Description

This is a monogynous (single-queen), claustral, polymorphic ant species with three worker castes: minor, media, and major. The workers are robust, strong, and resilient. The queen has a shiny black head and gaster with striking yellow patterns on her thorax and the front of her abdomen. The workers are lighter in color, with black heads and abdomen and yellow thoraxes. In addition to their strong mandibles, they defend themselves by spraying acid. They become more active and develop faster in warm conditions. They establish colonies with thousands of workers. In nature, they often dig their nests under rocks. The queen can live up to 10-15 years. Due to its slow reproduction rate, starting a colony from a queen requires a lot of patience, so it is recommended for experienced keepers from the beginning. However, once the colony has 20-25 workers, it can be suitable for beginners as well.

Feeding: Honey and insects.

Reproduction: The colony initially grows slowly, raising up to 25-40 workers in the first year, but by the second year, the worker count can reach 100. As typical with Camponotus species, the colony is shy when it has few workers, but becomes more assertive and aggressively defends its territory once the colony size reaches several hundred.

Hibernating: As a tropical ant species, they do not require wintering. However, during the Australian winter period,  from July to September, the queen stops laying eggs. It is not advisable to heat them during this time; cooler room temperatures (18-20°C) are recommended. The colony remains active and still needs to be fed regularly.