Carebara diversa

Difficulty: Advanced

Queen size: L

Worker size: XS to L (extremely polymorphic)

Growth: Fast once established

Colony size: Very large

Climate: Tropical

Humidity: Humid

Activity: High

Winter rest: Optional

Workers: Minors, medium workers, majors and supermajors. The head of a supermajor is many times larger than that of a minor, and minors often ride along on the big workers.

Development: Starting colonies are very difficult. If brood development falls behind, a young colony can decline very quickly. Once the colony has a solid worker force, growth speeds up clearly.

Origin: South and Southeast Asia, from India to Taiwan and the Philippines, where it nests in the soil and under rocks.

Colony structure: Polygynous: colonies can hold several queens. During founding, queens need small prey items.

Good to know: Its foraging columns look like those of army ants, but Carebara diversa has a permanent nest and new colonies start after a nuptial flight.

Want to know more? Read our full Carebara diversa care guide.

Stability and warmth: This is the key to success, especially for young colonies. Keep them warm and stable so brood keeps developing, and limit disturbance.

Temperature and heating: Tropical. Keep the colony warm; heating is strongly recommended.

Humidity: Keep the nest humid and the outworld dry and well ventilated.

Winter rest: Optional. Because the workers are so small, colonies stay very active all year. Many colonies probably benefit from a short rest around winter. Watch how your ants react to the heat source: if they move away from it, place the colony a bit cooler for a while.

Mites and hygiene: This species is sensitive to mites. Remove leftovers quickly, keep the setup clean and never use soil from outside.

Escape prevention: The minors are tiny and fit through very small gaps. Use a tight-fitting setup and apply Fluon to the outworld.

Feeding

• Insects: The basis of the diet. Feed plenty of insects: fruit flies for young colonies, crickets and mealworms once majors appear.

• Sugar: Sugar water or sugar jelly as a supplement.

• Water: Always provide water.

Housing

• Founding and young colonies: Do not move them into a nest too early. They do very well in a simple tubs-and-tubes setup, such as the All-In-One Test Tube Outworld, as long as it is warm enough.

• Larger colonies: Once the colony has outgrown its tubes, move it to a tight-fitting Ytong nest. The minors are tiny, so a nest without gaps matters.