Colobopsis leonardi

The soldiers are the spectacle: their heads are shaped like cork stoppers, and they seal the nest entrance by jamming their own faces into it, a behaviour known as phragmosis that never stops being fun to watch. As one of the bigger Colobopsis, this Burmese species has a long-bodied queen and a clear caste split, so a settled colony shows real structure. It lives in the trees of South and Southeast Asia and needs steady tropical warmth and humidity, which is the main thing to get right. For a keeper comfortable with heat and moisture, it makes an unusual and rewarding display.

A wood-dwelling omnivore that gathers sugars and honeydew and takes insects for the brood, sending its foragers out after dark. Keep a sugar source available at all times and offer protein two or three times a week.

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

Found the queen in a test tube and move her on once the first workers floor it. This wood-dwelling ant nests in hollow branches, with door-headed soldiers plugging the entrances, so a branch-cavity nest, ventilated but holding humidity, in aerated concrete or a 3D-printed wood design kept warm and moist, fits it well, with a roomy arena. Workers climb readily, so keep escapes contained with fluon (PTFE), an oil line, or talc and water. ANTonTOP formicaria and starter kits handle this warm, humid arboreal setup.

Warm and humid all year. Aim for a nest at 24-27 °C and an arena at 25-29 °C, with humidity at 70-85% in the nest and 60-75% in the arena. Run a thermal gradient across the arena so the colony settles where it likes rather than at one fixed temperature. It is tropical with no hibernation, so keep it warm and active throughout the year.

Colobopsis grow at a moderate, steady pace, with this species topping out around 500 to 2,000 workers. Hold warmth and humidity steady and it builds without drama, the soldier caste appearing as the colony finds its feet. Your colony arrives as a queen with workers and brood, ready to settle into a warm, wood-style nest.

• The soldiers are phragmotic: they have truncated, plug-shaped heads built to block the nest entrance, acting as living gates that only let in nestmates.
• This is one of the larger members of the genus, with a notably long-bodied queen.
• Colobopsis nests inside hollow stems and dead wood, and several Southeast Asian relatives in this lineage are the famous exploding ants, though that defence is not shared by every species.

Is Colobopsis leonardi good for beginners?

It is rated Intermediate, so it suits a keeper who can already manage warmth and humidity.

Does it need hibernation?

No, it is tropical and stays active year-round.

Does it sting?

No sting; defence is just a mild bite, making it easy to handle.

How big can the colony get?

Around 500-2,000 workers from a single queen.

How big is the queen?

The queen is a long 11-14 mm; workers are 4-7 mm and soldiers 6-9 mm.

How fast does it grow?

At a moderate, steady Colobopsis pace.

What does it eat?

Sugar water and nectar for carbs, plus crickets and flies for protein.

Will it arrive alive?

You get queen, workers and brood with a heat or cool pack, dispatched within 24 h with tracking for safe live delivery.

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.