ABSTRACT
Componotus is the largest ant genus with about one thousand species worldwide (Brown 1973). However, only members in the subgenera Componotus, Myrmentoma, Tanaemyrmex, and Myrmothrix are pests of structures and other wood products. The carpenter anťs role as a structural pest in areas of the world other than North America is poorly documented. Indeed, only two European papers detail structural damage by carpenter ants (Butovitsch 1976; Benois 1972). Similarly, only in the last 10 years have carpenter ants been recognized as important North American structural pests. This has been mainly due to Creighton’s (1950) misleading statements, which indicated that attacks by carpenter ants occur only on wood in various stages of decay. Information on the biology of Componotus is sparse; however, available data indicate that species causing structural damage are biologically similar. This chapter covers only the biology of North American and European wood-damaging species.
