Formica perpilosa
(Desert Formica Ants) Care Sheet
My name is Anthony Prothero, founder of Stateside Ants. Over the past few years I've gotten to know Formica perpilosa very well by keeping and growing out various colonies!
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Formica perpilosa is a very pretty, bicolored species of Formica unique for withstanding drier habitats, including desert washes, canyons, river bottoms, and other similar habitats. The colonies are extremely aggressive and entertaining when grown out! This species can grow faster than your average Formica. Formica perpilosa colonies can be found for sale here!
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Short Sheet
Queen size: 7-8mm.
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Worker size: ~4-5mm.​
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Founding method: Fully-claustral.
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Egg-worker times: Around 30-40 days, when warm and fed well
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Polygynous?: Not typically
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Ideal temperature: Around 80°F for most of the nest, some warmer, some cooler
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Humidity: 80-90%+ in part of the nest. Lower in much of it.
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Hibernation temperature: 40F, see hibernation section.
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Protein preference: Generalist. Roaches, fruit flies, mealworms, etc.
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Carbohydrate preference: Liquid sugars, such as Sunburst
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About the Queen
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Your average Formica perpilosa queen spans around 7.5mm long and touts a distinct bicoloration. Most queens have strong orange thoraxes and heads, but some queens may have some darker thoraxes. Queens are fully claustral and do not need food until workers have hatched.
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This species is typically monogynous. This means that only one queen is found per colony. Queens can found together, but it's best not to found them together, as they usually fight once workers arrive.
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About Growth
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Formica perpilosa grows rather quickly for Formica. In one colony, I was able to get them to more than 300 workers in less than six months, before their first diapause!
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The egg-worker usually takes a little over a month. Colonies rarely exceed a few thousand workers, which in my experience, is more than enough workers to be very entertaining!
Temperature & Setup
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Formica perpilosa is tolerant of a decent range of warm-ish temperatures. They're happiest with much of the nest around 80F, but it's a good idea to provide both a warmer portion and a cooler portion. Never let them get much warmer than 85F, and always have an escape route for them in the case of extreme drought/heat!
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I do recommend keeping this species in the tube as long as you can, but with one caveat: give them sterilized sand. They will spray formic acid at protein, even when dead, and over time that can really make a mess. Plus, Formica perpilosa appreciate the sand as support for cocoons, when their larvae decide to spin them.
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An incubator works rather well for this species! DIY incubators can be made using a styrofoam cooler, a heat mat, and a temperature controller, and it's pretty intuitive. Otherwise, heat cables and heat mats on their own just for heating a portion of the nest is fine. Remember, if you're heating a test tube, never heat near the water reservoir. This can cause flooding or overheating. Create a temperature range (gradient), and allow the ants to choose their conditions.
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A simple outworld works for this species, but it's a good idea to have absorbent material at the bottom. Same goes for the nest! They're generalist in terms of setups but will not usually tolerate smooth surfaces as well over time.
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Feeding​​
Formica perpilosa enjoys lots of liquid sugars as well as rich, chewable proteins. Formica in general are known to drag stuff in the nest and chew on it until absolutely nothing of value is wasted!
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Sugars can be honeywater, sugarwater, or Sunburst. Do not feed pure honey, as it's too thick and presents issues.
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Proteins can be any fresh feeder insects: dubia roaches, fruit flies (those first 2 are favorites), also mealworms and crickets.
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Make sure to remove any food after 16-24 hours. If you leave food in there, it could cause mold and such to appear.
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It's worth mentioning that this species and many Formica have a rather quick larval cycle. Their larvae attempt to mature into pupae rather quickly, and if they aren't met with sufficient nutrients in this window (which can actually be less than a WEEK, sometimes only a couple days!), then they might develop deformed, or not develop at all. As soon as you notice larvae in your colony, crank up the protein feeding in both quantity and frequency. It's almost always better to overfeed than underfeed. You can remove old food, but you can get that larval window back!
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Hibernation
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Formica perpilosa needs a moderate hibernation (diapause in insects) in most cases. When they slow down, slowly cool them down over a few days/weeks until they're sitting right in the mid 40s, ideally. Keep them cold like this for 6-10 weeks before slowly warming them back up to growth temperatures. If the diapause was enough, they'll start growing again within days, weeks at the latest. Make sure they're fed lots before diapause and have water throughout, as the ants still need moisture, even in the fridge!
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Extreme Growth
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If you want your colony to grow incredibly fast, you should be overfeeding them. Keep offering as much protein as they’ll take, and make sure they’re well supplied with carbohydrates to keep the workers fueled. Heavy protein feeding signals the queen that resources are abundant, triggering her to lay more eggs—starting a cycle of rapid growth and increased demand for food.
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When you stick to a strict feeding schedule, colonies rarely reach their full potential. Instead, feed this species as much protein as they’ll accept, then add a little extra each day. A mix of roaches and fruit flies for protein, along with steady access to liquid sugars for carbohydrates, makes a powerful combination! Keep them warm, and on this diet, and your colony will explode in size quickly! If they aren't growing after weeks of this, they might need diapause.
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If you're looking for a place to get a Formica perpilosa colony, click here!
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