How to Care for Camponotus decipiens | The Lesser Red Carpenter Ant Guide
Photo: azurebeetle, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Small, neat and red with a shiny black gaster, Camponotus decipiens is one of the smaller carpenter ants of North America. Its queen is only about 8 to 9mm long, around half the size of many carpenter ant queens.
Lesser red carpenter ants grow quickly for a carpenter ant and fit happily in a small ant farm. This guide explains Camponotus decipiens care step by step, from a founding queen in her test tube to a busy little colony.
We have kept ants since 1997, and the care rules here are the same ones we use for our own carpenter ant colonies every day.
👉 In a hurry? Download our free Camponotus decipiens care sheet (PDF) or open the Camponotus decipiens care sheet page for the key facts at a glance.
Camponotus decipiens at a Glance
Also known as: the lesser red carpenter ant or mini red carpenter ant
Origin: the eastern and central United States and north-eastern Mexico
Keeping level: Beginner, with steady warmth and a good escape barrier
Queen: 8 to 9mm
Workers: about 3.5 to 7.5mm, red with a black gaster; majors at the top end
Colony: one queen; usually under 100 workers, at most a few hundred
Nest temperature: 24 to 28°C
Nest humidity: 50 to 70%, on the dry side of that range
Workers before moving into a nest: 3+ is a must, 5+ recommended
Winter: a cool rest of 2 to 3 months at 10 to 14°C, only in a hibernation unit with precise control
Escape risk: small, quick climbers, so a PTFE barrier is a must
Meet the Lesser Red Carpenter Ant
In the wild, Camponotus decipiens lives in trees and wood. It nests in dead twigs and branches, under bark, in logs and stumps, and even in old tunnels left by other insects, insect galls and hollow plant stems.
Because its homes are small, its colonies stay small too. Most have fewer than 100 workers, and only a few reach several hundred. That makes it a good fit for a compact ant farm.
The workers are mostly red on the head, middle and legs, with a black gaster. Winged queens and males have been found in both spring and autumn.
For a carpenter ant, this species grows fast. With steady warmth and good food, brood can grow from egg to worker in about 5 to 8 weeks.
Can You Keep Camponotus decipiens in the UK?
Camponotus decipiens is a North American ant, and Best Ants UK does not sell it. North American ants may be illegal or impossible to import into the UK, and we never encourage importing ants.
This guide is for keepers who already look after this species where it is native, and for anyone curious about it. Every care rule here works just as well for the carpenter ants you can keep legally in the UK.
When a New Colony Arrives
The most important step: leave the parcel completely unopened, exactly as it arrived, at room temperature for 5 hours. The ants must adjust to the temperature slowly, because abrupt temperature changes make ants seriously unwell.
After the 5 hours, check the queen is safe and sound. Then leave the colony in its original packaging, with the test tube still in its tin foil and wrapping.
Put it somewhere quiet and still, away from daily household activity. Normal daylight is fine, but never direct sunlight.
Give the colony 4 to 5 days of complete rest. The ants are fed before dispatch, so they need nothing from you. Use this time to set up and water the nest. 👉 Our step-by-step ant farm setup guide shows you exactly how.
Still workers or a motionless queen after delivery are almost always delivery stress. Look at the queen's antennae: moving antennae mean she is fine. Almost all recover within 4 to 5 days, and big queens can take a little longer.
Life in the Test Tube
Carpenter ant workers are capable from the start, even in a small species like this, so they don't need a huge colony before moving. Keep the ants in their test tube until there are at least 3 workers. That is a must. 5 or more workers is even better.
Don't worry if the queen's eggs have disappeared after delivery. Most carpenter ant queens eat their eggs in transit. This is normal for Camponotus, and only Camponotus. She lays again within 2 to 3 months of settling in.
A queen on her own still needs a little food. Once a week, give her a tiny drop of protein jelly, about half a grain of rice, on a small flat piece of tin foil inside the tube, next to the dry cotton stopper.
In our experience a fed queen raises her first workers faster, and the queen and colony do far better afterwards. Keep her tube wrapped in its foil and disturb her as little as possible.
