Camponotus consobrinus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The banded sugar ant (Camponotus consobrinus), also known as the sugar ant, is a species of ant native to Australia. A member of the genus Camponotus in the subfamily Formicinae, it was described by German entomologist Wilhelm Ferdinand Erichson in 1842. Its common name refers to the ant's liking for sugar and sweet food, as well as the distinctive orange-brown band that wraps around its gaster.
The ant is polymorphic and relatively large, with two different castes of workers: major workers (also known as soldiers), and minor workers. These two group of workers measure around 5 to 15 millimetres (0.2 to 0.6 in) in length, while the queen ants are even larger. Mainly nocturnal, banded sugar ants prefer a mesic habitat, and are commonly found in forests and woodlands. They also occur in urban areas, where they are considered a household pest. The ant's diet includes sweet secretions that are retrieved from aphids and other insects that it tends. This species is a competitor of the meat ant (Iridomyrmex purpureus); food robbery and nest-plugging are known to occur between these two ants. Workers prey on insects, killing them with a spray of formic acid. Banded sugar ants are preyed upon by other ants, echidnas, and birds. The eggs of this species were consumed by Indigenous Australians. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Maria Island National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Sugar Ant sighting in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 54 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 57th most-seen of the 789 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January and June–July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Sugar Ant in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, against about 10% in February–May and August–December, the lowest months.
Between 3 and 6 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Banded Sugar Ant sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
5th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Banded Sugar Ant sightings, Blue Mountains National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Grampians National Park (Australia, about 40%), Maria Island National Park (Australia, about 30%) and Freycinet National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same genus: Camponotus
The closest relatives of the Banded Sugar Ant that you can see in Blue Mountains National Park (genus Camponotus, Carpenter Ants, Typical Sugar Ants and Allies) are Giant Sugar Ant (about 10%), Black-Headed Sugar Ant (about 10%) and Camponotus suffusus (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Banded Sugar Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Blue Mountains National Park (54 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
