Carpenter Ant

Scientific Name: Camponotus ssp.

Order & Family: Hymenoptera: Formicidae

Size: 3 mm to 13 mm (workers) and up to 25 mm (queens)

Nests in moist or decaying wood, including tree stumps, logs, and structural timbers of homes.

Omnivorous; they eat honeydew produced by aphids, plant juices, and other insects but do not eat wood.

Nocturnal foragers that create smooth galleries in wood for nesting. They live in large social colonies with a complex caste system.

Structural risk to homes due to tunneling in wood; beneficial to ecosystems by aiding in wood decomposition and preying on other pests.

Identified on: 6/11/2026