SEASONAL AND DAILY ACTIVITY PATTERNS OF CARPENTER ANTS (CAMPONOTUS SPP.) IN NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE)

Abstract

AbstractSeasonal and daily activity of three carpenter ants, Camponotus herculeanus, C. noveboracensis and C. pennsylvanicus in northwestern Ontario, was measured by counting the ants moving along underground trails. The start of seasonal activity was temperature dependent. Activity peaked in June and early July, corresponding to the period of rapid larval growth, and thereafter declined independently of temperature, ceasing in early October. Few ants (between 4 and 6%) carried visible objects. Daily activity was correlated with temperatures in early June, with the peak in mid-afternoon. However, as the season progressed activity extended further into the night, C. pennsylvanicus becoming virtually nocturnal. Temperatures inside the nest during larval development were raised as much as 16 °C above normal, presumably by metabolic heat from the ants.