Camponotus mutilarius (xiangban)

This is a project for the long view. Its queen can live for a remarkably long time, so a well-kept colony becomes a fixture you tend for many years rather than a passing keep. It is tropical and active all year, with warm brood developing fast when conditions are right, which keeps the colony moving once it gets going. It earns its Pro rating less from drama and more from the consistency it demands: steady warmth, steady humidity, steady attention. Best suited to keepers who already know carpenter ants well.

A tropical carpenter ant that feeds like its genus: sugars and honeydew keep the workers running while insect prey fuels the brood. Keep a standing sugar source and add protein a few times a week; seeds are left alone.

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

Found this demanding species in a test tube and leave it quiet until founding workers blanket the floor. It is a warm, humid wood-nester, so a moisture-holding Ytong or hybrid nest with a reliably damp chamber suits it, kept compact while the colony is small. Move up by stages as numbers approach a thousand. Seal the arena rim with fluon, oil, or talc and water, and hold steady warmth and moisture to keep the brood cycle ticking. An ANTonTOP formicarium or starter kit brings the nest, arena and barrier together.

No hibernation is needed: it is tropical and active year-round, so keep feeding through winter, and warmth near the top of the nest range speeds the roughly 4-week (28-day) brood cycle. A nest around 20-26 °C suits it, with the arena running 22-32 °C; hold humidity at 55-70% in the nest and 40-60% in the arena. Warm one end of the arena so the colony can work along a warm-to-cool gradient and place its brood where it likes.

At warm temperatures brood develops fast, in about 4 weeks (28 days), while the colony itself builds gradually toward up to 1,000 workers. With a queen that can live close to 25 years, this is a setup that runs for the long term. You receive a queen with workers and brood to continue the colony.

• Camponotus mutilarius is a Southeast Asian carpenter ant kept in the hobby under the Chinese trade name xiangban.
• Carpenter ant queens are among the longest-lived insects, and this one’s lifespan of roughly a quarter-century is at the upper end of the genus.
• Carpenter ants dig galleries into wood for shelter but feed on honeydew and prey, not the wood itself.
• The gut bacterium Blochmannia lives inside specialised cells in the workers and supplements their diet, a partnership found right across Camponotus.

Is Camponotus mutilarius (xiangban) good for beginners?

No, it is rated Pro and suits experienced carpenter-ant keepers.

Does Camponotus mutilarius (xiangban) need a winter rest?

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

Does this Singapore carpenter ant sting or bite?

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

How big does a xiangban colony get?

Up to 1,000 workers.

How large is the queen?

The queen measures 13-16 mm and can live up to around 25 years.

How fast does it grow?

Brood develops in about 4 weeks (28 days) at warm temperatures.

What do they 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.