Hercules carpenter ant

Camponotus herculeanus

Where it comes from

Range

Northern Europe, Asia and North America, in conifer forest

Size

Workers 6–14 mm, majors to 18 mm, queen 15–17 mm

Queens

One queen

Keeping them

Diet

Sugar water and insects

Founding

Fully claustral — the queen needs no food until her first workers

Brood development

Egg to worker in roughly 9–11 weeks at 24 °C

Nest

A roomy nest with a moisture gradient, kept cooler than its relatives

Wintering

5–10 °C, and a full winter rather than a short one

A northern forest species: it wants a cooler summer than its relatives and a long, properly cold hibernation.

Starting a colony

Camponotus herculeanus is a northern forest ant, found in conifer forest right around the northern hemisphere, and in the mountains further south. Its queens fly in early summer. A large black queen without wings in a spruce forest in June has mated and is looking for somewhere to found her colony.

House her in a test tube: water at the back behind a plug of cotton wool, the queen in the dry front half, and a loose plug at the opening. Cover it, keep it at room temperature and leave it alone. She is fully claustral and lives on her own reserves until her first workers arrive. This is the slowest starter in this guide: at 24 °C, egg to worker takes roughly 9–11 weeks. The first winter usually comes before the colony has more than a handful of workers, and part of the brood waits until spring to finish.

Feeding

Sugar is the staple. In the wild this species tends aphids in the conifers it nests in and lives largely on their honeydew. Give sugar water or diluted honey, and protein when there are larvae: a fruit fly, a cricket or a cut mealworm. A young colony eats very little. Keep the portions small and remove uneaten insects after a day.

The nest and the temperature

What sets this species apart from its relatives is that it wants it cooler. 20–25 °C is enough, and ordinary room temperature usually is too. There is no need for a heat mat, and a warm room in summer is more of a risk than a cool one. Keep the setup out of direct sun.

In the wild Camponotus herculeanus nests in wood, in old stumps and in living and dead trees, and in Scandinavia it is known for moving into the timber of houses. In captivity it needs no wood. Ytong, plaster and acrylic all work, with a moisture gradient from a damp end to a dry one. Workers range from 6 to 14 mm and the majors reach 18 mm, so give them roomy chambers. Keep the young colony in its test tube until it gets crowded, which may take two seasons.

Hibernation

This species needs a full, cold winter: from October to March at 5–10 °C, in a cellar, an unheated room or a fridge. A short or mild winter does it no favours. Lower the temperature over a couple of weeks, stop offering insects and check the water every few weeks, because a test tube that dries out over the winter kills the colony. In spring, warm them up just as gradually.

Common mistakes

• Keeping it as warm as a Mediterranean species.
• A short winter, or none.
• Expecting quick growth. This is the slowest starter in the guide.
• Moving a handful of workers into a large nest.
• Disturbing the founding queen.

Questions keepers ask

How is it different from Camponotus ligniperda? It is a cooler, more northern ant, and the gaster is dull with fine hairs rather than shiny. In care the difference is temperature: Camponotus ligniperda takes a warm spot in summer, herculeanus is happier without one.

How long until the first workers? About 9–11 weeks at 24 °C, and often only after the first winter.

Does it need wood? No. Carpenter ants dig in wood but do not eat it. A piece of bark in the outworld is welcome, but the nest itself can be anything with a damp side and a dry side.

Is it a good first species? It is not difficult, but it is slow, and the first two years test your patience. For a first colony, Lasius niger gives you more to see sooner.

Check it yourself

• AntWiki: Camponotus herculeanus

General guidance from the usual beginner references — treat it as a starting point, not as a rule your colony has agreed to.

Start a colony with this species

Similar species

• Camponotus ligniperda Brown-black carpenter ant

  Central and northern Europe, in and under dead wood

  22–26 °C 50–70 %

  Intermediate
• Camponotus barbaricus Mediterranean carpenter ant

  The Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, in dry open country

  24–28 °C 50–70 %

  Intermediate
• Formica rufibarbis Red-barbed ant

  Europe from Portugal to western Siberia, on sandy grassland and heath

  22–26 °C 50–70 %

  Intermediate
• Manica rubida European red mountain ant

  Central and southern Europe, the Near East and Georgia, at 400–2,200 m

  20–24 °C 50–70 %

  Intermediate

All 21 species in the guide