Brick Carpenter Ant (Camponotus semitestaceus)

General: Camponotus semitestaceus is a large, mostly bicolored orange/black species of Carpenter Ant from the western United States. Colonies grow at a moderate pace and get large majors with huge heads for defense of the colony and food processing. This species is good for beginners, but they need their space and heat!

Diet: Camponotus semitestaceus will do well on a regular diet: sugars for workers, protein for larvae. This species would likely not be seen eating protein directly, especially when the colony is young. It’s important that it’s provided, though. Sugarwater or honeywater suffices as a sugar, whereas insects such as fruit flies, crickets, mealworms, roaches, and more suffice as protein. This species should be fed every 2-3 days. Remove old protein when you offer new protein to avoid mold.

Temperature: This species prefers low heat – around 80 degrees is an optimal temperature for this species. If you’re using a heat cable or heat mat, only heat part of the nest. The ants will organize themselves based on temperature. If you’re heating the ants in the tube, heat the front of the tube, away from the water reservoir to avoid floods. If you provide a gradient, the hot point can be rather warm.

Diapause: This species normally needs diapause for around 2-3 months. During this time, the ants need to be cooled down to a low temperature, with around 42-48 degrees fahrenheit being ideal. You can achieve diapause by placing the ants in a controlled cooling unit, such as a wine cooler, mini fridge, or regular fridge if temperatures are safe. If you cannot use any of these, a non-heated room which stays above freezing could work. It may be wise to check on them frequently to make sure they still have moisture and offer some food mid-hibernation.

Growth: Brood development can take anywhere between 6-9 weeks, depending on caste, heat, and feeding. Usually it takes around 7-8 weeks. Queens tend to lay eggs in batches. Colonies grow slow in the first year, but after their first hibernation can grow into the hundreds.

Queen size: 16-18mm

Worker size: 7-11mm

Major size: 10-16mm

If ants arrive in bad condition, contact us for help. Live arrival is guaranteed.