Crematogaster cerasi

The acrobat ants earn their name from the way the workers raise the abdomen overhead, almost like a scorpion, and cerasi does it constantly as it patrols. Because it comes from the cooler end of North America, it settles happily into ordinary room conditions without fussy heating, and its day-and-night foraging means there is nearly always traffic to watch. The colony grows fast and stays busy, so newcomers get plenty of activity for little effort. Bite and sting are both mild and rarely noticed in normal handling.

An adaptable omnivore that runs largely on liquid sugars: workers tend aphids and other sap-feeders for honeydew and also take floral and extrafloral nectar, while captured and scavenged insects supply the protein the brood needs to grow.

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

Found this colony in a test tube and leave it there until the first nanitics walk the floor. Acrobat ants nest readily in wood and cavities, so a lightly damp ytong or acrylic nest with a small humid corner suits the upgrade, kept on the drier side to match their 55-70% range. Add an arena with cork bark for climbing. These workers are quick and nimble, so coat the rim with fluon (PTFE), oil, or talc and water and keep tube joins tight. An ANTonTOP formicarium or beginner kit gives you the nest, arena, and barrier as one matched set.

Aim for 21-25 °C in the nest and a slightly warmer 22-27 °C in the arena, holding nest humidity around 55-70% and the arena drier at 40-60%. Warm only one side so the colony can shuffle between cooler and warmer chambers as it likes. No winter rest is needed here; keep it fed and active right through the cold months and it will carry on building.

Development is unhurried but reliable, and with steady warmth a single nest works its way up to 20,000 workers. Brood runs about 5-7 weeks from egg to worker, so numbers climb in clear waves once the first generation is out. Your colony arrives as a laying queen with her workers and brood at whatever stage it has reached.

• The genus is nicknamed the cocktail ant for the way the gaster is hoisted overhead, and the Saint Valentine ant for its heart-shaped outline.
• The flip is built into the body plan: the postpetiole joins the top of the gaster and the petiole carries no raised node, so the whole abdomen swings forward over the back.
• Crematogaster stings differently from most ants, wiping a defensive secretion onto a rival with a blunt, spatula-tipped sting rather than jabbing it in.
• It is widespread across the eastern United States and southern Canada and copes well with cool temperate conditions, which is unusual for a popular acrobat ant.
• Like most of the genus it farms honeydew, guarding aphid and scale colonies in exchange for the sugary droplets they produce.

Is this North American acrobat ant good for beginners?

Yes, it has a Beginner difficulty rating and is hardy and active.

Does Crematogaster cerasi need a winter rest?

Hibernation is not required; you can keep it active year-round with continued feeding.

Does the acrobat ant sting or bite?

It has a mild bite and a sting, neither a real concern in normal handling.

How big can the colony get?

Up to 20,000 workers.

How large is the queen?

Between 7 and 8 mm.

How fast does this room-temperature colony grow?

At a moderate, steady pace under consistent warmth.

What does it eat?

Sugar water or nectar for the workers and insects such as crickets and flies for the brood.

How is it shipped?

With a queen, workers and brood, a heat or cool pack, dispatched within 24 h with tracking for 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.