Polyrhachis hauxwelli

Polyrhachis can test your patience, but hauxwelli moves things along, carrying brood that develops fast for the genus so you watch the colony take shape sooner. It carries the hooked, armoured build the genus is loved for and keeps an easy, forgiving manner, which makes it a good introduction to spiny ants. From Burma in the South and Southeast Asian tropics, it stays active year-round with no winter pause. Pick it if you want a good-looking colony that shows visible development early on.

Hauxwelli feeds as an arboreal omnivore, with workers fuelling on sweet liquids and carrying insect protein back to the queen and brood. Keep carbohydrate constantly available and supply protein two to three times a week to keep development moving.

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

Start a founding colony in a test tube or compact starter nest, keeping one chamber damp for early brood. Upgrade once the first workers cover the floor and the nest grows crowded. Choose a moisture-holding nest in aerated ytong or acrylic to match its humid, arboreal habits rather than a dry block. Keep the arena rim well coated with fluon (PTFE), oil, or talc and water, as these climbers move over smooth edges with ease. ANTonTOP formicaria and starter kits supply a matched humid nest, arena and barrier, ready to house the colony.

Heat one end only so the ants can move along a warm-to-cool gradient. Hold the nest at 20-26 °C and the arena at 22-32 °C, with nest humidity at 55-70% against 40-60% in the arena. This tropical species takes no winter rest, so keep conditions steady and feeding going all year.

Development runs quick for the genus, building toward a colony of 500-5000 workers over time. You receive a queen with workers and brood, ready to carry on in a humid nest with a roomy foraging arena.

• Polyrhachis larvae produce silk, and across the genus that silk is used to bind leaves and fibres into woven nests, a habit shared with the unrelated weaver ants of the genus Oecophylla.
• The genus belongs to the Formicinae, so it has no sting; defence comes from formic acid, mandibles and the protective body spines.
• With hundreds of species, Polyrhachis is among the most species-rich ant genera in the Old World tropics.

Is Polyrhachis hauxwelli good for beginners?

Yes, it is Beginner-rated, single-queen, and easy to manage.

Does this spiny ant need a winter rest?

No, it is tropical and stays active all year, no cold rest required.

Does Polyrhachis hauxwelli sting or bite?

No, it has no sting, only a mild bite.

How large does a hauxwelli colony get?

Up to 500-5000 workers over time.

How big is the queen?

About 11 mm, with 6-9 mm workers.

How fast does this spiny ant grow?

Fast for the genus, brood develops quickly, so you see progress sooner.

What does it eat?

Sugar water or nectar plus protein insects such as crickets and flies.

Will it arrive alive?

Yes, a queen with workers and brood ships with 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.