"Will it chew through my house?" is the first question I hear from a first-time ant keeper or any ant keeper's parents when they look at carpenter ants.
 
A quick disclaimer: your house will be safe if it's not made from a crumbly and rotting foundation. There will only be ants if there's water leaking through.
 
Camponotus nearcticus is a timid species and the smaller carpenter ant among Canadian species. Despite being a carpenter ant species, Camponotus nearcticus is fun-sized, with queens as small as 8mm, and workers as small as 3.5mm. However, with a smaller colony size, it's also far shyer and, being arboreal, is rarely seen by the people it often lives so close to.
 
Like other carpenter ants, it prefers low humidity from 30-50% and slightly higher temperature at 25-28 degrees Celsius. However, it is one of the slowest growers among carpenter ants.
 
These ants typically nest in decaying wood, dead twigs, and branches, and are commonly found in forests, prairies, and woodlands across the United States and Canada. Colonies are relatively small, usually consisting of only a few hundred individuals.
 
In Canada, Camponotus nearcticus typically has its nuptial flights from May to July. These flights usually occur during warm, humid evenings, often after a rainfall. This timing helps ensure the success of the mating process as the conditions are optimal for the alates to disperse and establish new colonies.
 
Note: Live ants ONLY SHIP within CANADA.