Workers are roughly 6–14 mm; queens can approach 18 mm.
Fine-art photographic collection
Camponotus ligniperda
One of Europe’s largest ants, nesting in wood without eating it.
About this species
Brown-black carpenter ant
Camponotus ligniperda(Latreille, 1802)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Camponotus ligniperda is a large European carpenter ant. Colonies usually occupy dead wood, stumps or cavities near the ground and forage for honeydew and animal food through woodland and forest edge.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Hymenoptera · Formicidae · Camponotus
Source checked · checked 2026-07-15
EuropeBroad documented localities — not a complete range map.
Central, northern and eastern Europe, extending into western Asia.
Coniferous and mixed woodland, sunny forest margins, stumps and fallen timber.
Forages mainly in warm weather, often during afternoon and evening.
Honeydew and plant exudates, with insects and carrion supplying protein.
Slow-growing colonies contain a queen and strongly polymorphic workers; mature colonies may use more than one connected nest area.
What makes this species remarkable?
The species excavates softened timber but does not digest cellulose.
Queens can survive for many years, allowing colonies to develop slowly into large societies.
Workers overwinter deep inside insulated nest chambers.
Sources and scientific references
More photographs
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