Shiny sugar ant

Camponotus cinctellus · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Formicidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Shiny sugar ant
Photo: Wynand Uys, CC BY

Workers have a shimmering golden-hued hair covering on the abdomen (gaster). Their legs are reddish, which sets them apart from the smaller Camponotus sericeus.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Workers show a shimmering, golden-hued pubescence on the gaster.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

The reddish colour of the legs distinguishes this ant from the similar but smaller C. sericeus.

Source: Wikipedia

Questions people ask

How can I tell a shiny sugar ant apart from similar ants?

Look for the golden-shimmering hair on the abdomen and the reddish legs; these features separate it from the smaller C. sericeus.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Formicidae)

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camponotus_cinctellus

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.

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This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

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