ants in Wichita homes

Q: How do I know it's carpenter ants?

The first two you can see; the third may need a hand lens. Big for an ant: From 1/4 inch for small workers to 3/4 inch for a queen. Reddish-brown to black; sometimes the front is red and the rear black. Coarse sawdust: They push coarse sawdust out of their tunnels, and the piles show where the nest is. One node, a ring of hairs: The waist has a single node. A ring of tiny hairs sits at the tip of the abdomen. Busy at night: They're most active late at night, and an active colony may make a dry, rustling sound (Kentucky, Minnesota).

Q: Are carpenter ants eating my house?

Not eating: They don't eat wood like termites do; they dig tunnels to raise their young (MF3291) The tunnels: Kept smooth and clean, as if sanded (MF3291) How fast: Damage usually comes slowly, often over years (Minnesota) Still, Colorado State says serious damage can follow if they're allowed to stay in a building.

Q: Where do carpenter ants nest?

Sills and hollow-core doors: Window sills, hollow-core doors and porch columns, even sound, dry lumber. Wet, damaged wood: Wood soaked by leaks: around sinks and tubs, poorly sealed windows and doors, and roof leaks (MF3291, Kentucky). Attic beams and roof: Under roofing and in attic beams (Minnesota). Branches touching the roof give a colony a way in (MF3291). Stumps and firewood: Stumps, logs and trees near the house can hold the nest.

Q: What can I do about carpenter ants myself?

Look for sawdust and wet wood. Check wood that leaks have reached: sills, roofs, porch floors, posts and columns. Dry it out, replace it. Fix the moisture, and replace damaged or weathered wood. Remove logs and stumps that hold nests. Cut the bridges. Trim branches that touch the house, and store firewood away from it. Follow them, don't spray them. Kentucky says not to spray the ones you see. Follow them back to the nest along the wires, pipes and edges they like to travel. Then: Not sure what you have? Seeing sawdust or big ants inside? That's where Donnie comes in.

Q: Who do I call about carpenter ants, and what does a visit cost?

A one-time visit is $125 to $165, with no contract. For a home that's $165 one-time, quarterly visits are $140 each and monthly visits $120. Donnie works alone, so it's him at the door on every visit. Most visits are booked within a week.

Carpenter ants include the largest ants in Kansas.

Text Donnie Call Donnie

Opens your messages. Donnie replies the same day, Mon–Fri 8–5.

Winged ones

Spring

Look for

Sawdust piles

Carpenter ant illustration, top view, a large segmented body with a narrow waist. — **No. 15 · Carpenter ant**Big, and reddish-brown to black.

Facts from K-State Research and Extension and the other sources named on this page

How do I know it's carpenter ants?

The first two you can see; the third may need a hand lens.

4checks

Size · Sawdust · Waist · Night

Big for an ant
From 1/4 inch for small workers to 3/4 inch for a queen. Reddish-brown to black; sometimes the front is red and the rear black.
Coarse sawdust
They push coarse sawdust out of their tunnels, and the piles show where the nest is.
One node, a ring of hairs
The waist has a single node. A ring of tiny hairs sits at the tip of the abdomen.
Busy at night
They're most active late at night, and an active colony may make a dry, rustling sound (Kentucky, Minnesota).

Carpenter ant

Antennae: Bent at an elbow
Waist: Narrow, a single node
Damage: Smooth tunnels, no mud
Where you find it: Houses near wooded areas

Winged termite illustration: straight, beaded antennae, a thick waist, and four wings all the same length.

Termite swarmer

Antennae: Straight
Waist: Thick, broadly joined
Damage: Mud in the damaged wood
Where you find it: Mud tunnels from the soil to wood

Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); K-State Research and Extension, Kansas Bugs (2019); University of Kentucky Entomology, Carpenter Ants (ENTFACT-603); University of Minnesota Extension, Carpenter ants.

Are carpenter ants eating my house?

Not eating

They don't eat wood like termites do; they dig tunnels to raise their young (MF3291)

The tunnels

Kept smooth and clean, as if sanded (MF3291)

How fast

Damage usually comes slowly, often over years (Minnesota)

Still, Colorado State says serious damage can follow if they're allowed to stay in a building.

Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); University of Minnesota Extension; Colorado State University Extension, Carpenter Ants.

Found sawdust?
Text Donnie a photo.

It tells him whether it's something to jump on or not a concern at all.

Take a clear photo of the sawdust or the ants, with a coin beside them for size if you can.

