General: Western Carpenter Ants (Camponotus modoc) are big black ants of the mountains that nest in wood, usually old logs. Workers and guards are different sizes, but carpenter ants in general are the largest species of ants around Las Vegas. These ants are carnivores that hunt live bugs and collect dead ones; they tunnel into logs to build nests -- not food.

Taxonomy: Class Insecta, Order Hymenoptera, Family Formicidae, Subfamily Formicinae

Where to Find: If you spend any time hiking on Mt. Charleston, you likely will encounter these ants. It seems they like to crawl on people and up pant legs, but fortunately, these big ants rarely bite.