Insects and Spiders - native

Brick Carpenter Ant (Camponotus semitestaceus) on May 4, 2020

Submitter has sample

Description of specimen

It looks very identical to the Banded Sugar Ant found in Australia. I also noticed that their nests were along the trail in the ground, where there weren't any nearby tree stumps or logs unlike typical carpenter ant nests in Oregon.

Commentary

Dear Connar, here is the response from my taxonomist, Josh:
The ant in the submitted image is not an Australian banded sugar ant, Camponotus consobrinus. This is a member of the genus Camponotus, which are generally called carpenter ants. Stumps aren’t necessary for their presence, they are big, mobile ants and will travel a long way from their nests, also they find suitable wood in damaged living trees, subterranean roots, and buildings too.
We have more than a dozen species in Oregon. Based on the coloration, I’d guess Camponotus semitestaceus, but I can’t see enough detail to be sure. The banded sugar ant appears to consistently have the abdomen dark with the first segment pale. The imaged specimen has a mostly pale (orangish brown) abdomen with a few segments darkened toward the apex. We have several species that appear similar to banded sugar ant.

Let me know if you have questions,

Joshua Vlach
Entomologist
Oregon Dept. of Agriculture

Helmuth Rogg
May 5, 2020, 6:16 a.m.