Black+Carpenter+Ant

Fig. 1: A worker //C. pensylvanicus//
 * //Camponotus pennsylvanicus//**

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Anthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Formicidae Genus: Camponotus Species: //C. pennsylvanicus//
 * Taxonomy:**

//C. pennsylvanicus// is one of the most common ant species in North America, ranging from southeast and southcentral Canada down to the eastern and central United States (Fig. 1). The common name, "carpenter ant", is derived from the preference of some of the more notable //Camponotus// species to excavate nests in wood. However, most species of the genus are not "carpenters"--they prefer to nest under rocks, in the ground, or in living or dead non-woody plants.[|(1)] Fig. 2: North American range of economically important species of carpenter ants

As suggested by its name, the black carpenter ant is mostly black in color, usually ranging from ¼ inch to ½ inch long, and sometimes having a brown-colored thorax (the "chest" of an animal) and yellowish hairs on the abdomen (the posterior-most of the three main segments of arthropods, containing the heart, reproductive and digestive organs) if viewed through a microscope. These features are what distinguish the black carpenter ant from other carpenter ant species. Ants as a whole, are derived wasps that run a eusocial lifestyle underground. They have a petiole (a bulge at an ant's narrow waist), and a metapleural gland on the abdomen (which secretes phenylacetic acid, a controlled substance). The queen ant and "swarmers" (winged males and females born in the spring in order to mate) are larger--up to ¾ of an inch.[|(2)]
 * Description:**

The black carpenter ant goes through a complete life cycle, in which there are four stages: egg, larvae, pupae, and adult. Colonies are formed after reproductive adults (virgin queens and males, both winged) emerge from their home nest and partake in mating flights, usually during the first warm days of spring. After mating, the male dies, and each inseminated queen selects a nesting site in wood where they create a small cavity and lay their eggs.[|(3)] The mother-to-be uses her fat bodies and wing muscles to provide sustenance for herself and her brood[|(3)], and after three weeks, the eggs fully develop into larvae (wingless, worm-like creatures known by other names such as "grub" or "caterpillar"), which also go through a developmental period of about three weeks, feeding off of the fat bodies and wing muscles provided by the queen. The next stage is considered a "resting stage", in which the larvae develop into small tan capsules known as pupae and remain dormant for another three weeks. Finally, the ants emerge as sterile female workers that feed on fluid given to them by the queen, and once strong enough, they will begin the tasks of gathering food, enlarging the nest, and caring for the eggs the queen lays.[|(2)]
 * Life Cycle:**

The queen also lays a second clutch of eggs in late summer, however, development of this brood isn't completed until post-winter dormancy. After the first year, the queens [of //C. modoc// and //C. pennsylvanicus//] have two annual egg-laying periods, the first in late winter or early spring and the second in the summer.[|(3)]

Fig. 3: The life cycle of a carpenter ant

Black carpenter ants are omnivores. Adults mostly feed on honeydew, a secretion made by aphids and scale insects, as well as flower nectar, fruit juice, and other insects. Black carpenter ants have also been known to cannibalize from their own colony. The ants are eaten by a variety of birds, mammals, amphibians, arachnids, and other insects. Some examples include: the Pileated Woodpecker, the Rabid Wolf Spider, the Red-backed Salamander, the American Toad, the Wood Frog, the Yellow Perch, the Big Brown Bat, the Northern Ringneck snake, the Carolina Chickadee, the Garden Centipede, and the Eastern Mole.[|(2)]
 * Predators and Prey:**

Carpenter ants are nocturnal social insects, and use group foraging to exploit their resources. When they find a food item too large for a single worker to bring to the nest, the worker leaves a chemical pheromone trail (produced in the hindgut) on the ground as she makes her way back to the nest which stimulates other workers to follow the trail and work together to break apart the item in pieces to bring back.[|(3)]

Among the many ant species, carpenter ants stand out in forest ecosystems as the dominant insect. Their predation on other insects affects the population dynamics and distribution of those species, and their nesting habits initiate degradation of tree cellulose to a form usable by other animals and plants. Thus, carpenter ants play a critical role in the biological control of forest insects and the recycling of organic and inorganic nutrients.[|(1)]
 * Ecological Importance and Human Impact:**

The carpenter ant is also an economic pest. In certain regions of the United States, carpenter ants outrank termites as wood-destroying organisms. They are also famously difficult to control in these situations. Carpenter ants are known for creating both main outdoor parent nests, as well as "satellite" nests located both indoors and outdoors. In order to locate the nests, a "feed and follow" technique can be used by providing the ants with chopped insects and then following them back to the nest. Once the nest has been located, it can be treated with an insecticide; if a nest fails to be located, other techniques such as a perimeter treatment can be used. The perimeter treatment involves a band of insecticide being sprayed around the outside foundation, along doors, window frames, etc. Depending on the insecticide used, some act as barriers (in which the insecticide is picked up and carried back to the nest by a worker where it can spread to other ants in the colony), while others are non-repellant.[|(3)]

"Wiki" page created by S. Weinstein 1. Klotz, John H., Laurel D. Hansen, Byron L. Reid, and Stephen A. Klotz. "Carpenter Ants." //Kansas School Naturalist// 45.4 (1999). Web. 11 Sept. 2013. <[]>.
 * References:**

2. Moran, Mark. "Black Carpenter Ant." //Fcps.edu//. Fairfax County Public Schools, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. <[]>.

3. Capinaera, John L. "Carpenter Ants, //Camponotus// spp. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)." //Encyclopedia of Entomology//. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. New York: Springer, 2008. 741-745. //Google Books//. Google.com. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. <[|http://books.google.com/books?id=i9ITMiiohVQC&pg=PA742&lpg=PA742&dq=black+carpenter+ant&source=bl&ots=VWFrVpiPUQ&sig=BNqTzcbVmRE51QvYH7a_gIxkb3Q&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Go0wUraiFYvi8gT_3IDQBg&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=black%20carpenter%20ant&f=false]>.

Fig. 1: Black Carpenter Ant [Photograph]. Retrieved 11 Sept. 2013, from: <[]>.
 * Images:**

Fig. 2: “Distribution of four species of carpenter ants in the United States.” Map. //emporia.edu// Jul. 1999. 11 Sep. 2013 <[]>.

Fig. 3: “Carpenter ant life cycle.” Drawing. //ca.uky.edu// 2010. 11 Sep. 2013 <[]>.