Camponotus pseudolendus

This is one of the most ambitious carpenter ants on the list. It grows large and keeps going, with a mature colony reaching serious numbers, so it is the species to choose when you really want a big nest to fill a tank. Coming from Yunnan, it runs warm all year with no winter rest, which lets it scale without interruption, and its single-queen setup keeps the early stages clean. The size and eventual scale place it at intermediate. Best for keepers ready to plan their space around a large, growing colony.

A large tropical carpenter ant with a broad omnivore diet: sugars and honeydew fuel the workers while a good supply of insect prey drives heavy brood growth. Keep a sugar source available and offer insects a few times a week; it does not eat seeds.

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

Found the queen in a test tube and shift her once founding workers blanket the floor. This large, populous wood-nester leans slightly dry in the nest, so a moisture-holding Ytong or acrylic nest with one damp chamber, a drier arena and room for expansion modules suits it, so plan for growth early. Upgrade whenever two-thirds of the chambers fill. Contain the big workers with a fluon band or talc and water around the rim. An ANTonTOP formicarium or starter kit scales from founding to a colony in the thousands.

Hibernation is not required: this tropical species stays active year-round, so keep feeding through winter and hold the temperature steady. Settle the nest at 24-27 °C and the arena at 24-28 °C, with the nest held at 50-65% humidity and the arena drier at 30-50%. Heat one end to give the colony a clear gradient for placing its brood.

After a slow founding phase this species can pick up fast and grow into one of the larger colonies on offer, up to 8,000-10,000 workers, with eggs taking about 8-12 weeks to reach the first workers. You receive a queen with workers and brood ready to scale up in your nest.

• Camponotus pseudolendus is an East Asian carpenter ant from Yunnan, a province famous for its exceptional insect diversity.
• It is one of the larger Camponotus in the hobby, with strongly polymorphic workers and sizeable soldiers.
• Carpenter ants excavate wood for nest galleries but feed on honeydew and prey, never the wood itself.
• Like all members of the genus it carries the gut bacterium Blochmannia, which makes amino acids and helps big colonies prosper on a sugar-heavy diet.

Is Camponotus pseudolendus good for beginners?

It is intermediate, mainly because of its size and the very large colony it can eventually form.

Does this giant carpenter ant need a winter rest?

No, hibernation is not required; it stays active all year, so keep feeding and hold the temperature.

Does Camponotus pseudolendus sting or bite?

No, no sting, only a mild bite.

How large does the colony get?

Up to 8,000-10,000 workers in a mature colony.

How large is the queen?

A large queen at 18-20 mm, with soldiers 13-15 mm and workers 6-12 mm.

How fast does it grow?

Slow at founding, then quick once established.

What does it eat?

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

Will it arrive alive?

Yes, it ships with a queen, workers and brood and 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.