Carpenter Ant

Facts about Carpenter Ants, "Scientific name for Carpenter Ants is Camponotus". Carpenter ants are large ants, ranging from 19/64 to 1 inch (0.76 cm to 2.54 cm), indigenous to many forested parts of the world. The Carpenter Ant prefers to build there nests in dead, damp wood, but unlike termites they don’t consume it. Carpenter ants also commonly infest wooden structures and buildings, and are a widespread nuisance. The most common species infesting houses in the United States are the black carpenter ants (Camponotus pennsylvanicus). "Fear of Ants Myrmecophobia".

The carpenter worker ants are responsible for building nests. Due to their indifference to ecological humidity, the ants build their nests in areas with 12-15% humidity. There are two types of Carpenter Ant nests in their world, the primary nests and the satellite nests. The satellite nests are constructed once the primary nests are done and have begun to develop. The queen, workers, eggs and the recently hatched larvae inhabit the primary nests while the winged Carpenter Ants, pupae and larvae live in the satellite nests. Satellite nests can be built anywhere even in dry places since they house the eggs that are not sensitive to environment.
Carpenter Ants can lift and carry three times their weight.
Carpenter Ants are omnivores, (definition-they eat both other animals and plants).
Carpenter Ants are the longest living insect of all times they live up to 30 years.

Carpenter ants mate when the condition is humid and warm. The winged males and females engage in a flight, termed as “the nuptial flight”, where they mate. The winged Carpenter Ants males die soon after mating. The winged females Carpenter Ants lose their wings after the nuptial flight and then search for new nests where they lay approximately 20 eggs. The queens care for the brood until the workers emerge. The Carpenter Ants workers then assist her nurture them as she lays more eggs.

Carpenter ants mainly collect their food at night with only few hunting during the day. The carpenter worker ants are also the ones responsible for collection of food. The Carpenter Ants gather food individually and sometimes forage as a group. Once a food source is detected, the Carpenter Ants pass the message back to the nest and the workers use biochemical pheromones to construct the shortest route to the food. The trail becomes stronger as the number of workers visiting the food source increases but as soon as they have depleted their food source the trail disappears. When a food source is open to rivalry, the carpenter ants hold hostage the rivalries camp until they are done collecting their food. In such situations the Carpenter Ants work in an organized manner where different troops of ants visit the food source in an alternating manner to reduce the number of intruders. The carpenter ants can build their trail above or below the ground.
The way Carpenter Ants communicate is by using chemicals called (pheromones) they can alert other ants where food and also if danger is coming.

Carpenter ants mainly feed on honeydews and dead insects. They construct extensive tunneling systems that lead to a food source – like aphid colonies, where they extract and feed on the honeydew. When the Carpenter Ants find a dead insect, they extract the bodily fluids which are carried back to the nest, leaving behind the chitin-based shell. The Carpenter Ants only come back for insects head when the food is not readily available.

Carpenter Ants reside both indoors and outdoors in moist, decaying, and hollow wood. They commonly infest certain areas of the house that are more vulnerable to moisture such as roof eaves, decks, porches, and under and around the windows. Contrary to people’s beliefs Carpenter Ants do not feed through wood. This is because they cannot digest cellulose.
The Queen Carpenter Ants only job in life is to lay 1000s of eggs in their life time. All worker, soldier and queen Carpenter Ants are female. The worker Carpenter Ants, that you see running around, the wingless ants are females that don't reproduce, these are the Carpenter Ants that hunt for food and take care for the queen's offspring, protect the community and work on the nest and other community duties.
The male Carpenter Ants usually have only one role in life, mating with the queen and after they have performed their duty, they can die.

Carpenter Ants have two stomachs, one that holds food for them to eat and one for other the colony.
You can find Ants on every continent accept Antarctica.
Ants can survive around a full day underwater.

There are more than 20,000, Ant species around the world, there have been 12,500 that have been classified in specific species.