Camponotus pennsylvanicus, also known as the "Black Carpenter Ant," is one of the biggest and most common species of Camponotus found in Eastern North America.
They are one of our favourite species to get started with; this is due to them being easy to care for, high adaptability and do not have complex requirements to fulfill; they are big, making them easy to observe, and they can create good size colonies.
As the name states, they have a deep black colour, contrasting with the golden hairs and bands around their gasters. They love to nest in decaying wood, and workers are not afraid to travel long distances looking for food.
They are often found above ground, in tree trunks, logs, stumps, poles, fences, tending to aphids on plants, etc. They are somewhat opportunistic with their nest location as they look for defects in the wood, like holes, crevices, cavities and crotches. This is perhaps the main reason they are often seen as pests, as our wood houses often have the perfect location for them, although they don't destroy healthy wood and prefer rotten or decaying areas. If you see them in your home, that can be a sign of structural damage that was already there.
They are relatively slow in their founding stages and throughout the first year, but generally, colonies expand much faster in their second year onwards; it is also due to this slow start that we recommend them for beginners, as this allows us ant-keepers to learn and explore at a more manageable pace. This species develops much faster if provided with areas with high temperatures; they will move their pupae and cocoons in and out of such areas as needed.
This species requires low humidity (they prefer to have gradients), and our hybrid formicaria will need very little water; they are oligogynous and like to be in tight places, even if the queen can hardly turn inside a 16 mm test tube, that is, the perfect size for them. We also recommend leaving little space between the entrance and the cotton water barrier. They can fit through 9.5 mm tubing, and it is preferred during the founding stage to create a smaller chamber entrance; once the colony is more extensive and has more traffic on their formicarium entrance, it is wise to use 12.7 mm tubing.
Every queen (or starter colony) ships in a pre-assembled test-tube setup. Components are listed in the “Included Queen Test Tube Setup” info section. For the full breakdown of all options and why we use them, see "Test Tube Components Explained".
Live ants ONLY SHIP within CANADA.
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