Camponotus pilicornis

This is one of the bigger European carpenter ants you can keep, and it grows into a colony of real heft over time. It pairs that size with seasonal behaviour: coming from Greece and the wider Mediterranean and Near East, it works through warm summers and then expects a proper cool rest, so the colony’s year has a satisfying rhythm to follow. The single-queen setup keeps things simple, while the annual cool period places it at intermediate. A strong pick for keepers who want size and seasonality together.

A large Mediterranean carpenter ant with a full omnivore diet: sugars and honeydew fuel the big foragers while insect prey drives brood growth. Keep a sugar source out at all times and add protein a few times a week; seeds are left untouched.

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

Found the queen in a test tube and move her on once founding workers blanket the floor. This large Mediterranean wood-nester likes warm, humid chambers, so a moisture-holding nest in Ytong or acrylic with a damp section and a generous arena for big foragers fits well. Upgrade as the colony fills two-thirds of its chambers. Contain these large, climbing workers with a fluon band or talc and water around the rim. An ANTonTOP formicarium or starter kit scales from founding to a full nest with the parts matched.

This Mediterranean species expects an annual cool period: give it a winter rest at 5-10 °C for 4 months to keep it healthy and breeding well, easing off food beforehand. Run the nest at 22-26 °C with the arena close behind at 22-28 °C; nest humidity stays at 50-70% and the arena at 40-60%. Heat one end to set up a clear gradient the colony can use to place its brood.

Like most large carpenter ants it starts slowly, then gathers pace once the first workers mature, building toward up to 5,000 workers, with eggs taking about 5-7 weeks to reach the first workers. You receive a queen with workers and brood to grow on in your nest.

• Camponotus pilicornis is a Mediterranean carpenter ant ranging through Greece and into the Near East.
• Its workers are strongly polymorphic, with large soldiers reaching well beyond the size of the smallest foragers.
• Carpenter ants excavate wood for nest space but feed on honeydew and prey, never digesting the wood.
• Workers carry Blochmannia, an obligate gut bacterium that recycles nitrogen and builds amino acids the ants cannot make on their own.

Is Camponotus pilicornis good for beginners?

It is intermediate, manageable, but the annual winter rest and large size ask for some experience.

Does the Mediterranean carpenter ant need a winter rest?

Yes, a winter rest at 5-10 °C for 4 months is required.

Does Camponotus pilicornis sting or bite?

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

How big does the colony get?

Up to 5,000 workers in a mature colony.

How large is the queen?

A large queen at 14-16 mm, with soldiers 10-13 mm and workers 6-9 mm.

How quickly does the colony build up?

Slow at first, then faster once the first workers are out.

What does it eat?

Sugar water or jelly plus insects like crickets and flies.

Will it arrive alive?

Yes, queen, workers and brood ship with a heat or cool pack, 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.