Bug FAQCompact Carpenter Ant
Camponotus planatus · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Formicidae
The compact carpenter ant, Camponotus planatus, is a species of ant in the family Formicidae. In the Yucatán it changes its food seasonally, eating nectar from a CAM orchid in the dry season and other nectar plus insects in the wet season. Four other arthropods mimic its appearance and behavior in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It belongs to the ant family Formicidae.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
During the dry season it mainly gathers nectar from the CAM orchid Schomburgkia tibicinis. In the wet season it switches to other nectar sources and insect prey that come from C3 plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
This species is one of three Camponotus ants that have more than one queen.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Its feeding habits shift between dry and wet seasons in the Yucatán.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Four arthropods mimic C. planatus in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, including two spiders, a mirid bug, and a mantid.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 5 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does this ant eat?
In the dry season it feeds on nectar from a CAM orchid, and in the wet season it eats other nectar and insects.
Source: Wikipedia
Are there other insects that look like this ant?
Yes, four species, including two spiders, a mirid bug, and a mantid, mimic its appearance and behavior.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Formicidae)
Eastern Black Carpenter AntCamponotus pennsylvanicusCan damage your home
Red Imported Fire AntSolenopsis invictaCan sting
American Winter AntPrenolepis imparis
Argentine AntLinepithema humileNuisance, not dangerous
Immigrant Pavement AntTetramorium immigransCan sting
Odorous House AntTapinoma sessileCan damage your homeSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camponotus_planatus
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.