Camponotus castaneus
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Camponotus castaneus, the red hazelnut carpenter ant, is a species of carpenter ant located in the eastern United States. It is a primarily orangish-red ant in the family Camponotus. Its workers are usually around 8-10 mm, and queens around 18-20 mm. As with most Camponotus species, C. castaneus has majors and super-majors, usually appearing in the second or third year of the colony's founding, majors are usually 10-14 mm, with super majors being around 13-17 mm. C. castaneus has a generalist diet, feeding on insects and carbohydrates such as honeydew, which is easily accessible. The ant has a smooth thorax and abdomen, with 1 node separating them.
Similar to other Camponotus, C. castaneus will go into a hibernation-like state during the winter, called diapause. Though, unlike other ants, they go into diapause very early, usually during the first cool days of fall, they stop foraging; this is usually the reason they are not seen during fall or winter. In some hot areas, such as Southern Florida, they still go through diapause during fall and winter, regardless of the temperatures.
Like all ants, C. castaneus has 4 life stages: egg, larva... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut Carpenter Ant sighting in New York City on a given day, based on 125 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 226th most-seen of the 1623 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and June
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut Carpenter Ant in New York City on a given day, against under 5% in May and July–March, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chestnut Carpenter Ant sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Chestnut Carpenter Ant sightings, New York City ranks 4th at under 5%. The best odds are in Washington (United States, about 10%), Baltimore (United States, about 10%) and Philadelphia (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Camponotus
The closest relatives of the Chestnut Carpenter Ant that you can see in New York City (genus Camponotus, Carpenter Ants, Typical Sugar Ants and Allies) are Eastern Black Carpenter Ant (about 10%), Ferruginous Carpenter Ant (about 10%) and Bearded Carpenter Ant (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chestnut Carpenter Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in New York City (125 verified sightings), 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.
