Bay Area Ants

      Camponotus are some of the largest ants on the planet. They are infamous in the pest control industry because they oftentimes chew their nest into houses using their large soldiers, which is where they get their name "carpenter ants". This genus is surprisingly diverse however, and most of the species in the genus Camponotus  aren't actually household pests.      For example, one of my favorite species in my collection, Camponotus quercicola ,  will only nest in live trees belonging to a species of oak indigenous to California. Some other species, such as Camponotus clarithorax , will only nest in soil.      These ants' diversity, size, and polymorphism (ability to produce minor, media, and major workers), make them a very attractive species to keep as pets. In this post, I will cover how to successfully raise Camponotus  queens and colonies found in the Bay Area, and other similar climates. The Basics       Camponotus  is generally regarded as a very sl