Carpenter Ant Care Sheet
Carpenter ants (Camponotus) are among the largest ants you can keep, and the ones people point at. A mature colony produces workers in two sizes from the same queen, which is most of the appeal. This is the care we give our own colonies, from a USDA-licensed breeder.
What temperature do carpenter ants need?
One warm end at 82-85°F, the other end at or near room temperature. It must be a gradient across the setup, never the whole nest heated, so the colony can move brood to the temperature it needs.
Use a heat cable. Only a heat cable. Not a heat mat, not a lamp, not a windowsill. Mats and lamps heat too broadly, which destroys the gradient, and they dry the nest out or cook it. Below 80°F at the warm end, growth stalls.
Heat is for the brood, not the ants. If your colony moves away from the cable, that is usually correct behaviour - they are placing brood where it develops best.
What do carpenter ants eat?
No seeds. Carpenter ants are not seed eaters, so there is no seed mix to think about. Their diet is two things:
Carbohydrates - Red Ant Drank, available at all times on a wet cotton or PVA wick. Never an open pool, because they drown in it.
Protein - fresh killed feeder insects only. Never frozen, never protein gel. Store-bought crickets are fine. Do not feed honey, fruit, dog food or table scraps; some are unsafe and the rest grow mould.
Why are some workers much bigger than others?
Because carpenter ants are polymorphic. One queen produces both small minors and much larger majors with oversized heads. Majors appearing is a sign your colony is maturing - it is not a different species and nothing has gone wrong.
A young colony will be all minors. The big ones come with size and time.
Are the jet black and orange & brown ones different species?
No. Both are Camponotus vicinus - they are colour variants of the same species. If you keep both, they are not interchangeable colonies and should never be combined, but neither is mislabelled.
How do I keep the humidity right?
Fill the test tube reservoirs with water and plug each with a PVA sponge. That is your humidity for 90 days or more, with no nest maintenance in between.
PVA over cotton, every time: cotton grows mould over the weeks a founding tube sits undisturbed, and mould is a leading killer of young colonies. Keep the water end cooler than the warm end so it does not dry out.
How fast should my carpenter colony grow?
A new batch of workers every 45-60 days is the benchmark for a young colony. Carpenter ants found more slowly than harvesters, so patience early is normal. If nothing is happening after that window, something in heat, humidity or protein is off - get in touch.
Is my colony dying, or is it just winter?
Slowing down is normal. Not moving is not, if you are above 55°F.
The reliable test: ants in diapause move slowly when disturbed. Dead ants curl up and show no movement at all, even lifted with featherweight forceps.
There is mould in the tube. What do I do?
Do not panic - ants are far hardier than people expect. Set up a fresh test tube and do a normal transfer. If the colony is already in one of our nests, swap the bad tube for a freshly set up one and leave the old tube in the outworld until it empties over a few days.
Common mistakes that kill carpenter colonies
- Heating the whole nest instead of one end
- A heat mat or lamp instead of a cable
- Letting the warm end sit below 80°F
- Expecting majors too early and over-feeding to force it
- Cotton plugs left to mould through the founding stage
- Frozen feeders or protein gel
- Combining two colonies, or letting two share an outworld
- Handling them. Ants are not meant to be held.
Which carpenter ants do we keep?
Camponotus vicinus (jet black, and orange & brown) · C. discolor · C. ocreatus · C. sansabeanus.
Where can carpenter ants be shipped?
Live ant shipping is restricted by state, and the approved list is per species. Each listing shows exactly which states that species can ship to - check the listing before ordering. We are a USDA-licensed breeder and we do not ship outside what we are permitted to.
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Questions about your setup? Email antopiausa@gmail.com - we would rather answer early than replace a colony later.