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Camponotus sp.
These ants are among the largest in Minnesota, but size alone isn't enough to determine if they are carpenter ants as the smallest workers are only 3/16" long. Most carpenter ants we see are larger; up to 1/2" in size. They are generally black, although some are reddish brown.
Found generally in forested areas and buildings, where they live in nests excavated in wood.
Usually I don't expect to see ants in Minnesota on a really cold winter day (-10F), but I think that on these really cold days our furnace runs constantly and warms the inter-wall spaces more than usual. As a result, carpenter ant nests that may be in the walls warm enough for them to break dormancy and become active! I found these ants out crawling around our TV room and couldn't resist taking a few shots of them before getting rid of them. Fortunately, we rarely get them in our house....
Spotted on Jan 28, 2008
Submitted on Apr 5, 2012
2 Comments
Lovely detail!
Nice shot :)