Camponotus cruentatus

Difficulty: Beginner

Queen size: L

Worker size: S to L (strongly polymorphic)

Growth: Fast (with warmth)

Colony size: Large

Climate: Warm

Humidity: Dry

Activity: Moderate

Winter rest: Required (short)

Workers: Strongly polymorphic, from small minors to big majors with broad heads. Because the queen is so large, the majors get big too, and they can really bite hard. They do not sting.

Development: With enough warmth and protein the colony grows fast and can become large over the years. Kept cool or underfed, growth slows down a lot.

Origin: South-western Europe, mainly Spain, Portugal and southern France, in warm, dry and sunny places. In the wild they nest in the soil under stones.

Colony structure: One queen per colony (monogynous). After the nuptial flight the queen starts her colony alone and does not need food until the first workers arrive.

Good to know: The red colour on the gaster is where the name comes from: cruentatus means "bloodstained". Curious how it compares to other carpenter ants? Read our personal guide to the subgenera of Camponotus.

Read more: our Camponotus cruentatus care guide.

Warmth and protein: The two keys to a fast-growing colony. This species loves heat and needs a lot of protein to raise its brood.

Temperature: Warm. Room temperature alone gives slow growth.

Heating: Strongly recommended. Heat one side of the setup, for example with a Heat Mat with Temperature Controller, and always leave a cooler area so the colony can choose.

Humidity: They prefer a dry nest. Keep one part of the nest slightly damp and the rest dry, and always provide a water source.

Winter rest: Required, but it does not need to be long. A shorter cool period than for central European species is enough, after which they start up again quickly with warmth.

Handle with care: Majors can bite hard enough to hurt, so be careful when you work on the setup.

Feeding

• Protein: Plenty of insects such as crickets, mealworms or cockroaches. This is what drives their growth. Freeze wild-caught insects first.

• Sugar: Sugar water or honey water as their energy source.

• Portions: Feed protein often, and remove leftovers before they mould.

• Water: Always provide clean water, for example from a test tube.

Housing

• Founding queen: Leave her undisturbed in her closed test tube until the first workers have arrived.

• Young colony: Keep them in the test tube with a small outworld, such as the All-In-One Test Tube Outworld Small or the Mini Outworld V2, until the colony has about 20 workers or more.

• Larger colony: Then move them to a dry nest. This is an easy species that does well in almost any nest: a Ytong nest works nicely, and so does a Medium Mesh Nest and later a Large Mesh Nest.

• Strong jaws: The big majors have strong jaws. Keep that in mind when choosing a nest for a big colony.