Hyatt’s Carpenter Ant (Camponotus hyatti)

General: Camponotus hyatti is a bicolored species of Camponotus from the western US. Although small for Camponotus, overall this species is considered a medium-sized ant. The majors are impressive in that they get very large compared with the minor workers, nearly queen-sized!

Diet: This species has a standard diet. Feed them liquid sugars (such as sugarwater or Sunburst Ant Nectar) for the workers and insect protein (such as fruit flies, roaches, crickets, or mealworms) for the larvae and for the queen to lay more eggs.

Temperature: This species needs heat to grow. Keep them in the upper 70s or low 80s (77-83ish) Fahrenheit during growth times. It could be a good idea to offer a warmer section of the nest in the 80s, and then a cooler, humid section in the low 70s. This cooler area is a good refuge for the queen and young brood from the heat, while the older brood benefits from it.

Diapause: This species typically needs a diapause in the winter (for 2-3 months). Simply cool the colony to about 40F and make sure their nest is hydrated. They do not need any feeding during this time but can still dry out. If your colony doesn’t stop growing, you could let them try to skip diapause!

Growth: This species can grow at a moderate pace! You can get dozens to 100ish workers in the first year and 100s/1000+ after that. Colonies likely don’t reach more than 1000-2000 workers.

Queen size: 7-9mm

Worker size: 3.5-5mm

Major size: 5-7mm