Polyrhachis dives

This is the spiny ant that builds with silk, workers binding leaves and debris with thread drawn from their own larvae, and watching that nest take shape is unlike anything else in ant keeping. It stays forgiving despite the scale, so beginners can take it on, and because it accepts multiple queens founding tends to be stable. Coming from Singapore it never stops for winter, and a colony that keeps climbing rewards patience with a large, active nest. A standout first project for anyone who wants to see building behaviour.

Dives is a classic arboreal omnivore that tends honeydew bugs for sugar and hunts small insects for protein, channelling the meat into a fast-laying set of queens and a large brood pile. Keep carbohydrate constantly available and offer protein two to three times a week.

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

Start this weaver-style colony in a test tube or small humid nest, then plan generously, since numbers can climb toward 10,000 workers. Upgrade once the founding brood fills the chambers, and pick a moisture-retaining nest in aerated ytong or acrylic to hold the high humidity it needs. These are busy, capable climbers, so keep the arena rim well dressed with fluon (PTFE), oil, or talc and water and refresh it often. ANTonTOP formicaria and starter kits give you a matched humid nest, arena and barrier with room to scale as the colony swells.

Keep things warm and damp, and watch the moisture, since this is a thirstier species than most spiny ants. Keep the nest at 24-27 °C with the arena at 25-29 °C, and hold humidity high at 70-85% in the nest against 60-75% in the arena. Warm one side to build a gradient. There is no hibernation; keep it active and fed through every season.

The queen lays around 6-8 eggs at 26-28C, and with several queens contributing the colony can swell to up to 10,000 workers over time. You receive a queen with workers and brood, ready to begin building in a warm, humid nest and arena.

• Dives is one of the best-known silk weavers among ants: workers hold their own larvae and use the silk the grubs produce to bind leaves and plant fibres into carton-and-silk nests.
• It is widespread across South and Southeast Asia and has become a model species in studies of nest construction and cooperative behaviour.
• Colonies are polygyne and can run very large, yet the ants stay stingless, defending the nest with formic acid and their spines.

Is Polyrhachis dives good for beginners?

Yes, it is beginner-rated yet can grow into a large colony.

Does Polyrhachis dives need a winter rest?

No, it is tropical with no hibernation, so keep it warm and humid all year.

Does the silk-weaving dives sting or bite?

No, it has a mild bite and no sting.

How big does a dives colony get?

It can reach up to 10,000 workers.

How many queens does Polyrhachis dives have?

Queens are 9-12 mm and workers are 6-9 mm, and the colony can have two or more queens.

How fast does a dives colony grow?

The queen lays about 6-8 eggs at 26-28C, and the colony builds steadily to a large size.

What does this weaver ant eat?

Sugar water or nectar plus live insects such as crickets and flies.

Will it arrive alive?

You receive a queen with workers and brood, packed with a heat or cool pack and shipped 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.