We seem to have an infestation of them. They don’t seem to be swarming over any food (I can’t find a food source that they are eating), but rather they appear from behind and above our cabinets - like they are living in the attic or in the wall.
Are they Carpenter ants?
Bonus points for how to get rid of them.
Ant is about 1/4” long. Scottsdale, AZ area.
Photo here: https://cl.ly/0t0x3z0Q3t2k
Looks like it is this one.
You need to an exterminator fast ! They will eat your house up. I guess if they’re really bad a tent may have to be put over your whole house .
Good call, I agree.
And - Woo Hoo!. Not a carpenter ant.
Now, all I have to do is to convince them to leave. My wife is a Buddhist, and doesn’t want me to harm them.
I’m going to try Vinegar and Clove Oil as a repellent.
It is a Carpenter Ant (genus Camponotus).
What was the tell (other than the little hammer it was holding in it’s front leg 
)?
According to wikipedia there are > 1,000 species. That’s a lot of species!!
If you know where they are coming in, apply vinegar to those surfaces. It interferes with their chemical scent trail marking system.
Also, while you’ve got 'em please send some to the School of Ants project to increase entomological knowledge. (Will require killing some sample ants humanely by freezing, so don’t tell your wife.)
I’m trying a vinegar/Clove Oil mixture. Seems to be helping.
Of course a few ants got injured along the way…oops…
BTW, Colibri. Yes, I realized that this ant is in the Carpenter Ant Genus, but I read on the web that this particular species doesn’t tunnel - it uses existing spaces in wood or walls. Hopefully, this is true.