Taxonomic history
[Justified emendation of spelling to pennsylvanica: Buckley, 1866 PDF: 155.].Wheeler & Wheeler, 1953e PDF: 187 (l.).Combination in Camponotus: Mayr, 1862 PDF: 666.Combination in Camponotus (Camponotus): Forel, 1914a PDF: 266.Subspecies of Camponotus herculeanus: Forel, 1879a PDF: 57; Provancher, 1881b PDF: 355; Mayr, 1886d PDF: 420; Cresson, 1887 PDF: 256; Emery, 1893k PDF: 675; Emery, 1895m: 477; Emery, 1896j PDF: 372 (in list); Wheeler, 1900c PDF: 47; Viereck, 1903 PDF: 72; Wheeler, 1905j PDF: 402; Wheeler, 1906g PDF: 22; Wheeler, 1910g PDF: 335 (redescription); Wheeler, 1910a PDF: 571; Santschi, 1911d PDF: 7; Wheeler, 1913d PDF: 117; Forel, 1914a PDF: 266; Donisthorpe, 1915f: 348; Wheeler, 1916r: 600; Wheeler, 1917k PDF: 465; Emery, 1925d PDF: 73; Donisthorpe, 1927c: 401; Karavaiev, 1929d PDF: 211; Wheeler, 1932a PDF: 13; Dennis, 1938 PDF: 301; Wing, 1939 PDF: 163; Wesson & Wesson, 1940 PDF: 103; Buren, 1944a PDF: 293; Wheeler & Wheeler, 1944 PDF: 251; Smith, 1951c PDF: 840.Status as species: Retzius, 1783 PDF: 75; Olivier, 1792: 501; Latreille, 1802a PDF: 99; Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau, 1835 PDF: 213; Smith, 1858a PDF: 53; Mayr, 1862 PDF: 666 (redescription); Mayr, 1863a PDF: 400; Roger, 1863b PDF: 6; Buckley, 1866 PDF: 155; Provancher, 1881b PDF: 355; André, 1882b PDF: 141 (in key); Provancher, 1883 PDF: 598; Provancher, 1887: 229 (in key); Nasonov, 1889: 13; Dalla Torre, 1893 PDF: 246; Ruzsky, 1896 PDF: 67; Emery, 1898a PDF: 225; Forel, 1901m PDF: 70; Ruzsky, 1903c PDF: 205; Ruzsky, 1905b: 227; Forel, 1907h PDF: 10; Wheeler, 1910g PDF: 335; Emery, 1920b PDF: 255; Creighton, 1950a PDF: 367; Smith, 1958c PDF: 143; Carter, 1962a PDF: 7 (in list); Smith, 1967a PDF: 366; Francoeur, 1975 PDF: 264; Francoeur, 1977b PDF: 207; Smith, 1979: 1427; DuBois & LaBerge, 1988: 146; Deyrup et al., 1989 PDF: 100; Wheeler et al., 1994 PDF: 305; Bolton, 1995b: 116; Mackay & Mackay, 2002 PDF: 301; Deyrup, 2003 PDF: 44; Wetterer & Wetterer, 2004 PDF: 215; Coovert, 2005 PDF: 167; Hansen & Klotz, 2005: 86; MacGown & Forster, 2005 PDF: 66; MacGown et al., 2007 PDF: 11; Ellison et al., 2012: 124; Deyrup, 2017: 196; Mackay, 2019: 292 (redescription).Senior synonym of Camponotus herculeanus herculeanopennsylvanicus: Creighton, 1950a PDF: 367; Smith, 1979: 1427; Bolton, 1995b: 117; Coovert, 2005 PDF: 167.Senior synonym of Camponotus herculeanus mohican: Creighton, 1950a PDF: 367; Smith, 1979: 1427; Bolton, 1995b: 117.
The black carpenter ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus)[1] is one of the largest and most common species of carpenter ant native to the central and eastern United States as well as eastern Canada.[2][3]
C. pennsylvanicus can be distinguished from other carpenter ant species by the dull black color of the head and body, and by whitish or yellowish hairs on the abdomen. All castes of this species (including the major and minor workers, queens and males) are black or blackish. Black carpenter ants are polymorphic, workers can be in different sizes. The queens can reach a length of 19–21 mm and the largest workers (super majors) can achieve similar sizes of around 14–17 mm . They, along with several other Camponotus species, are among the largest species of ant in North America. As with all ants, the antennae are geniculate (elbowed). Workers usually have 12 antenna segments. Alates typically have yellowish wings.
Black carpenter ants are known to forage up to 100 yd (91 m) in search of food, establishing chemical (pheromone) trails as they forage. Nests can contain thousands of individuals, and such large nests may be noticed by the audible cracking sound the workers produce. The black carpenter ant cannot sting, but the larger workers can administer a sharp bite, which can become further irritated by the spraying of formic acid onto the wound. Workers tend aphids, with the smaller workers collecting honeydew and transferring it to larger workers that carry it back to the nest. In addition, foragers feed on dead insects and plant juices.
The black carpenter ants range is almost everywhere east of the Rocky Mountains in woodlands, forest edges, and suburban communities.[4]
In their natural environment, carpenter ants nest in dead trees and other dead wood. This enhances decay, which has ecological benefits. However, the ant achieves pest status when a colony invades the wood of a house or other structure, damaging its structural integrity.[5]
Since they favor moist wood as a habitat, any condition that promotes moisture should be eliminated to prevent infestation. The easiest of these is keeping gutters clear so water does not run down the side of the structure or gain entry. Moist wood is much easier to chew. The ants do not eat the wood, but remove it to create galleries for their activities. The galleries run parallel to the grain, as they are created in the softer, non-aligning portions of the timber. The galleries have a sandpaper-like feel, due to fecal remnants, but the mud tubes produced by termites will not be present.
The black carpenter ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) is one of the largest and most common species of carpenter ant native to the central and eastern United States as well as eastern Canada.
