Carpenter Ants, Camponotus spp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

There are over 40 North American species in the genus Camponotus. Collectively, they are known as carpenter ants. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood; they are actually generalist predators and scavengers. The damage that they cause to wood and other materials such as foam insulation and paper products is due to the excavation of galleries and living chambers. In the Pacific Northwest, economic damage attributable to carpenter ants often exceeds that of termites.

Carpenter ants are among the largest species of ants in North America. They are polymorphic which means that workers are different sizes. Large ‘majors’ can be over one-half inch (1.5 cm) in length while ‘minors’ in the same colony may be about half that size. As with all ant species, the workers are all non-reproducing females. Males are very rarely found in a nest. The most commonly encountered species are black, but there are some species that are red-brown or bi-colored. In profile, the dorsal surface of the...