Hairy Carpenter Ant
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Kiskunság National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

32 Verified sightings at Kiskunság National Park From 2019 to 2026
167 In all 7 parks
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Hairy Carpenter Ant

Camponotus vagus is a species of large, black carpenter ant with a wide range that includes much of Europe, a large area of Asia, and part of Africa. Camponotus vagus is a relatively distinctive species that is easily identified by its large size, uniform black colour, and the long and dense body "hairs" on its exoskeleton. A eusocial insect, individuals have continuous allometric variation in size and morphology to facilitate task allocation and partitioning of work. Workers are 6–12 mm in length. The larger "major workers" act as guards for in defence of the colony and protect the smaller "minor workers" when the latter go foraging outside the nests. The powerful mandibles of the major workers are capable of decapitating smaller arthropods captured as food and dismembering smaller ants of other species.

C. vagus is known to be both carnivorous and aphidicolous (living in a mutualistic relationship with aphids and feeding upon the honeydew these smaller insects release from the terminations of their alimentary canals). This species is especially prevalent in central Europe but has an overall range from southern Scandinavia to north-western... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~40%
2 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~20%
3 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
~20%
4 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~10%
5 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
6 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
7 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
2 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%
3 Naples 🇮🇹 Italy
~10%
4 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Hairy Carpenter Ant in Kiskunság National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Hairy Carpenter Ant sighting in Kiskunság National Park on a given day, based on 32 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 9th most-seen of the 95 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Hairy Carpenter Ant in Kiskunság National Park?

April, July and September

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Hairy Carpenter Ant in Kiskunság National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and October, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Hairy Carpenter Ant?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hairy Carpenter Ant sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Kiskunság National Park the best place to see a Hairy Carpenter Ant?

Yes

Of the 7 parks where we can rate Hairy Carpenter Ant sightings, Kiskunság National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Cévennes National Park (France, about 20%) and Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia, about 20%).

Where does the Hairy Carpenter Ant sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Hairy Carpenter Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Kiskunság National Park (32 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.

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