Camponotus atriceps
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Camponotus atriceps, previously referred to as C. abdominalis, is a species of carpenter ant, endemic to the Americas. In the Amazon region, C. atriceps has been seen attacking colonies of stingless bees of the genus Melipona, especially M. flavolineata and M. fasciculata. It destroys hives and eats brood when food is low. Field research at Embrapa Amazônia Oriental in Brazil discovered that ants can be attracted to empty hive "trap boxes," offering an efficient non-chemical alternative for safeguarding managed bee colonies. Utilization of trap boxes in communal shelters of stingless bee colonies can serve as a non-chemical method for controlling tracuá carpenter ants (C. atriceps). Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main Ridge Forest Reserve | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 2 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Caracas | 🇻🇪 Venezuela | |
| 4 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Carpenter Ant sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 198th most-seen of the 506 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August, October and December–April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical Carpenter Ant in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May–July, September and November, the lowest months.
Between 9 pm and midnight
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tropical Carpenter Ant sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
4th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Tropical Carpenter Ant sightings, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Main Ridge Forest Reserve (Trinidad and Tobago, about 20%), Yasuní National Park (Ecuador, about 10%) and Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tropical Carpenter Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (15 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.
