Camponotus barbaricus

Species at a glance

• Origin: the western Mediterranean: the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic Islands and North Africa
• Size: queen 14–17 mm; workers 6–14 mm
• Colony: a single queen; up to 10,000 workers
• Difficulty: suitable for beginners

Care conditions

• Temperature: 22–30 °C, 26–28 °C for fast brood development
• Humidity: 50–70%, 60–70% in the brood chamber
• Food: insects every 2–3 days for a young colony and more often for a large one; diluted honey or syrup; workers often ignore fruit

Hibernation

Essential for a long-lived queen: 3–4 months at about 15 °C, starting in late October.

Farm and colony growth

Carpenter ants readily live in cork, wood, gypsum or aerated concrete nests. Workers are good climbers and look for gaps, so use a tight lid and an anti-escape barrier on the arena walls. The queen founds the colony alone and does not eat until the first workers appear; the first workers are small, and majors appear once the colony grows.