Crematogaster auberti

The party trick gives the acrobat ants their name: when alarmed, workers cock the heart-shaped gaster up over the back like a scorpion’s tail, and a whole nest doing it at once is great fun to watch. Native to Italy and the wider Mediterranean, this species takes a mild, seasonal climate in its stride. Founding with more than one queen makes the young colony resilient and quick to get going, which is exactly what a newcomer wants. The defensive sting is mild and rarely an issue in normal handling. All told, it is a forgiving first ant that still has plenty of personality.

An acrobat ant that runs largely on sugars and honeydew tended from sap-feeding bugs, topping up the brood with small insects. Keep a sugar source out at all times and offer protein two or three times a week.

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

Start this acrobat ant in a test tube or small nest, since the colony prefers a snug, slightly humid space while founding. Move it to a larger nest as numbers build, with a back chamber you can keep lightly damp and an arena for foraging. These nimble climbers raise the abdomen when alarmed and slip out easily, so the rim needs a reliable fluon (PTFE) band, an oil line, or talc and water. ANTonTOP formicaria and starter kits give a matched nest-and-arena pairing to grow into.

A mild Mediterranean regime suits it. Keep the nest at 23-26 °C and the arena at 24-28 °C, with nest humidity at 55-70% and arena humidity at 40-60%. Provide a warmth gradient so the colony settles where it likes. Wintering is a light diapause: the ants may slow for a brief cool rest, but you keep feeding and there is no need to drop the temperature sharply.

Acrobat ants build at a moderate, steady pace, and this colony can reach up to 10,000 workers over time, with the multi-queen start giving it a quicker early boost. Several queens laying together help the founding stage move along faster than a single-queen colony. You receive a colony with queens, workers and brood, ready to grow into a snug, slightly humid setup.

• The common name comes from the acrobatic alarm pose: a disturbed worker curls its heart-shaped gaster up over its back, ready to aim its defences forward.
• Crematogaster do not sting in the usual way; they dab venom onto a target with a soft, brush-tipped sting at the gaster tip.
• Acrobat ants are keen tenders of honeydew-producing aphids and scale insects, and many species build carton nests from chewed plant fibre.

Is this Mediterranean acrobat ant good for beginners?

Yes, it has a Beginner difficulty rating and is forgiving to keep.

Does Crematogaster auberti need a winter rest?

It takes a light diapause and may slow down for a brief cool rest; keep feeding and you need not lower the temperature sharply.

Does the acrobat ant sting or bite?

Yes, but the sting is mild and rarely a problem in normal handling.

How big can the colony get?

Up to 10,000 workers.

How large is the queen?

Between 8.5 and 9.5 mm.

How fast does a multi-queen acrobat colony grow?

At a moderate, steady pace, helped along by its multi-queen start.

What does it eat?

Sugar water or nectar for the workers and insects such as crickets and flies for the brood.

How is it shipped?

With a queen, workers and brood, a heat or cool pack, dispatched within 24 h with tracking for 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.