Japanese Carpenter Ant Camponotus japonicus

These are among the world's largest ants, and their jet-black colonies can contain anywhere from a handful to thousands of individuals. Don't let the "carpenter" name fool you though—they're mostly powerful foragers and builders, not wood-tunnelers. What makes them genuinely interesting is their farming habit: they protect and cultivate aphids for honeydew, creating tiny livestock operations on plants. In nature they're harmless, but when they discover your home is an even better foraging opportunity, they become a real pest. The largest populations are found in northern China, where these already impressive ants grow even more impressive.