A queen in a test tube needs warmth too. If your room is cool, use a heating cable at the cotton stopper end of the tube only. Never lay a test tube on a heat mat.
Moving Into the Ant Farm
When the colony is ready, connect the test tube to the nest with the delivery tin foil still on. Leave it like that for 14 days.
Then slide the foil back about 1mm every day, until the tube is fully exposed to daylight. Bit by bit, the tube becomes the bright spot and the dark nest becomes the safe home.
If the ants haven't moved 2 days after the tube is fully exposed, wrap the foil back on, wait another fortnight and repeat the whole process. Moving in happens on the ants' own time: anywhere from a couple of days to 6 months.
Once the colony has moved, leave the old test tube connected for at least another 14 days. Ants sometimes leave a little brood behind.
The red filter and black cover stay on the nest all the time, so it is pitch dark inside. You can lift the black cover once a day for 2 to 3 minutes, ideally at night, and take the red filter off once a week for 2 to 3 minutes. Take colony photos once a month at most.
The Best Ant Farm for Camponotus decipiens
Lesser red carpenter ants are small, so they do best in a compact nest that keeps the colony together. Small ants in a big nest feel exposed and struggle to keep their brood warm.
👉 Our top pick is the A7 Plus ant farm kit. Its pre-installed digital meter shows the nest temperature and humidity at a glance, and if you already have your ants, choose its Nest + Outworld option.
Place the ant farm in normal daylight, never direct sunlight: the sun can overheat a nest within minutes. Avoid windows, radiators and heaters, vibrating surfaces, speakers and TVs, and rooms with strong smells such as the kitchen.
Temperature and Heating
Keep the nest at 24 to 28°C. Keepers find this species barely grows without extra warmth, and a warm colony grows quickly.
Most UK homes are cooler than that for much of the year. 👉 The Advanced Heating System Small 4W holds the nest steady with its digital thermostat. Set it to 24°C.
The heat mat goes under one quarter of the nest only, on the side opposite the watering area. The ants can then pick the spot they like best. Never heat the whole nest.
In the outworld, aim for about 18°C overnight up to 28°C by day. By day it should ideally match the nest or be a degree or two cooler. If the nest is heated, warm the outworld too, because a big gap confuses the ants.
Water and Humidity
Keep the nest humidity at 50 to 70%. Keepers find these ants prefer the drier end, so never overwater. Use distilled or purified water only. Never use tap water, rainwater or bottled mineral water, even boiled: they cause mould and fungus.
Water the nest with the pipette provided. Pour slowly, a few drops at a time, through the watering hole. Stop as soon as 1 or 2 drops appear inside the nest. That is how you know it is done correctly.
Water about once a week, a little more in summer and a little less in winter. With a meter, simply water when the nest humidity drops below 50%.
Never water the outworld. Keep it dry, at about 50% humidity, like an average UK home. Carpenter ants should never have open water: give them a watering test tube in the outworld instead, never a water dispenser.
Feeding Your Lesser red carpenter ants
Carpenter ants have a real sweet tooth, and a growing colony needs plenty of protein too. Feed twice a week, in small amounts, in the outworld only. Remove leftovers after 2 days to stop mould.
🍯 For energy, give our 👉 organic ant honey or 👉 Ant Nectar, which has even more carbohydrates than honey. Honey and Ant Nectar are far better than sugar water or home-made mixes.
🥩 For the queen and brood, 👉 Cricket Mash is the more efficient protein for carpenter ants. 👉 Protein Jelly works well too. Keep protein jelly in the fridge at all times.
Serve food on a small piece of tin foil or in a 👉 small feeding dish, so leftovers are easy to lift out. Now and then, a rice-grain-sized piece of peeled grape or banana makes a nice treat.
Live food, such as crickets or locusts, is only for big, established colonies, never small ones. Always scald it first: wearing gloves, hold it with tweezers in just-boiled water (above 90°C, no longer bubbling) for 10 to 15 seconds.
Then cut it in half only, and serve it in the outworld.
