Camponotus floridanus

In 2010 Camponotus floridanus 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. For keepers the appeal is immediate – a reddish-orange head and legs against a jet-black gaster, big polymorphic workers up to 13 mm, and a colony that pushes past 8,000 workers in two to three years. The fully claustral queen founds without help and no winter cooling is needed, so the colony stays active year-round.

An omnivore with a sweet tooth. Keep a carbohydrate source available at all times and add protein two to three times a week to drive brood growth.

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

A founding queen ships in a test-tube setup; leave her there until the first nanitics mature, then move the colony into a small formicarium with an attached outworld. In the wild it nests in damp or decayed wood, so a nest that holds some moisture suits it – aerated concrete (Ytong), 3D-printed, or acrylic all work. These are strong climbers, so line the arena rim with fluon (PTFE), oil, or talc and water.

Keep the nest around 24-28 °C and the arena a touch warmer at 26-32 °C, with a gradient so the ants self-regulate. Nest humidity 60-75% (higher than many carpenter ants, as it is subtropical), arena 40-60%. No hibernation is required: as a subtropical Florida species it stays active year-round, with at most a slight winter slowdown and no cooling period.

One of the faster-growing eastern-US carpenter ants. With steady warmth and regular protein, expect rapid early build-up.

You receive a captive-bred, fertilised queen, her first workers, and brood (eggs, larvae and/or pupae), packed in a secure tube with a heat or cool pack to suit the season and dispatched within 24 h with tracking.

• Described by Buckley in 1866 as Formica floridana; moved to Camponotus by Gustav Mayr in 1886 (type locality: Florida).
• In 2010 it was one of the first two ant species to have its genome sequenced, with Harpegnathos saltator.
• Injured workers perform wound-dependent leg amputations on nestmates to stop infection – surgical triage otherwise documented only in humans (Frank et al., Current Biology, 2024).
• Each colony hosts the endosymbiotic bacterium Blochmannia floridanus, which upgrades the ants’ amino-acid nutrition.
• Predominantly a nocturnal forager; it nests in damp or decayed wood rather than excavating sound timber.

Is Camponotus floridanus good for beginners?
Yes. The queen founds fully claustrally (no feeding needed until the first workers appear), it needs no hibernation, and it tolerates a wide temperature range.

Does it need hibernation?
No. It comes from subtropical Florida and is kept active year-round at about 24-30 °C; a slight winter slowdown can happen but no cold rest is required.

Does it sting?
No functional sting. Large majors can bite hard enough to pierce skin and then spray formic acid into the wound, but there is no venomous sting.

How big does the colony get?
A mature colony exceeds 10,000 workers – about 1,000 in the first year and over 8,000 within two to three years.

How big is the queen?
Roughly 14-20 mm. Workers are strongly polymorphic, from about 4-9 mm minors and media up to 8-13 mm majors.

How fast does it grow?
Fast for a carpenter ant, given steady warmth and regular protein.

What does it eat?
An omnivore – sugars at all times plus insect protein two to three times a week.

What if my ants arrive dead?
Every colony ships with a live-arrival guarantee backed by our 24 h unboxing-video guarantee – if the queen does not arrive alive we reship free.

Escape prevention. Carpenter ants climb well. Coat the inside arena rim with fluon (PTFE), oil, or talc and water, use a smooth or taped lid, and check the barrier regularly. Keep tubing connections tight and seal any gaps.

Do not move a small colony into a large nest too early. A small colony in an oversized first chamber will not settle: you risk mould, mites and parasites, and – worse – death from stress, with workers dying off one by one. Instead, plug the nest entrance with cotton and keep the ants on the arena in an open test tube if the arena is roomy; if the formicarium has doors or shutters to further chambers, do not open them too early. A rule of thumb: the colony can move in without stress once it would fill about 10-15% of the chambers.

Keeping reminders. A water test tube plugged with cotton makes an ideal spare incubator or reservoir. No direct sunlight; hydrate the nest but do not flood it; ventilate; keep disturbance minimal during founding.

What we ship. Live ants with a live-arrival guarantee backed by our 24 h unboxing-video guarantee. Parcels travel with DHL, InPost (PL) and EMS with a heat or cool pack. Free shipping across Europe over 1299 zł; we ship the EU and worldwide. The queen arrives alive or we reship free.