Carpenter ant

Carpenter ant Temporal range: Eocene – Recent 52.2–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Camponotus cf. eugeniae (minor worker)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Formicinae
Tribe:	Camponotini
Genus:	Camponotus Mayr, 1861
Type species
Formica ligniperda Latreille, 1802
Diversity[1]
1,533 species
Synonyms[2][3]
Condylomyrma Santschi, 1928 Dolophra Wu, J. & Wang, 1994 Myrmocamelus Forel, 1914 Myrmolophus Emery, 1920 Myrmoturba Forel, 1912 Neocolobopsis Borgmeier, 1928 Neomyrmamblys Wheeler, W.M., 1921 Orthonotus Ashmead, 1905 Paleosminthurus Pierce & Gibron, 1962 Paracolobopsis Emery, 1920 Shanwangella Zhang, J., 1989

Carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.) are large ants (workers 7 to 13 mm or 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 in) indigenous to many forested parts of the world.^[4]

They build nests inside wood, consisting of galleries chewed out with their mandibles or jaws, preferably in dead, damp wood. However, unlike termites, they do not consume wood,^[5] but instead discard a material that resembles sawdust outside their nest. Sometimes, carpenter ants hollow out sections of trees. They also commonly infest wooden buildings and structures, causing a widespread problem: they are a major cause of structural damage. Nevertheless, their ability to excavate wood helps in forest decomposition. The genus includes over 1,000 species.^[6] They also farm aphids. In their farming, the ants protect the aphids from predators (usually other insects) while they excrete a sugary fluid called honeydew, which the ants get by stroking the aphids with their antennae.