Keep Mites Out of Your Colony
Blood-sucking mites are one of the biggest dangers for any ant colony, and they are not rare. They often arrive with bird seed from local shops, dried mealworms (which are useless as ant food anyway), and live food from pet shops or online.
In our experience about half of all bought live food carries mites, so where you buy matters.
Buy ant food only from established, reputable ant-keeping suppliers. At Best Ants UK we clean our foods in several ways before dispatch, check every colony twice a month, and check each colony again before it leaves us.
Now and then, look at your queen with a magnifying glass. Tiny white or reddish specks on her joints and legs, together with ants dying fast, are a warning sign of blood-sucking mites.
Stopping Escapes
Lesser red carpenter ants are small and quick climbers, so escape prevention is a must. Paint a band of 👉 PTFE Fluon escape barrier around the top inner edge of the outworld lid. The ants slip off it and can't climb out.
PTFE wears off as the ants keep testing the same spots. For a small colony of up to about 100 ants, reapply it roughly every 4 weeks. For 300 to 500 ants or more, reapply it about every 2 weeks.
Never shake the bottle, because it foams. Roll it gently in your hands instead.
Winter Care
Camponotus decipiens has a built-in yearly clock and needs a winter rest, even indoors. Kept warm all year, the queen stops laying anyway, the ants burn through their reserves, and the colony slowly declines.
Give it a cool rest of 2 to 3 months at 10 to 14°C. This rest is needed for a healthy colony. That is only safe in a specialised hibernation unit with precise control, cooled down and warmed up gradually.
Never put ants in a fridge, shed or garage, and avoid any abrupt temperature change. We never hibernate a queen in her first year; keep her warm through that first winter.
During the rest, give fresh water and very little food, and take any leftovers out after 2 days. When the rest ends, warm the colony up gradually and switch the heater back on.
Can I Release My Ants?
No. A colony raised indoors won't survive outside, and a North American ant doesn't belong in the wild here. If you ever can't keep your colony any more, 👉 visit our ant adoption page and let us know. We'll see whether we can take it in.
Frequently Asked Questions | FAQ
Is Camponotus decipiens good for beginners?
Yes, for a beginner who can give steady warmth. The ants are easy to feed, grow quickly for a carpenter ant and stay in small colonies. They need a compact nest and a good escape barrier.
Can I buy Camponotus decipiens in the UK?
Best Ants UK does not sell this species. It is a North American ant, and it may be illegal or impossible to import into the UK. We never encourage importing ants. Choose a species that is legally kept and sold in the UK instead.
How many workers does Camponotus decipiens need before moving into a nest?
At least 3 workers is a must, and 5 or more is recommended. Even in this small carpenter ant, the workers are capable from the start and settle into a compact ant farm early.
What temperature do Camponotus decipiens need?
Keep the nest at 24 to 28°C. They barely grow without extra warmth, so an Advanced Heating System set to 24°C under one quarter of the nest is needed in most UK homes.
Do Camponotus decipiens need a winter rest?
Yes. Give the colony a cool rest of 2 to 3 months at 10 to 14°C, only in a specialised hibernation unit with precise control, cooled down and warmed up gradually. Kept warm all year, the colony slowly declines. Never use a fridge, shed or garage, and never rest a queen in her first year.
Why did my Camponotus decipiens queen eat her eggs?
Most carpenter ant queens eat their eggs during delivery. This is normal for Camponotus, and only Camponotus. Once she settles in, she lays again within 2 to 3 months.
Do lesser red carpenter ants sting?
No, they have no sting. They are small and can only give a tiny nip with their jaws. They can also spray a little formic acid when disturbed. As with every ant, never handle them.
Ready to Start Your Own Carpenter Ant Colony?
Lesser red carpenter ants are not sold by Best Ants UK, but the same care brings our UK carpenter ant colonies to life.
👉 For a bigger carpenter ant colony later on, look at our Carpenter Ant Farm Starter Kit, made for carpenter ants, with a nest that has its own humidity and temperature meter, an outworld and a watering test tube. 👉 Explore all our free ant care sheets.
