Carpenter ants prefer to nest in decayed wood but will migrate into other materials as their colony expands. Outside, you can find nests in rotten fence posts, stumps, firewood, dead portions of trees, and other various decaying wood. In homes and buildings, Carpenter Ants will nest in decaying wood and migrate into sound wood, insulation, and wall voids.
Carpenter ants do not eat wood but they nest and excavate in it, or hollow it out to make room for their growing colony. They feed on a variety of food including, sweets, meat, and other insects.