Camponotus floridanus

In 2010 this became one of the first two ant species ever to have its genome sequenced, and it is now a model organism for the genetics of caste and behaviour, so you are keeping a piece of research history. The reddish-orange head and legs against a jet-black gaster make it a looker, and growth is quick: a young colony fills out fast and the arena gets busy in a single season. The queen founds entirely on her own and no winter cooling is needed, so it stays productive year-round and rewards a beginner with visible progress.

A classic omnivorous carpenter ant: foragers gather sugars and honeydew for the workforce while protein from insects fuels the queen’s brood. Keep a sweet source out at all times and add protein two to three times a week as the colony grows.

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

The founding queen ships in a test tube; leave her until the first nanitics harden, then move to a small formicarium with an outworld. This ant tunnels into damp or decayed wood, so choose a moisture-holding nest, Ytong, 3D-printed or acrylic with a hydrated section, near 50-70%. It can pass ten thousand workers, so plan room to expand. As a strong climber it needs a firm arena rim of fluon (PTFE), oil, or talc and water. An ANTonTOP formicarium and starter kit cover nest, arena and barrier in one set.

No hibernation is needed; the colony stays active across the year, with at most a slight winter slowdown and no cooling required. Keep the nest fairly cool at 24-28 °C and the arena warmer at 26-32 °C, set up as a gradient. Humidity sits at 50-70% in the nest and 30-50% in the arena. Because it nests in damp or decayed wood in the wild, a moisture-holding nest keeps the brood comfortable.

One of the quicker-growing carpenter ants of the eastern United States. Year one brings roughly 1,000 workers, and by year two to three the colony heads toward a mature colony of well over 10,000, with wild colonies reaching tens of thousands. You receive a captive-bred fertilised queen with her first workers and brood, ready to expand once she is settled.

• Thomas Buckley described it in 1866 as Formica floridana; Gustav Mayr moved it to Camponotus in 1886, with Florida as the type locality.
• In 2010 it became one of the first two ant species to have its full genome sequenced, and it remains a model organism for the genetics of caste and behaviour.
• Researchers documented workers performing limb amputations on injured nestmates, surgery that measurably improved survival from leg wounds.
• Each worker carries the bacterial endosymbiont Blochmannia floridanus in its gut cells, which supplements the colony’s diet by supplying key nutrients.

Is it good for beginners?
Yes.

Does the Florida carpenter ant need a winter rest?
No (subtropical).

Does Camponotus floridanus sting or bite?
No, bites + formic acid.

What colony size does it reach?
10,000+ (yr1 ~1,000).

What size is the queen?
~14-20 mm.

How fast does it grow?
Fast for a carpenter ant.

What does it eat?
Omnivore.

Will it arrive alive?
Live-arrival + 24h video guarantee, reship free.

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.