As both are generally sympatric and share similar habitats, including conifer forests in the northernmost parts of their range to the mixed deciduous woodlands common to central Europe, C. ligniperda deviates in that it is overall less boreal and prefers sunnier, drier areas where it is found.

Workers are active both during the day and night, foraging for insect prey or for the sweet secretions produced by sap-sucking hemipterans.

These ants like their relative C. herculeanus are extremely cold tolerant and can enter a lengthy diapause period as long as 4–5 months during the winter.

Similar to C. herculeanus, C. ligniperda is an occasional pest of structures as it can excavate into and inhabit the wooden frameworks of homes and buildings, much to the dismay of property owners.

[7][8] Treatment usually involves insecticidal spraying of known nests, usage of poison baits or fixing sources of water leaks to prevent the softening of wood that makes it ideal for invasion by these ants.