Carpenter Ants vs Red Ants: What’s Invading Your Home?

Knowing which kind you’re dealing with helps you protect your space fast.

You’ve seen ants around your home before. But knowing which kind you’re dealing with helps you protect your space fast.

Carpenter ants and red ants look similar at a glance. Their behavior, damage, and danger are very different.

What sets them apart?

Carpenter ants dig into wood to build nests. They don’t eat the wood. They carve out smooth tunnels that weaken beams, decks, and siding over time.

• Red ants (often fire ants) focus on building soil mounds. They don’t damage structures, but their stings hurt and can trigger reactions for some people.

• Carpenter ants are larger, usually black or dark brown, and move slowly in trails near wood, moisture, or insulation.

• Red ants are smaller, reddish, and aggressive when disturbed. They attack in groups.

• Carpenter ants show up indoors more often during the night.

• Red ants stay outdoors unless they’re following a food source.

Why does this matter for your home?

Carpenter ants signal moisture issues.

Once they settle in, they keep expanding their nests.

If you ignore signs like—hollow sounds in wood, piles of sawdust-like debris, or large slow-moving ants—you risk long-term structural damage.

Red ants, on the other hand, create outdoor problems.

Kids and pets get stung.

Lawns become hard to enjoy because their mounds spread fast and take over open spaces.

What can you do today?

• Look around entry points, deck edges, crawl spaces, and window sills.

• Check for frass—fine debris carpenter ants push out as they dig.

• Watch ant behavior when you spot a trail. Are they slow and large? Or small and quick?

• Ask yourself: Is the problem harming the house or making the yard unsafe?

Ready to get ahead of an ant problem? Don't let ants colonize your home.

Montana Pest Solutions can inspect your home, trace the colony, and clear it out before it spreads. Call Montana Pest Solutions today at 406-830-8752 or visit www.bigskypest.com to schedule your consultation. Let’s keep your home fly-free and comfortable all year round.