Camponotus novaeboracensis
Camponotus novaeboracensis is a beautiful, large, red and black, active species of carpenter ant. It is a sister species to Camponotus pennsylvanicus.
STATES AVAILABLE TO BUY CAMPONOTUS NOVAEBORACENSIS: Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Species Info
Camponotus novaeboracensis are sugar-loving, red/black ants that are easy to keep in captivity. Queens and workers both have red/brown thoraxes.
A good diet with these ants would be liquid sugars (honey, sugarwater) and a protein source (fruit flies, crickets, mealworms). Fruit flies seem to be a favorite of this species.
The colonies benefit from a heat source, such as a heat mat, heat cable, or heated room. A good temperature for growth and activity would be ~82 degrees.
This species requires a diapause period, which should last 3-4 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.
Brood development can take anywhere between 5-9 weeks depending on feeding and heating, with 7-8 weeks being the average. Queens tend to lay eggs in batches. Colonies grow slow for the first year or two of development, but tend to reach the hundreds within 2-3 years.
Queen size: 16-22mm
Worker size: 6-12mm
Major worker size: 8-18mm
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SHIPPING INFO
Shipping happens from Monday-Wednesday. During the winter, shipping may cost more due to the need of a heat pack.