Camponotus fellah
A carpenter ant from the warm coasts of North Africa and the Middle East. Tough, needs no hibernation and suits beginners.
Species at a glance
- Origin: the warm coasts of North Africa and the Middle East
- Size: queen 13–16 mm; workers 6–12 mm, dark reddish-brown to black
- Colony: a single queen; up to 10,000 workers
- Difficulty: suitable for beginners
Care conditions
- Temperature: 22–30 °C with a gradient, ideally 25–28 °C
- Humidity: 50–70%
- Food: insects 2–3 times a week and sugars almost constantly; give water from a test tube or plaster feeder, as ants can drown in open water
Hibernation
Not needed.
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.