How to Care for Camponotus sericeus | The Golden Silk Ant Guide
Photo: kumarkv, via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Black, with a coat of shining golden hairs, Camponotus sericeus is one of the most eye-catching carpenter ants of the Old World tropics. Its name means silky, and in the light its golden back really does gleam like silk.
Silk ants are fast, curious and busy by day, which makes them a real pleasure to watch. This guide explains Camponotus sericeus care step by step, from a founding queen in her test tube to a lively 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 sericeus care sheet (PDF), open the Camponotus sericeus care sheet page or explore all our free ant care sheets.
Camponotus sericeus at a Glance
Also known as: the silk ant, after its golden, silky hairs
Origin: much of Africa, Arabia and tropical Asia, from India and Sri Lanka to Myanmar and Thailand
Keeping level: Intermediate: needs steady warmth and a strong escape barrier
Queen: about 11 to 13mm, black with golden hairs
Workers: 7 to 11mm, black with golden hairs, with broad-headed majors
Colony: one queen, usually a few hundred workers, up to a few thousand
Nest temperature: 24 to 30°C all year
Nest humidity: 60 to 80%
Workers before moving into a nest: 3+ is a must, 5+ recommended
Winter: no hibernation, keep warm all year
Escape risk: fast runners and climbers, so a PTFE barrier is a must
Meet the Silk Ant
Camponotus sericeus lives across a huge area, from West Africa to Arabia, India and Southeast Asia. It is at home in savannah, dry woodland, orchards and gardens, and it usually nests in the soil, often under a stone.
Most big carpenter ants come out at night, but silk ants forage by day. They love warmth and bright, sunny spots, and they feed on nectar, honeydew from sap-sucking insects and small insects.
Their way of sharing news is amazing. When a worker finds good food, she leads a nestmate to it in a tandem run: the follower keeps touching the leader with her antennae, so the two run along like a little train.
A queen seals herself away to raise her first workers on her own. The colony has small workers and bigger, broad-headed majors, and with warmth and good food it grows into a busy golden family.
Can You Keep Camponotus sericeus in the UK?
Camponotus sericeus comes from Africa and tropical Asia, 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 sericeus
Silk ants are fast, alert and quick to explore every corner, 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.
They love bright spots, but 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 sericeus comes from hot countries, so keep the nest at 24 to 30°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 about 26°C, the middle of their range.
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.
Warm the outworld too, because a big gap between nest and outworld confuses the ants. Aim for at least 21°C overnight, rising to about 28°C by day, ideally matching the nest or a degree or two cooler.
Water and Humidity
Keep the nest humidity at 60 to 80%. 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, and these ants don't cope well with drying out. Check the meter often and water about once a week, a little more in summer, and always as soon as the nest humidity drops below 60%.
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 Silk Ants
In the wild silk ants live on nectar, honeydew and small 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
Silk ants are fast runners and good 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. Keep the lid closed at all times, except for the moment you add food.
Winter Care
Camponotus sericeus is a tropical ant with no winter rest. Keep the nest at 24 to 30°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 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 sericeus good for beginners?
It is an intermediate species. The ants are lively and easy to feed, but they need steady tropical warmth all year, careful watering and a strong escape barrier. For a first colony, a UK-kept beginner species is easier.
Can I buy Camponotus sericeus in the UK?
Best Ants UK does not sell this species. It comes from Africa and tropical Asia, 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 sericeus 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 sericeus need?
Keep the nest at 24 to 30°C all year. A UK home is cooler than that for most of the year, so an Advanced Heating System set to about 26°C under one quarter of the nest is needed.
Do Camponotus sericeus 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 sericeus 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.
Why are they called silk ants?
Sericeus means silky in Latin. The workers and queen are black, and the back part of the body is covered in thick golden hairs that shine like silk in the light.
Ready to Start Your Own Carpenter Ant Colony?
Silk ants are 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.
