Types of Carpenter Ants

There are many different types of carpenter ants in the world and if you dig into and look further which include the different characteristics and species, there are easily more than a thousand different species of carpenter ants around.

In the United States alone, there are as many as 50 different species of carpenter ants and if you are not aware, not all of these carpenter ants species will infest building structure. The most likely species that will infest and cause potential damage to your house is the black carpenter ant. While you may find these carpenter ants on the ground, don’t be surprise that they can be easily spotted in high rise premises as well.

Below are some of the different types of carpenter ants.

Black Carpenter Ant


As the name implies, this species are all black in color and they are the most common types of carpenter ants in the United States. They mostly nests in wood and can be easily spotted in most regions and landscapes

Florida Carpenter Ant

These are carpenter ants mostly seen in Florida due to it warm temperature, though it can be spotted in other states as well. You need to be very careful when handling these Florida carpenter ants as they can bite and cause harmful injuries to your body. Your skin will itch and has a burning feeling as they will release some painful acid when they bite. The Florida carpenter ants will nest in already damaged wood and existing structural voids as they are the species that do little excavation or structural damage to sound wood.

Red Carpenter Ant

It has a reddish-orange head and thorax and a black abdomen. It is smaller than the black carpenter ant. Prevalent in spring and summer

Hawaiian Capenter Ant

This species has a black-orange head and orange thorax and a black abdomen. It is smaller than red carpenter ants and most commonly found in southeastern Asia, midway and Hawaiian Islands.

New York Carpenter Ant

Found throughout the northern United States but is more common east of the Dakotas. It is also found in many western states extending south into New Mexico.

Pennsylvania Carpenter Ant

Primarily black in color. They can inflict a mild bite.


And possible many others.


The color of carpenter ants varies, depending on its species. There are various variations, some are black, some are red and you might come across yellow brown as well. Their size may vary as well, so, unless you are specially trained in this area, it might be hard for you to identify the species right on the spot.

Though we try to list out most of the common carpenter ants that we come across and aware of, it is highly possible that we could have leave out many others as well. If you are aware of any other types of carpenter ants that we have missed mentioning, do feel free to leave your comment right below and we will be more than happy to update our list of types of carpenter ants.