Camponotus vagus
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 4 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 5 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 6 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Hairy Carpenter Ant sighting in Plitvice Lakes National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 51 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and June
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Hairy Carpenter Ant in Plitvice Lakes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and August–October, the lowest months. December has too few records to rate.
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.
3rd of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Hairy Carpenter Ant sightings, Plitvice Lakes National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 40%) and Cévennes National Park (France, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hairy Carpenter Ant is recorded against all the insects logged in Plitvice Lakes National Park (5 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.
