Camponotus fedtschenkoi

This carpenter ant carries the classic Camponotus appeal: a big queen, a polymorphic worker force, and slow, watchable behaviour you can study for years. It comes from Samarkand, a region of warm days and cool nights, so it appreciates a clear temperature gradient across the setup. The colony is monogyne and founds claustral, meaning the queen seals herself away and raises the first brood on her own reserves. Its nocturnal rhythm and steady pace earn the intermediate rating, rewarding a keeper who already understands heating and humidity.

Sugars keep the night-time foragers going, so a permanent nectar feeder suits them, while insect prey feeds the brood. Two or three protein meals a week keep the queen laying through the colony’s slow, steady build.

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

This Central Asian carpenter ant does well in a low-humidity ytong, aerated-concrete or hybrid nest dampened only to 50-60%, with a roomy foraging arena. Found the queen in a test tube and keep a young colony in a small nest so it stays close to food, then upgrade as worker numbers climb toward several thousand. Confident climbers, they test the walls, so line the rim with fluon, an oil barrier, or talc and water. ANTonTOP formicaria and starter kits suit exactly this growth curve.

There is no winter rest with this species, so keep it active and fed all year, with no cool period needed. Keep the nest at 24-26 °C and the arena at 24-30 °C, with nest humidity 50-60% and the arena at 40-50%. Heat one end only, with a mat or cable on the side, so the ants can choose their spot along a gradient.

The founding queen is slow to raise her first workers, then the colony picks up speed and can reach several thousand at maturity. Your colony arrives as a laying queen with her workers and brood.

• The species is named after Alexei Fedtschenko, a Russian explorer of 19th-century Central Asia whose expeditions documented much of the region’s wildlife.
• It comes from around Samarkand in Uzbekistan, a land of hot days and sharply cooler nights, which is why a clear temperature gradient suits it.
• Carpenter-ant queens are long-lived for insects, so a founding queen can head this colony for many years.
• The genus nests in wood without eating it and defends itself with formic acid and a bite rather than a sting.

Is this a good ant for beginners?

It is rated Intermediate; easy to feed, but its nocturnal rhythm and heating needs suit a keeper with some experience.

Does this nocturnal carpenter ant need a winter rest?

No. It is a tropical-pattern species, active and feeding all year with no cool rest.

Does Camponotus fedtschenkoi sting or bite?

No. There is no sting, only a mild bite.

How big does the colony get?

Up to several thousand workers at maturity.

How large is the queen?

The queen measures 12-14 mm.

How fast does it grow?

Slow at first while the queen raises the founding brood, then faster as worker numbers build.

What does it eat?

Sugar water or nectar for energy and insects like crickets or flies for protein.

Will the colony arrive alive?

Yes. It ships as queen plus workers and brood with a heat or cool pack, sent within 24 h with tracking.

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.