# Florida Carpenter Ant (*Camponotus floridanus*) The Florida Carpenter Ant is a big, black ant that loves to build its home in wood. They work together in groups to find food and keep their nest safe. Watch out for them in your backyard! - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 8 - **Habitat:** Forests ![Florida Carpenter Ant](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Camponotus_floridanus_casent0104894_profile_1.jpg&width=800) Photo: April Nobile, CC BY 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camponotus_floridanus_casent0104894_profile_1.jpg) ## Appearance The Florida Carpenter Ant is a relatively large ant, easily recognized by its reddish-brown head and thorax contrasting with a darker, often black, abdomen. It has a distinctive single, upright node between its thorax and abdomen, and appears robust and somewhat hairy. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Insecta - **Order:** Hymenoptera - **Family:** Formicidae - **Genus:** Camponotus ## Interesting facts - Queens can live for an astonishing 20 years, making them super long-lived insects! - Some ants "farm" tiny insects called aphids to collect their sugary liquid, honeydew. - These ants are mostly active at night, searching for food while others sleep! - They don't eat the wood they tunnel through; they just make homes inside it! ## Special abilities - **Wood Excavators:** Florida Carpenter Ant can carve extensive tunnels in wood that helps them create safe, large nests for their colony. - **Pheromone Pathfinders:** Florida Carpenter Ant can lay invisible chemical trails that helps them guide nestmates to food sources and new homes. - **Formic Acid Defense:** Florida Carpenter Ant can spray irritating formic acid that helps them deter predators and defend their territory. - **Community Stomach:** Florida Carpenter Ant has a special crop to store liquid food that helps them share meals with their entire colony. ## Measurements & details - **Wingspan:** 20-40 mm - **Size:** 6-20 mm - **Lifespan:** 365-7300 days - **Leg Count:** 6 - **Colony Size:** 10000 ## Diet & Feeding They are omnivores, eating sweet liquids like nectar and honeydew, as well as dead insects. - **Primary Foods:** Honeydew, Nectar, Fruit juice, Dead insects, Small invertebrates - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Symbiotic with:** Cotton Aphid (*Aphis gossypii*) — They tend these aphids for their sugary honeydew, a valuable food source. - **Eaten by:** [Northern Cardinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/northern-cardinal) (*Cardinalis cardinalis*) — Young alates flying during mating season can be snatched by birds. - **Shelter:** [Human](https://www.snappit.app/explore/human) (*Homo sapiens*) — They often build nests inside human homes, seeking shelter and food. ## 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. - [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. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [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 touch ants, as they can bite if they feel scared. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Florida 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. ### What is Florida Carpenter Ant's wingspan? 20-40 mm ### How big is Florida Carpenter Ant? 6-20 mm ### How long does Florida Carpenter Ant live? 365-7300 days ### What does Florida Carpenter Ant eat? They are omnivores, eating sweet liquids like nectar and honeydew, as well as dead insects. ### Where is Florida Carpenter Ant usually found? Forests ### How does Florida Carpenter Ant hunt? Foraging ### How many legs does Florida Carpenter Ant have? 6 ## Where to spot - [Bok Tower Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bok-tower-gardens) — Florida, US · Botanical Garden - [Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fairchild-tropical-botanic-garden) — Florida, US · Botanical Garden - [Miami Beach Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/miami-beach-botanical-garden) — US · Botanical Garden - [St. Augustine Town Plan Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/st-augustine-town-plan-historic-district) — Florida, US · Historic District - [Bay Shore Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bay-shore-historic-district) — Florida, US · Historic District - [Goethe State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/goethe-state-forest) — Florida, US · Forest [View all places to see Florida Carpenter Ant](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/florida-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: [Florida Carpenter Ant: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/florida-carpenter-ant)