Which sign is most associated with carpenter ants rather than termites?

• A. Mud tubes.
• B. Musty odor.
• C. Coarse wood shavings (frass).
• D. Hollowed wood.

Answer: (C)

Carpenter ants leave coarse wood shavings, or frass, as they excavate galleries in wood. This loose, sawdust-like material accumulates near where the ants are active and is a clear, distinctive clue to carpenter-ant activity. Termites show different signs—mud tubes from the ground to wood surfaces for subterranean species, or tiny six-sided fecal pellets for drywood termites—so their evidence isn’t the same coarse frass. A musty odor can occur with many pests and isn’t as diagnostic as the visible frass. So the best indicator here is coarse wood shavings (frass).