Carpenter Ant vs Cotesia Congregata

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Carpenter Ant Cotesia Congregata
Scientific Name Camponotus pennsylvanicus Cotesia congregata
Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae Braconidae
Size 6-13 mm 2-3 mm
Habitat Woodlands Farmland
Diet Wood Feeders Parasitoids
Regions Eastern North America North America
Conservation Not Evaluated Not Evaluated

Carpenter Ant

The largest common ant in North America, excavating smooth galleries in dead wood for nesting. Unlike termites, they do not eat wood but merely remove it to create living space.

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Did You Know?

Injured workers that cannot keep up during colony relocations are carried by nestmates to the new site.

Cotesia Congregata

A gregarious endoparasitoid whose larvae emerge en masse from hornworm caterpillars to spin white cocoons on the host's skin. It is a well-known natural enemy of tobacco and tomato hornworms.

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Did You Know?

Up to 300 larvae can emerge from a single hornworm caterpillar, covering it in tiny white silk cocoons.