### animal | arthropod | insect | ant:

Carpenter ant
* All carpenter ants have one node, and the top line of the thorax is very even.
* Carpenter Ants are nocturnal
  - omnivorous
  - unique
* Carpenter Ants are very common in areas that have a high water table
  - pests in American homes
  - get their name by mining out galleries in dead, damp wood
* Most carpenter ants adapt to conditions
  - nighttime conditions
  - cause damage
  - feed on plants
* Most carpenter ants have ability
  - diets
* Most carpenter ants live in colonies
  - forest ecosystems
  - use trails
* Some carpenter ants enter homes.
* Some carpenter ants feed on fruit
* Some carpenter ants have guides
  - nodes
  - single nodes
* Some carpenter ants undergo complete metamorphosis
* are a favorite food of pileated woodpeckers
  - threat to people because they make nests in and around our homes
  - wood nesting member of the ant family
  - active
* are among the largest ants in Minnesota
  - the north central states
  - that people encounter around their homes
  - attracted by moisture, and usually enter the residential structure on tree limbs
  - black
  - capable of attacking sound wood and often nest in living trees
  - found all over North America, except in the Arctic
  - generally jet black, but there are some species that are reddish in color
* are large ants that remove dead wood to build nests
  - black ants that usually construct their nests in decaying wood
  - blacks ants about one half inch in length
  - largely nocturnal, with workers leaving the nest at night to forage for food
  - most active late in the day or early evening
* are one of the larger ants in Maine
  - largest of all ant species
  - most beneficial predators in the forest ecosystem
* are one of the most common ants found in Kentucky
  - pests found in New England
  - underrated pests there are
  - scavengers and predators taking whatever food they can find
  - social hymenopteran insects
* are social insects that form large colonies in moist, soft, decaying wood
  - usually nest in wood
  - usuallynest in wood
  - which form large colonies
  - sometimes confused with termites because they can also damage wood
  - the largest of the house-infesting ants
* are usually larger than most other house infesting ants
* are very common and are frequently seen in the open, especially after sunset
  - difficult to kill or exclude in some areas of the country
  - large, black, and have a highly segmented body and large easily visible jaw
* belong to the largest of all ant groups.
* bite people when disturbed.
* build nests in wood, in logs, stumps,telephone poles, and buildings.
* can and do nest in insulation
  - cause structural damage as they excavate nesting galleries in wood
* can damage structures sometimes to a greater extend than termites
  - wood used in the construction of buildings
  - easily drop to a structure from tree limbs as high as five feet above the roof
  - nest in or just outside a house and invade rooms in search of food
  - seriously damage wood structures
  - weaken wood in structures
* come from outside in the spring and summer looking for food.
* enter buildings in search of food.
  - sources of protein and sugar
* form nests in wood by tunneling against the grain.
* function differently than many other species with some special adaptations.
* have a single node between the thorax and abdomen
  - very thin waist, termites are thick at the waist
  - mandibulate or chewing mouthparts
  - vary diets
* hollow out areas in wood to use as rearing chambers for the young ants.
* keep occupied galleries clean.
* lack stings but are able to spray a little formic acid.
* leave clean, smooth tunnels.
* like to eat insects and juicy fruits.
* live a very long time
* love to nest in firewood
  - wet places
* make a scraping noise as they excavate wood for their galleries
  - two types of nests
* nest in both moist and dry wood, but prefer wood which is moist
  - moist wood
* play an important role in the forest ecosystem.
* prefer to establish nests in areas where wood has been exposed to severe moisture.
* prefer to nest in decayed, often water-damaged wood
  - wood that has been damaged by termites or decay
  - travel along wires, pipes and edges
* produce large numbers of queens and males during late summer.
* reside both outdoors and indoors in moist, decaying or hollow wood.
* seek water-damaged wood because it is easier to excavate than sound wood.
* sound like crinkling cellophane.
* tunnel into wood to form nest galleries.
* undergo complete metamorphosis , in four stages from egg to adult.