Camponotus rufifemur

This is the carpenter ant for people who are out all day and home in the evening. Native to Java, it keeps a quiet nest through daylight and then pours out to forage after dark, so the colony does its most watchable work just as you settle in. As it grows you get clear size variation across the caste range, the larger majors standing out against the smaller workers. The intermediate label reflects its need for steady tropical heat and humidity rather than anything awkward in day-to-day care. Rewarding for keepers who like watching ants by lamplight.

As a nocturnal carpenter ant it does most of its feeding after dark, taking sugary liquids for the workers and insect prey to push brood development. Offering food in the evening tends to bring the best foraging response from this species.

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

Start this Javan carpenter ant in a test tube and move it on once founding workers fill the floor. Its mid-range humidity points to a moisture-retaining nest in Ytong or aerated concrete, kept with one damp corner and dry living chambers, joined to a generous outworld. These ants are persistent climbers, so seal the rim with fluon (PTFE), oil, or talc and water. An ANTonTOP formicarium or starter kit supplies the nest, arena, and barrier together, sized for the colony to grow into.

Being tropical, it stays active the year round with no cooling period. Keep the nest at 24-28 °C and the arena at 22-30 °C, with nest humidity 50-70% and arena humidity 40-60%. Warm a single end of the setup so the ants have a gradient and can park brood where they like it. Do not drop temperatures in winter; carry on feeding as normal through the colder season.

Carpenter ants take their time at the founding stage and rufifemur is no exception, with quiet early months before numbers begin to climb. A settled colony heads toward roughly 3,000 workers. What arrives is the queen with her workers and brood, a working colony ready to continue.

• The name rufifemur means ‘red thigh’, a nod to the reddish femora that set it apart from the darker body.
• Carpenter ants are famous wood-excavators, hollowing out galleries in soft timber without eating the wood itself.
• This genus has no sting; defence comes from a spray of formic acid produced in the abdomen, typical of the Formicinae.
• Camponotus workers store liquid food in a social crop and pass it mouth to mouth, so a single sugary meal can feed many nestmates.

Is it suitable for beginners?

It is rated Intermediate, so it is better as a second colony once you have learned heating and humidity basics.

Does this nocturnal carpenter ant need a winter rest?

No, it is tropical and stays active year-round, so keep conditions steady through winter.

Does Camponotus rufifemur sting or bite?

No, there is no sting; only a mild bite is possible.

How many workers will the colony reach?

Up to 3,000 workers when mature.

How big is the queen?

The queen is 16-18 mm.

How fast does the colony build up?

Slowly to moderately, with a careful founding stage before the colony builds momentum.

What should I feed them?

A sugar source like nectar or sugar water plus insect protein such as crickets and flies, ideally offered in the evening.

Will the ants arrive alive?

Yes, the colony ships with queen, workers and brood plus a heat or cool pack, dispatched 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.