Black Carpenter Ant

Order/family: Hymenoptera/Formicidae

Scientific Name: Camponotus spp. 

Description: The black carpenter ant, Camponotus pennsylvanicus is one of the most studied species of ant in all of the U.S. They are among the largest ants found in the country, ranging from 1/8” to 1/2” long, the queens a slightly larger. The workers of an established colony vary in size. Commonly, they are black; however some species are red and black, solid red, or brown. They have a singular node in the petiole and a circle of tiny hairs on the tip of the abdomen. When seen from the side, the thorax is evenly rounded.