Velvet Sugar Ant Camponotus rufoglaucus

These carpenter ants tunnel through wood, excavating galleries across multiple continents from Africa to Asia-Pacific and beyond. What earned them their distinctive common name is twofold: their velvety, dark exoskeleton appears almost soft to the eye, and their notorious attraction to sugary foods makes them regular kitchen visitors. Like their carpentering relatives, they're skilled structural engineers that can significantly weaken timber over years of tunneling. While they don't eat the wood itself—they prefer sweet substances and protein—their excavations can cause real damage to buildings and wooden structures in inhabited areas.