Black carpenter ant

Black carpenter ants are a species of ant known by the scientific name Camponotus pennsylvanicus. They are mostly found in outdoor wooded areas and range in size from 1/4-1/2 inches. Many people confuse black carpenter ants as termites. The black carpenter ant can be a pretty big pest in rural areas in the United States because they can destroy a home's wooden structures. 

Body Design
Carpenter ants, like most ants have three different body segments. The three body segments are the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. Within these three different body segments there are other separate body structures of the carpenter ant. Some of these are the mesosoma, petiole, and the gaster. The petiole is made up of a single node, and is located between the mesosoma and the gaster. The mesosoma is located directly after the head and has a smooth, curved top. The gaster is located at the very back of the carpenter ant and has thin light colored hairs on it. All three of these body segments are part of either the abdomen or the thorax. The mesosoma makes up the thorax plus the first abdominal segment. Also the gaster makes up the last segments of the abdomen.  Another main part of the black carpenter ant is its 6 legs. These legs are used for locomotion. The legs are connected to the thorax. On the head of the ant there are two antennae. Ants use these antennae to feel, to smell, and to hear vibrations. 

Life Cycle
Like most insects black carpenter ants develop through four different life stages. These include the egg, larva, pupa, and adult. As a larva the black carpenter ant resembles a grub-like species that has no legs. As a pupa the ant is in a tan colored cocoon. The development from the egg to adult stage takes about 2 months. Black carpenter ants live in colonies. They have a "caste" system. The worker ants are the most common caste. The queen ant is a female form of the black carpenter ant. Another caste would be the swarmer. The swarmers main purpose is to reproduce. Soon after mating, the queen gets rid of her wings and finds a cavity or hole in a piece of wood or lumber and lays her eggs. The black carpenter ant queen can lay 15 to 20 eggs. This egg laying process can take up to 15 days.

Ecology
Normally, when black carpenter ants are in their natural environment they have good ecological benefits. This is because they live inside of trees that are dead. This dead wood from the trees need to decay in order to for there to be new trees in its place. This decaying process is sped up by the black carpenter ants when they nest inside of these trees. Black carpenter ants eat a substance called honeydew. This honeydew is secreted from a species called aphids. The aphids are taken as "pets" by the black carpenter ants. The aphids are taken care of, and the black carpenter ants receive the honeydew from the aphids. This has some ecological benefits.  Black carpenter ants live in colonies. These colonies need protection, so in rural environments when these black carpenter ants are looking for a place to live they will find a house and dig their way into the side of a wooden structure. This can damage the structures integrity.

Pest or Not
Normally, the black carpenter ants natural environment that they live in dead trees. This actually has many ecological benefits. Although when a black carpenter ant gets into a rural environment, the black carpenter ant can be very destructive. They can occupy a house or some other wooden establishment and destroy the wood in a relatively short time. When this happens it can be very costly to home owners, so many people hire exterminators to get rid of these pests. Some ways of eliminating the black carpenter ant infestation would be to get rid of any wet wood. Wet wood is much easier to chew through and can cause a lot of property damage.