Carpenter ants are large ants (¼ in–1 in) indigenous to many parts of the world. They prefer dead, damp wood in which to build nests. Sometimes carpenter ants will hollow out sections of trees. The most likely species to be infesting a house in the United States is the Black carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus. However, there are over a thousand other species in the genus Camponotus.
Symbionts
All ants in this genus, and also some related genera, possess an obligate bacterial endosymbiont called Blochmannia. This bacterium has a small genome, and retains genes to biosynthesize essential amino acids and other nutrients. This suggests the bacterium plays a role in ant nutrition. Many Camponotus species are also infected with Wolbachia, another endosymbiont that is widespread across insect groups.
Habitat
Resides both outdoors and indoors in moist, decaying or hollow wood. They cut "galleries" into the wood grain to provide passageways for movement from section to section of the nest. They can leave "sawdust" behind that provides clues to nesting location. If this wooden complex happens to be a wall frame within your home, structural damage may result. Moisture is the key component to look for, when managing this species.[1]
Exploding ants
In at least nine Southeast Asian species of the Cylindricus complex, such as Camponotus saundersi, workers feature greatly enlarged mandibular glands. They can release their contents suicidally by rupturing the intersegmental membrane of the gaster, resulting in a spray of toxic substance from the head, which gave these species the common name "exploding ants".[2]
Selected Species
See List of Camponotus species for a complete listing of species and subspecies.
C. pennsylvanicus (Winged Male)
wood damage by C. herculeanus
Footnotes
References
- Jones, T.H.; Clark, D.A.; Edwards, A.A.; Davidson, D.W.; Spande, T.F. & Snelling, Roy R. (2004): The Chemistry of Exploding Ants, Camponotus spp. (Cylindricus complex). Journal of Chemical Ecology 30(8): 1479-1492. doi:10.1023/B:JOEC.0000042063.01424.28
Further reading
- Mayr, Gustav (1861): Die europäischen Formiciden. Vienna. PDF — original description of p.35
- McArthur, Archie J (2007): A Key to Camponotus Mayr of Australia. In: Snelling, R.R., B.L. Fisher & P.S. Ward (eds). Advances in ant systematics (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): homage to E.O. Wilson - 50 years of contributions. Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 80. PDF — 91 species, 10 subspecies
External links
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