#carpenter ant

Photographed in Virginia by Judy Gallagher

A small group of carpenter ants tending to a young crop of alder aphids, standing over them dutifully! Finding such large ants participating in tending behavior is always a treat because it's much easier to photograph. The downside to this was that the ants really didn't want me to touch their section of branch, so I had to hope the breeze didn't shake them out of focus too much. These ants were extremely good protectors, warding me off as soon as they felt me touch near them. I went back and checked on them a few days later and the aphids had doubled in size and grown in numbers. These ants are clearly pros!

Carpenter ant By: John L. Schumacher From: The Science of Zoology 1966

Camponotus pennsylvanicus, upstate SC

This species of carpenter ant can be found throughout Africa and in parts of Asia. They are one of the larger species of ants in their genus, and their shiny black bodies and golden abdomens are covered in small hair-like structures that help them better sense their surroundings. Like other carpenter ants, they prefer to make their nests in the trunks of trees, fallen logs, and wooden man-made structures. They are a common pest species and often infest houses and other wooden buildings. In addition, they often make their homes in fruit trees, and are commonly seen by farmers in their orchards. Unlike termites, which have a special type of bacteria in their guts that help them to digest wood, carpenter ants don't eat the trees or wooden structures that they infest. Instead, they usually just tunnel inside and discard the sawdust outside of their nest.