pale yellowish and ashy pubescence. Body hairs are suberect or 
erect, yellowish, and moderately abundant. 
The black carpenter ant does not eat wood. It simply removes 
it in order to produce galleries which serve as its nest. Its natural 
food consists largely of dead and live insects, honeydew, sap, 
juices of well-ripened fruits, and refuse. It also feeds on various 
household foods such as different kinds of sweets, raw and cooked 
meats, and fruits. 
Live trees are occasionally infested but usually only when the 
ants are able to enter them through cracks, scars, knot holes, and 
decayed or other faulty places. Once inside the tree, they remove 
the faulty wood and often extend their galleries into adjacent 
soundwood. A wide variety of trees such as poplar, cherry, white 
and pitch pine, balsam fir, elm, willow, and red, white, scarlet, 
black, and post oaks have been found infested. Infestations fre- 
quently are located near the base but may occur very high in a 
tree. Infested trees are often subject to serious injury. They are 
frequently weakened to the point that they are subject to wind- 
breakage. The wood also may be rendered worthless for lumber or 
pulpwood (fig. 200). 
Houses also are often invaded by carpenter ants coming from 
nests located nearby outdoors. Possibilities of this happening are 
greatest where houses are located in the vicinity of trees, logs, or 
stumps. Entry is usually gained through openings around the 
foundation or from tree branches in contact with the house. The 
woodwork may be attacked in any number of places, but the most 
commonly damaged parts are supporting timbers, porch pillars, 
sills, girders, joists, studs, window casings, and external trim. 
The galleries are similar to those constructed by termites. They 
differ in that they run across the grain, are sandpaper smooth, 
COURTESY CONN. AGR. EXPT. STA. 
FIGURE 199.—Black carpen- 
ter ant, Camponotus penn- 
sylvanicus: A, Adult 
winged female; B, adult 
winged male. 
A487 
