Redwood-specialist

Guides

Camponotus laevissimus
giant carpenter ant, Hairy Smooth Carpenter Ant
Camponotus laevissimus is a large carpenter ant native to western North America, ranging from western Canada through the United States to Mexico. Workers are among the largest in the genus, measuring 7–13 mm. The species is notable for its distinctive shiny black coloration with a blue iridescent tint and dense covering of short white hairs. It is primarily diurnal and specializes in nesting within redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens), hollowing out cavities rather than consuming the wood. A documented predator of western spruce budworm pupae, this species plays a role in forest pest dynamics. Formerly known as C. laevigatus, it was reclassified by Mackay in 2019.
carpenter-ant redwood-specialist diurnal forest-pest-predator western-North-America Camponotus Formicidae Hymenoptera blue-iridescence white-pubescence western-spruce-budworm-predator Sequoia-sempervirens-associate moist-wood-nesting large-ant-species polymorphic-workers claustral-colony-foundation honeydew-tending structural-pest Mackay-2019 formerly-C.-laevigatus