Wood-excavating
Guides
Camponotus
Carpenter ants, Typical sugar ants and allies
Camponotus is a large and diverse genus of ants commonly known as carpenter ants, comprising approximately 1,000 described species worldwide. Members are characterized by their habit of excavating wood to create nest galleries, though they do not consume wood as food. The genus exhibits considerable size variation among workers, with major workers often more than twice the size of minors. Camponotus ants are eusocial, forming long-lived colonies with cooperative brood care, overlapping generations, and reproductive division of labor. They occupy diverse ecological roles including predation, scavenging, and mutualistic relationships with honeydew-producing insects.