Carpenter Ants – Campootus spp.

Carpenter Ants   Scientific Name:  Camponotus spp. Common Name:  Carpenter ants Appearance:  Carpenter ants are black to reddish coloured ants, almost 25 mm in length. It has a glossy round chest, thorax, and abdomen. There is only one node between the thorax and abdomen, along with two pairs of legs and a pair of antennae. Host Plants or Food: Carpenter ants live in nests made in wood, either indoors in furniture and buildings or outdoors in wooden logs. They also feed on dead insects and honeydew, and other fluids produced by insects. Territory: Throughout North America, Eastern USA, and Western USA Mode of Damage:  They form their nest in woods, acting as trunk and branch borers to make a tunnel for themselves. Habits and Life History: Carpenter ants are dark-coloured woody ants found in forests with damp woods and often in wooden furniture and buildings. After mating, the queen ants lay eggs in the nest in groups of 20. The eggs hatch in a few weeks giving rise to a larva which grows on to become worker ants. The worker ants provide food and care to the colony members, including the queen. A few members also become swarmers with wings which are the reproductive ants, such as queens and males. They are nocturnal insects and come out at night to hunt for food. During winter, the ants go dormant.