Camponotus parius

This is an easy, productive carpenter ant for a first keep. It stays warm and active all year with no winter rest to plan around, so there is nothing seasonal to get wrong, and it builds steadily into a lively colony many thousands strong. As it grows the majors fill in alongside the smaller workers, giving you clear caste differences to watch develop. With only a mild bite and no sting, it stays low-stress to handle and observe. A dependable choice for anyone starting out with larger ants.

A tropical carpenter ant with the usual omnivore appetite: sugars and honeydew keep the workers going while insect prey fuels the brood. Keep a sugar source available and offer insects a few times a week; it does not take seeds.

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

Begin the queen in a test tube and transfer her once the first workers carpet the floor. A warm, humid wood-nester, it does well in a moisture-holding nest such as Ytong or a hybrid setup with a damp chamber and a slightly drier arena. Step the nest up as the colony grows into the thousands. Ring the arena rim with fluon, a light oil film, or talc and water to hold foragers in. An ANTonTOP formicarium or starter kit supplies the matched tube, arena, nest and barrier as a single set.

No hibernation is needed for this tropical species, so keep feeding through the colder months with no slowdown. Hold the nest in the 24-28 °C band and let the arena reach 24-30 °C, with humidity at 50-70% inside the nest and 40-60% in the arena. Warm one side of the setup so the ants can choose a spot along the gradient and park their brood at the right temperature.

Carpenter ants are slow at founding and then accelerate once the first workers are out foraging, building toward several thousand workers, with eggs taking about 4-7 weeks to reach the first workers. You receive a queen with workers and brood to carry the colony forward.

• Camponotus parius is a carpenter ant of South and Southeast Asia, with Burma sitting within its range.
• Foragers begin mostly nocturnal and tend toward round-the-clock activity as the colony grows larger.
• Carpenter ants tunnel through wood to build their nests but feed on honeydew and prey, leaving the wood itself undigested.
• Workers host the endosymbiont Blochmannia in their gut cells, which supplements their diet and supports colonies living on sugary food.

Is Camponotus parius good for beginners?

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

Does the Burmese carpenter ant need a winter rest?

No, it is tropical and active year-round, so keep feeding through winter.

Does Camponotus parius sting or bite?

No, it has no sting and only a mild bite.

How big does the colony get?

Several thousand workers.

How large is the queen?

The queen measures 13-16 mm.

How fast does it grow?

Slow at first, then faster once the first workers arrive.

What does this carpenter ant eat?

Sugar water or jelly plus insects such as crickets and flies.

How are the ants shipped and will they arrive alive?

You get a queen with workers and brood plus a seasonal heat or cool pack, sent within 24 h with tracking for a 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.