Camponotus dolendus

For a keeper stepping up from tiny starter species, this is a kind introduction to big ants. It is rated Beginner and forgiving while you find your feet, with majors that give the nest plenty of presence as it develops. Coming from Dharmsala, it is tropical and never stops for winter, so there is no cool-down to plan around. A small founding colony has a long road of growth ahead of it, which makes the early months rewarding to follow. The main thing it asks for is a damp nest side, and it repays that with steady, watchable progress.

A typical carpenter-ant diet: sugars keep the workers going and a constant nectar feeder helps, while insect prey drives brood growth. Offer protein two or three times a week to push the colony along.

★★★ readily · ★★ moderately · ★ occasionally · ✗ not eaten

This species likes its chambers very moist, so once the queen has raised nanitics in a test tube, move her to a ytong, aerated-concrete or hybrid nest you can hold at 60-75% on the warm side without flooding. Upgrade as the colony outgrows the chamber, picking a nest that rehydrates evenly given how damp it likes things. Carpenter ants this size climb with ease, so ring the arena with fluon, an oil barrier, or talc and water. ANTonTOP formicaria and starter kits give beginners a clean path.

This species likes its chambers moist, so keep the nest side fairly humid at 60-75% and the arena drier at 40-60%, with the nest at 24-27 °C and the arena at 24-28 °C. Heat one end to build a gradient while keeping that nest side damp. It needs no winter rest, so keep it warm and feeding all year.

Founding is slow, then the pace lifts as workers grow in number, heading toward 8,000-10,000 at full size. Your colony ships as a laying queen with her workers and a batch of brood.

• This ant comes from the foothills around Dharamshala in northern India, a warm, humid setting that suits its taste for damp nests.
• Carpenter ants of this kind nest in wood by hollowing it out and never eat the timber itself.
• The genus belongs to the formic-acid subfamily, so defence is a bite and an acid spray rather than a sting.
• A laying queen heads a single-queen colony that can grow large, so a small founding group has a long road of expansion ahead.

Is this ant good for beginners?

Yes, it is rated Beginner and a good first carpenter ant.

Does this tropical carpenter ant need a winter rest?

No, it is tropical and active year-round.

Does Camponotus dolendus sting or bite?

No, there is no sting, just a mild bite.

How big can the colony get?

Up to 8,000-10,000 workers.

How large is the queen?

The queen is 13-15 mm, with majors of 11-14 mm.

How quickly does the colony grow?

Slow early, then steady as the first workers mature.

What does it eat?

Sugar water or nectar plus insects such as crickets and flies; no seeds.

How is it shipped?

As a queen with workers and brood, with a heat or cool pack, dispatched within 24 h with tracking for safe live arrival.

Escape prevention. Coat the inner rim of every open arena with fluon (PTFE), or use talc-and-water or an oil barrier as a backup, and keep a tight, fine-mesh lid on top. Check the barrier regularly, since dust, condensation and feeding debris break a fluon line over time. Keep tubing connectors tight and seal any gaps in the nest.

Keeping reminders. Always offer fresh water and never let the nest dry out completely. Give carbohydrates continuously and protein a few times a week, and remove uneaten insect prey within 24 hours before it moulds. Keep the formicarium out of direct sunlight and away from constant vibration, which stresses a young colony. A water-filled test tube plugged with cotton makes an ideal spare incubator whenever you need one.

Before you buy – do not rehouse too early. Have a test-tube setup or a small formicarium with an outworld and a working barrier ready before your colony arrives. A founding colony grows slowly at first, which is normal. Moving a small colony into a large nest too soon invites mould, mites and stress, and the workers die off one by one. Keep the colony in its open test tube on the arena, plug the nest entrance with cotton, and open up the next chambers only once the colony fills roughly 10-15% of the space.

What we ship. Every colony ships with a live-arrival guarantee, backed by our 24h unboxing-video guarantee: if the queen does not arrive alive, we reship free. Parcels travel with DHL, InPost (PL) or EMS, with a heat or cold pack to suit the season, packed discreetly and securely. We ship across the EU and worldwide, with free shipping over the Europe threshold.