Carpenter Ant

Natural habitats include forests and woodlands where they nest in dead wood; urban habitats include homes, particularly in moist or decaying structural wood.

Omnivorous; they eat plant juices, honeydew from aphids, and other insects. They do not eat wood but excavate it for nesting.

Social insects with a distinct caste system; they are primarily nocturnal foragers and establish satellite colonies that may move into man-made structures.

Risks include potential structural damage to homes by excavating wood for nests; benefits include ecological roles as decomposers and predators of other pests.