During the middle part of summer Moisture Ants begin to swarm in the Pacific Northwest causing great alarm to property owners. Moisture Ants (<em>Lasius</em>) infest wood in advance stages of decay and are often located in homes at areas of excessive moisture due to leaking water pipes or where wood is in contact with soil. <!–more–> Moisture Ant reproductive queens are moderately sized,  brownish red in color with wings.  The males are much smaller, almost black in color with wings.  The workers are tiny and pale yellow in color.  Moisture Ants generally remain unnoticed in rotting wood of wall voids or flooring until hundreds of ants begin swarming into the house, often congregating at windows after being attracted to the light. Sometimes you can identify a nest location from the coffee ground like material the ants will extrude from the nest.   Typically the solution to a Moisture Ant infestation is to remove and replace the damaged wood and repair all moisture leaks.  Your Pest Management Professional can provide alternative solutions when making immediate repairs is not practicable and provide preventive treatments to avoid future infestations.