Text Donnie a photo Call Donnie

Opens your messages. Donnie replies the same day, Mon–Fri 8–5.

Where do carpenter ants nest?

Cutaway of a kitchen in the isometric house drawing, with four numbered callouts for where carpenter ants nest: sawdust at the foot of a door frame, a water-stained patch low on the sink cabinet, the attic beams under the roof, and a stump and firewood in the lawn. A magnifier shows the sawdust pile: coarse wood chips with a few bits of insects.

01
Sills and hollow-core doors
Window sills, hollow-core doors and porch columns, even sound, dry lumber.
02
Wet, damaged wood
Wood soaked by leaks: around sinks and tubs, poorly sealed windows and doors, and roof leaks (MF3291, Kentucky).
03
Attic beams and roof
Under roofing and in attic beams (Minnesota). Branches touching the roof give a colony a way in (MF3291).
04
Stumps and firewood
Stumps, logs and trees near the house can hold the nest.

Worth knowing in Kansas

Spring swarms
April is usually the month most ant and termite swarms happen in Kansas (K-State, 2019).
Near trees
Houses near wooded areas are especially open to them (MF3291).
Inside or out
Carpenter ants inside may be nesting in the building, or nesting outside and coming in for food (MF3291).

Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); K-State Research and Extension, Kansas Bugs (2019); University of Minnesota Extension; University of Kentucky Entomology (ENTFACT-603).

What can I do about carpenter ants myself?

What K-State and other extension services suggest.

5steps

Tick the ones you're already doing.

EasyLook for sawdust and wet woodCheck wood that leaks have reached: sills, roofs, porch floors, posts and columns.
Takes an afternoonDry it out, replace itFix the moisture, and replace damaged or weathered wood. Remove logs and stumps that hold nests.
Takes an afternoonCut the bridgesTrim branches that touch the house, and store firewood away from it.
EasyFollow them, don't spray themKentucky says not to spray the ones you see. Follow them back to the nest along the wires, pipes and edges they like to travel.
Ask Donnie

Not sure what you have?

Seeing sawdust or big ants inside? That's where Donnie comes in.

Text Donnie Call Donnie

Sources: K-State Research and Extension, Household Pests of Kansas (MF3291); K-State Research and Extension, Ants (MF2887); Colorado State University Extension; University of Kentucky Entomology (ENTFACT-603); University of Minnesota Extension, Carpenter ants.

What doesn't work

Spraying the ants you see. K-State says insecticide has to be applied directly to the nesting area to eliminate the colony (MF2887). That matters because the nest may be outside, with the ants only coming in to forage (MF3291). Minnesota Extension says eliminating a nest can be difficult because of its hidden nature, and not to drill and dust walls yourself.

Worth knowing

Find the nest
K-State says the key is finding the nest, and that if it's found there's an excellent chance of controlling them (MF3291).
Sawdust or mud?
Wood damaged by carpenter ants has no mud in it; termite damage does (Kentucky).

Who do I call about carpenter ants, and what does a visit cost?

Price · one-time visit

$125–165

a one-time visit. No contract.

Quarterly · $140 a visit*

Monthly · $120 a visit*

*For a home that's $165 one-time.

Donnie works alone, so it's him at the door on every visit. Most visits are booked within a week.

See every price

Arrival · A window of about an hour; he texts when he's on the way

Paying · After the visit: card, Venmo, cash or check

If pests come back · Text Donnie. He talks it through and tells you before he comes whether a return visit costs anything.

No contract

You pay for each visit.

Same-day reply

Mon–Fri 8–5

Licensed in Kansas

In Wichita since 1992

Text or call Donnie

(316) 681-2255

Text Donnie Call Donnie

Opens your messages. Donnie replies the same day, Mon–Fri 8–5.

Carpenter ants in Wichita homes

How do I know it's carpenter ants?

Big for an ant

Coarse sawdust

One node, a ring of hairs

Busy at night

Carpenter ant

Termite swarmer

Are carpenter ants eating my house?

Found sawdust? Text Donnie a photo.

Where do carpenter ants nest?

Sills and hollow-core doors

Wet, damaged wood

Attic beams and roof

Stumps and firewood

Spring swarms

Near trees

Inside or out

What can I do about carpenter ants myself?

Not sure what you have?

What doesn't work

Find the nest

Sawdust or mud?

Who do I call about carpenter ants, and what does a visit cost?

Text or call Donnie

Found sawdust?
Text Donnie a photo.