| Description:
The black carpenter ant, Camponotus
pennsylvanicus, in the east
and C. modoc in the west are
the most thoroughly studied
species in the United States.
Other species of Camponotus
are distributed throughout the
country. Carpenter ants are
among the largest ants found
in the United States, ranging
from 1/8- to 1/2-inch long,
the queens are slightly bigger.
The workers of an established
colony vary in size. They are
commonly black; however, some
species are red and block, solid
red, or brown in color. They
have one node in the petiole
and a circle of tiny hairs on
the tip of the abdomen. Their
thorax is evenly rounded when
seen from the side.
Habits:
Carpenter ants are social
insects that usually nest
in wood. They commonly excavate
galleries or tunnels in rotting
or sound trees and, in structures,
readily infest wood, foam
insulation, and cavities.
They prefer to excavate wood
damaged by fungus and are
often found in conjunction
with moisture problems.
The workers excavate the nest,
forage for food, and care
for the young. Carpenter ants
feed on sugar solutions from
honey dew-producing insects
such as aphids, sweets, and
the juices of insects they
capture. They do not eat the
wood as they excavate their
nests. They actively feed
at night well after sunset
continuing through the early
morning hours. Foraging trails
may extend up to 300 feet
and, upon close inspection,
can be seen on the ground
as narrow worn paths.
Carpenter ants enter structures
through gaps or cracks while
foraging for food. However,
the appearance of large numbers
of winged adults inside a
structure indicates that the
nest(s) exists indoors. The
workers push wood shavings
and pieces of foam insulation
out of the nest through slit-like
openings in the surface of
the wood or other nesting
site material. This material,
which may contain fragments
of other insects, and structural
moisture problems are things
to look for when trying to
locate a colony in an infested
structure. Rustling sounds
in wall voids are another
indication that there is a
colony in the area.
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