Florida Carpenter Ant
Camponotus floridanus
Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat wood; they merely excavate it to build clean, polished nesting galleries.
- Scientific name
- Camponotus floridanus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Hymenoptera › Formicidae › Camponotus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, rotten logs, and wooden structures.
- Diet
- Honeydew from aphids, plant nectar, dead insects, and sugary substances.
- Range
- Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina
- Size
- Workers: 5 to 13 mm; Queens: up to 15 mm.
- Lifespan
- Workers live 6 to 12 months; queens can live up to 10 to 15 years.
- Active
- nocturnal
- Threats
- Pesticide use, habitat fragmentation, and competition with invasive ant species like the red imported fire ant.
- Safe to approach?
- Defensive. While they lack a stinger, they can deliver a painful bite with their powerful mandibles and spray formic acid into the wound, causing a burning sensation. Observe them without disturbing their trails or nests. If bitten, wash the area with soap and water, and apply a cold compress to relieve mild irritation.
Camponotus floridanus , or Florida carpenter ant , is a species of ant in the genus Camponotus . First described as Formica floridana by Buckley in 1866, the species was moved to Camponotus by Mayr in 1886.
Photo: Bob Peterson, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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