Camponotus castaneus
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut Carpenter Ant sighting in Congaree National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 99th most-seen of the 145 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Chestnut Carpenter Ant in Congaree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July, September–October and December–May, 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.
Yes
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Chestnut Carpenter Ant sightings, Congaree National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%) and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chestnut Carpenter Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Congaree National Park (7 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.
