About Camponotus atriceps (Smith, 1858)
Camponotus atriceps (Smith, 1858), previously called C. abdominalis, is a species of carpenter ant that is endemic to the Americas. In the Amazon region, this ant has been observed attacking colonies of stingless bees from the genus Melipona, particularly the species M. flavolineata and M. fasciculata. When food is scarce, C. atriceps destroys bee hives and feeds on bee brood. Field research conducted at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental in Brazil found that C. atriceps can be attracted to empty hive trap boxes. This trap box method provides an efficient non-chemical alternative to protect managed stingless bee colonies, and can be used to control this ant (also called tracuá carpenter ant) in communal shelters that house stingless bee colonies. This ant species occupies a wide range of moist, forested habitats, including wet lowland areas, rainforest, tropical rainforests, pine or oak forests, wet montane forest, and mature wet forest. It can be found at elevations from near sea level up to 2,290 meters.
