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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps » Vespoidea » Ants (Formicidae) » Formicinae » Carpenter Ants (Camponotus)

Genus Camponotus - Carpenter Ants

Classification · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Camponotus Flying Ant - Camponotus - female ant - Camponotus Camponotus pennsylvanicus - female Camponotus herculeanus? - Camponotus - female Ant or wasp? - Camponotus Camponotus americanus - female Hibernating Ants - Camponotus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps)
Superfamily Vespoidea
Family Formicidae (Ants)
Subfamily Formicinae
Genus Camponotus (Carpenter Ants)
Numbers
Nearctica.com lists 51 spp.
Size
6-20 mm, depending on caste
Identification
Large ants, build galleries in wood.
Range
North America
Habitat
Deciduous forests, also suburban areas
Season
All year.
Food
Omnivorous, eat honeydew, sap, living and dead insects, etc. Do not eat wood, only nest in it.
Life Cycle
A eusocial insect with a complex life cycle. See Internet references
Print References
Borror and White, p. 345 (1)
Milne, pp. 823-824, figs. 310, 318 (2)
Arnett, p. 586, fig. 25.45, 47, 48 (3)
Swann and Papp, p. 561, figs. 1215-1216 (4)
Arnett and Jacques, #281 (5)
Internet References
Ohio State University--fact sheet, very detailed life history
Univ. Nebraska: fact sheet, photos
Ant colony
TAMU
Works Cited
1.A Field Guide to Insects
By Richard E. White, Donald J. Borror, Roger Tory Peterson
2.National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders
By Lorus and Margery Milne
3.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
By Ross H. Arnett
4.The Common Insects of North America
By Lester A. Swan, Charles S. Papp
5.Simon & Schuster's Guide to Insects
By Dr. Ross H. Arnett, Dr. Richard L. Jacques
Contributed by Cotinis on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset
Last updated 25 November, 2005 - 4:25pm

How to tell difference between Carpenter Ants and Termites
The Florida Carpenter Ant is commonly mistaken for a termite; however, they are not nearly as destructive as their cousins. See the University of Florida's very informative page on on the Capenter Ant for an easy guide for distinguishing between the two, as well as tips on how to control them, etc:
http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/urban/ants/fl_carpenter_ants.htm
… Lighthouse Center Florida, 20 June, 2006 - 8:47am

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