How to Care for Camponotus irritans | The Asian Carpenter Ant Guide
Photo: Swarochi Tathagath, via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Busy, bold and found right across tropical Asia, Camponotus irritans is a carpenter ant that is happy in forests, grassland and even towns. Small workers, middle-sized workers and big-headed majors all share one lively colony.
In warmth, Camponotus irritans colonies can grow quickly, and they are a joy to watch at feeding time. This guide explains Camponotus irritans care step by step, from a founding queen in her test tube to a thriving colony in an ant farm.
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 irritans care sheet (PDF), open the Camponotus irritans care sheet page or explore all our free ant care sheets.
Camponotus irritans at a Glance
Also known as: an Asian carpenter ant
Origin: tropical South and Southeast Asia and nearby islands, from Sri Lanka and India to China, Indonesia and the Philippines
Keeping level: Advanced beginner, with steady warmth all year
Queen: about 12 to 16mm
Workers: 5 to 14mm, in three sizes: minors, medias and majors
Colour: varies a lot from region to region, from yellowish to dark brown
Colony: one queen, growing to several thousand workers when mature
Nest temperature: 24 to 28°C all year
Nest humidity: 50 to 70%
Workers before moving into a nest: 3+ is a must, 5+ recommended
Winter: no hibernation, keep warm all year
Escape risk: fast climbers, so a PTFE barrier is a must
Meet Camponotus irritans
Camponotus irritans is one of the most widespread carpenter ants of tropical Asia. Scientists have described around 15 local forms of it, which is why the colour changes so much from one region to the next.
In the wild it lives at forest edges, in grassland and in lowland rainforest. It also does well in towns, where colonies sometimes nest in buildings and even inside outdoor electrical boxes.
The workers feed on plant nectar, honeydew from sap-sucking insects and small insects they catch or find. They cope with real tropical heat, and they are busy and alert whenever food appears.
Its Latin name comes from the word for irritating. A small young colony is shy, but a big colony defends its territory boldly with strong jaws and a spray of formic acid.
A queen seals herself away to raise her first workers on her own. With warmth and good food, the colony grows faster than many carpenter ants, and a queen can live for many years.
Can You Keep Camponotus irritans in the UK?
Camponotus irritans is a tropical Asian ant, and Best Ants UK does not sell it. Ants from abroad 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. The same care rules work 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, 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 tropical queen needs warmth in her test tube 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 irritans
Camponotus irritans are quick, strong climbers, and a healthy colony grows fast, so their home must be well made, escape-proof and easy to keep warm.
👉 Our Carpenter Ant Farm Starter Kit is made for carpenter ants, with a nest that has its own humidity and temperature meter, an outworld and a watering test tube.
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
Camponotus irritans comes from the tropics, so keep the nest at 24 to 28°C every day of the year. Warmth keeps the queen laying and the brood growing, and a cool colony soon stalls.
A UK home is cooler than that for most 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%. Use distilled or purified water only. Never use tap water, rainwater or bottled mineral water, even boiled: they cause mould and fungus, which is deadly for ants.
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.
A warm nest dries out faster, so check the meter often. Water about once a week, a little more in summer and a little less in winter, and always as soon as 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 Camponotus irritans
In the wild these ants live on nectar, honeydew and insects, so they need both sugars and protein. 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
Camponotus irritans are fast, determined 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. A fast-growing colony reaches the hundreds quickly, so keep an eye on the PTFE band.
Winter Care
Camponotus irritans is a tropical ant with no winter rest. Keep the nest at 24 to 28°C right through every UK winter, with the heater doing the work on cold days.
Never let the colony get cold. Never put ants in a fridge, shed or garage, and avoid any abrupt temperature change. Keep watering the nest as usual.
Even kept warm, growth often slows a little in the darker months, because the biological clock can't be tricked. If the colony slows down, feed a little less, but never guess: at 22 to 26°C, give about half the summer amount, still twice a week.
Can I Release My Ants?
No. A colony raised indoors won't survive outside, and this tropical Asian ant could never cope with a UK winter. 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 irritans good for beginners?
It suits an advanced beginner. The ants are hardy, fast-growing and easy to feed, but they need steady tropical warmth all year, a strong escape barrier, and a big colony can be bold and defensive.
Can I buy Camponotus irritans in the UK?
Best Ants UK does not sell this species. It is a tropical Asian 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 irritans need before moving into a nest?
At least 3 workers is a must, and 5 or more is recommended. Carpenter ant workers are capable from the start, so they settle into an ant farm sooner than smaller species.
What temperature do Camponotus irritans need?
Keep the nest at 24 to 28°C all year. A UK home is cooler than that for most of the year, so an Advanced Heating System set to 24°C under one quarter of the nest is needed.
Do Camponotus irritans hibernate?
No. This tropical species has no winter rest. Keep the colony warm all year, never let it get cold, and never put it in a fridge, shed or garage.
Why did my Camponotus irritans 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 Camponotus irritans sting?
No, they have no sting. The bigger workers can give a firm nip with their jaws and spray a little formic acid when disturbed. As with every ant, never handle them.
Ready to Start Your Own Carpenter Ant Colony?
Camponotus irritans is not sold by Best Ants UK, but the same care brings our carpenter ant colonies to life.
👉 Start with 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.
