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Sticker of Hawaiian carpenter ant
Bug card No. 2194 of 4,939

Hawaiian carpenter ant

Camponotus variegatus
Eats: A bit of everythingAntsHouses and farms6 legs

The Hawaiian carpenter ant is a carpenter ant that lives in many warm places. It is found in Hawaii, but also across southern Asia and on Pacific islands. It is not fussy about food at all.

Lives in
Hawaii, Pacific islands and southern Asia, often near houses
Top speed
about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)
On foot, estimate
What does it eat?
It eats small insects and sweet honeydew, and it will also help itself to most foods from the kitchen cupboard.
For real!Photo of Hawaiian carpenter ant
Picture by April Nobile. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Scientists have split it into fifteen subspecies, living from Sri Lanka and India to New Guinea and Hawaii.

2

It can sneak into kitchens and eat sugar, bread and other pantry food.

3

Carpenter ants got their name because many of them make their nests in wood.

4

One subspecies has even been found as far away as Turkey.

you asked

Most asked questions about Hawaiian carpenter ant

?What does the Hawaiian carpenter ant eat?

Small insects, honeydew and most kinds of food from the kitchen.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Camponotus variegatus
Named by
Smith, 1858
Group
Ants
Family
Formicidae
Classification
Insecta > Hymenoptera > Formicidae
Lives on
Australia and Oceania, Asia

Where the facts come from

  1. Camponotus variegatus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by April Nobile. CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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