Variable Carpenter Ants (C. vicinus)

General: Camponotus vicinus is a large, beautiful species of Camponotus from the western United States. Colonies are large, opportunistic, and polymorphic. 

 

Diet: These ants love sugars in the form of sugarwater or honeywater. They also need protein to grow in numbers, so provide proteins such as crickets, fruit flies and mealworms. Fruit flies seem to be a favorite. They can be fed at least once or twice a week.

 

Temperature: These colonies benefit from a heating gradient. At the hottest point it should be around 82-86, but be sure to make sure part of their living area is cooler.

 

Diapause: This species requires a diapause period, which should last ~3 months ideally. During this time, the ants need to be cooled down to a low temperature, with around 40 degrees fahrenheit being ideal. You can achieve diapause by placing the ants in a controlled cooling unit, such as a wine cooler, mini fridge, or regular fridge if temperatures are safe. If you cannot use any of these, a non-heated room which stays above freezing could work. 

 

Growth: Brood development takes around 6-8 weeks. Usually it will take 6-7 weeks, if heated and fed properly. Colonies can usually reach above 100 by the 2nd or 3rd year!

 

Variants: This species has multiple variants. Currently, we consider there to be a Dark Variant and a Light Variant. The Light Variant is often slightly smaller, but has an orange gaster. The Darker Variant is sometimes larger but is usually mostly black (but can have specks of red or orange). We differentiate the two so that you know exactly what you're getting!

 

Queen size: 14-17mm

Worker size: 5-9mm

Major size: 9-12mm

If ants arrive in bad condition, contact us for help. Live arrival is guaranteed.

Shipping happens from Monday-Wednesday. During the winter, shipping may cost more due to the need of a heat pack.