Camponotus spinolae

The pull of this Mexican carpenter ant is its polymorphism: tiny minors share the nest with much larger soldiers, so a mature colony looks more like a small society than a uniform group. It builds slowly and steadily, rewarding patience with very watchable growth rather than a quick boom. It is rated Intermediate because it expects a gentle cool rest and a humidity gradient you keep an eye on, neither difficult but both worth getting right. Being nocturnal, much of its foraging happens in the evening, which suits keepers who are around after dark. A good pick once you have one easy species under your belt.

This carpenter ant feeds after dark for the most part, taking sugary liquids for the workers and insect prey to drive brood growth. A standing sugar source with feeder insects two or three times a week keeps the colony moving.

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

Start the queen in a test tube and upgrade once a solid worker force has built up. This Mexican ant likes a nest that holds moisture without going soggy, so an Ytong, acrylic, or 3D-printed formicarium with one hydrated chamber and drier galleries suits it, beside a roomy arena. It takes a light cool diapause, so let the colony ease off briefly while you keep feeding. Coat the rim with fluon (PTFE), oil, or talc and water, since carpenter ants climb. ANTonTOP formicaria and starter kits are sized for this stage.

Keep the nest at 22-26 °C and the arena at 22-27 °C, with nest humidity 55-70% and arena humidity 40-60%, letting the nest sit a touch damper than the arena. Heat one end so the ants can choose their spot along a warm-to-cool gradient. It takes a light diapause: the colony slows for a brief cool rest, but keep offering food and you need not drop the temperature much.

Carpenter ants are slow starters, so expect months of quiet founding before the numbers pick up and the colony works its way toward 5,000 workers. You receive the queen with her workers and brood, a settled start with the caste range already beginning to show.

• The species is named after Maximilian Spinola, a nineteenth-century entomologist.
• Its caste range is the draw, with tiny minors and much larger soldiers sharing one nest under a single queen.
• Carpenter ants nest by excavating wood or cavities and do not eat the wood, unlike termites.
• The genus has no sting and uses formic acid for defence, a defining Formicinae feature.

Is Camponotus spinolae good for beginners?

It is rated Intermediate, so it suits keepers who already have one easy colony behind them, mainly because of the cool rest and humidity gradient.

Does it need hibernation?

It takes a light diapause, a brief cool rest where activity may slow; keep feeding and you do not need to lower the temperature much.

Does it sting?

No. It has no sting, just a mild bite.

How big does the colony get?

Up to 5,000 workers in a mature single-queen colony.

How large is the queen?

The queen measures 13-16 mm, with soldiers at 11-14 mm and workers at 5-10 mm.

How fast does it grow?

Slowly. Carpenter ants take their time founding, then growth picks up over many months.

What does it eat?

Sugar water or nectar for energy and insects like crickets and flies for protein; it does not take seeds.

Will it arrive alive?

Yes. You get a queen with workers and brood plus a season-matched heat or cool pack, shipped within 24 hours 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.