# Bearded Carpenter ant (*Camponotus subbarbatus*) The Bearded Carpenter Ant is a busy little insect that loves to build its home in wood. They have fuzzy, bearded-looking jaws that help them carry food and build their nests. - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 10 - **Habitat:** Forests ![Bearded Carpenter ant](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Camponotus_subbarbatus_casent0103351_profile_1.jpg&width=800) Photo: April Nobile, CC BY 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camponotus_subbarbatus_casent0103351_profile_1.jpg) ## Appearance The Bearded Carpenter ant has a reddish-brown head and thorax, often with a darker, sometimes black, abdomen. Its defining feature is a distinct 'beard' of stiff bristles, called psammophores, located beneath its head. This coloration and beard help distinguish it from other carpenter ant species. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Insecta - **Order:** Hymenoptera - **Family:** Formicidae - **Genus:** Camponotus ## Interesting facts - A queen ant can live for over 15 years, laying thousands of eggs throughout her life! - Some carpenter ants have different sized workers, like tiny scouts and giant defenders! - These ants use their sense of smell to follow invisible trails left by their friends! - When threatened, they bang their heads against tunnel walls to warn their colony! ## Special abilities - **Beard Power:** Bearded Carpenter ants can carry small particles like sand and food crumbs using the stiff bristles under their head, which helps them clean and forage. - **Wood Architect:** Bearded Carpenter ants excavate galleries in decaying wood using their strong mandibles, which helps them create safe nesting sites for their colony. - **Acid Defense:** Bearded Carpenter ants can spray formic acid from their abdomens when threatened, which helps them deter predators and defend their nest. ## Measurements & details - **Size:** 6-12 mm - **Lifespan:** 60-365 days - **Leg Count:** 6 - **Colony Size:** 10000 ## Diet & Feeding They are omnivores, munching on sweet plant juices and small insects they find. - **Primary Foods:** honeydew, nectar, tree sap, small insects, insect carcasses - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Depends on:** cotton aphid (*Aphis gossypii*) — They 'farm' aphids for their sweet honeydew. - **Eaten by:** [pileated woodpecker](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pileated-woodpecker) (*Dryocopus pileatus*) — Woodpeckers dig into wood nests to find them. - **Shelter:** [white oak](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-oak) (*Quercus alba*) — They nest inside dead or decaying oak trees. - **Eaten by:** red wood ant (*Formica rufa*) — Predatory ants sometimes raid their nests. ## Traits - [Furry](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/furry): Furry describes animals possessing a dense covering of soft hair or fur. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Omnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/omnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter. - [Tool Use](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/tool-use): This trait describes organisms that manipulate external objects to achieve a specific goal. - [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. ## Collections - [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Don't disturb ant nests; they are working hard and can bite if scared. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Bearded Carpenter ant? Compare the antennae, waist segments, body proportions and size. Workers, queens and males of the same species can look surprisingly different. Ant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How big is Bearded Carpenter ant? 6-12 mm ### How long does Bearded Carpenter ant live? 60-365 days ### What does Bearded Carpenter ant eat? They are omnivores, munching on sweet plant juices and small insects they find. ### Where is Bearded Carpenter ant usually found? Forests ### How does Bearded Carpenter ant hunt? Foraging ### How many legs does Bearded Carpenter ant have? 6 ### How large are Bearded Carpenter ant colonies? 10000 ## Where to spot - [Fort Tryon Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fort-tryon-park) — New York, US · Park - [Hickory Hill Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hickory-hill-park) — Iowa, US · Nature Reserve - [Lock and Dam No. 19](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/lock-and-dam-no-19) — Illinois, US · Historic Site - [Hocking Valley Scenic Railway Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hocking-valley-scenic-railway-historic-district) — Ohio, US · Historic District - [Iowa State Fairgrounds](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/iowa-state-fairgrounds) — Iowa, US · Historic District - [Meadowlark Botanical Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/meadowlark-botanical-gardens) — Virginia, US · Botanical Garden [View all places to see Bearded Carpenter ant](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/bearded-carpenter-ant) ## More Insects - [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) - [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*) - [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*) - [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*) --- Source: [Bearded Carpenter ant: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bearded-carpenter-ant)