Wood-excavation
Guides
Camponotus modoc
Western Carpenter Ant, Western Black Carpenter Ant
Camponotus modoc, the western carpenter ant, is a large black ant species native to western North America. Workers exhibit polymorphism, ranging from 7 to 13 mm in length, with dark red legs contrasting against a black body. The species constructs nests in dead wood, including forest logs and human structures, and is known for its mutualistic associations with aphids, particularly Cinara occidentalis on white fir. Research demonstrates trail fidelity and colony recognition abilities, with workers returning to specific aphid colonies even after displacement.
carpenter-antwestern-north-americaaphid-mutualismstructural-pestpolymorphismtrail-fidelitychemical-ecologygiant-sequoia-forestforest-ecologyurban-pestCamponotiniFormicinaeHymenopterainvasive-potentialnestmate-recognitionalarm-communicationforaging-ecologyconifer-forestwood-excavationsatellite-colonyCamponotus pennsylvanicus
Eastern Black Carpenter Ant, Black Carpenter Ant
Camponotus pennsylvanicus, the Eastern Black Carpenter Ant, is a large, robust ant species native to eastern North America. Workers measure 3/8 to 1/2 inch in length and are uniformly dark brown to black. Unlike termites, this species excavates wood rather than consuming it, creating galleries in decaying stumps, fallen logs, and hollow trees for colony housing. The species is facultatively polydomous, with colonies sometimes occupying multiple nest sites connected by trails. C. pennsylvanicus is notable for its swimming ability, using forelegs to paddle and mid legs to row when encountering water hazards. The species employs chemical trail-laying for foraging recruitment and practices trophallaxis as a mechanism of social immunity, distributing antimicrobial substances among colony members. While primarily a forest species, it frequently becomes a household pest when satellite colonies establish in moisture-damaged structural wood.