How to Care for Dinomyrmex gigas | The Giant Forest Ant Guide
Updated: 3 days ago
Meet one of the biggest ants on Earth. Dinomyrmex gigas, the giant forest ant, has workers longer than most ant queens, and a queen of around 3cm that can live for many years.
It patrols the rainforest floor of Southeast Asia, calm and slow-moving, like a small black and brown tank. This guide explains Dinomyrmex gigas care step by step, from the day your parcel arrives to a thriving giant colony.
We have kept ants since 1997, and everything here comes from our own colonies and the care rules we use every day.
👉 In a hurry? Download our free Dinomyrmex gigas care sheet (PDF) or open the Dinomyrmex gigas care sheet page for the key facts at a glance.
Dinomyrmex gigas at a Glance
Also known as: the giant forest ant (formerly Camponotus gigas)
Origin: the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia
Keeping level: Advanced
Queen: around 31mm, black with a brown gaster
Workers: 21 to 29mm, black with a brown gaster, in several sizes
Colony: one queen; in the wild, tens of thousands of ants spread over several nests
Nest temperature: 24 to 28°C all year
Nest humidity: 60 to 70%
Workers before moving into a nest: 3+ is a must, 5+ recommended
Winter: no rest at all, keep warm all year
Sting: none, but a strong bite
Meet the Giant Forest Ant
In the wild, Dinomyrmex gigas lives in tropical rainforest, from peat swamps to mangrove forests. Colonies nest in dead wood and under roots, and the workers march along the forest floor and up into the trees.
For a long time it was classed as a carpenter ant, Camponotus gigas, before scientists gave it a genus of its own. It still behaves a lot like a carpenter ant, with a real sweet tooth.
Small colonies are night owls and forage mostly after dark. In our experience, once a colony passes about 50 workers, the ants start foraging by day as well, so there is more and more to watch.
Neighbouring colonies hold ritual battles along their territory borders. They have no sting, but those big jaws can give a strong nip, so treat them as gentle giants and leave them alone.
When Your Ants Arrive
The most important step: leave the parcel completely unopened, exactly as it arrived, at room temperature for 5 hours. The ants must adjust to your home's temperature slowly, because abrupt temperature changes make ants seriously unwell.
This matters even more for giant forest ants, which react very strongly to climate changes. 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 were 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 a giant queen like this can take a little longer.
Life in the Test Tube
Giant forest ant workers are huge and capable from the very first day, so the colony doesn't need many before it moves. 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.
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.
Warmth matters from day one. If your room is below 24°C, warm the tube with a heating cable at the cotton stopper end 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.
The Best Ant Farm for Dinomyrmex gigas
Giant ants need a strong, well-made, escape-proof home with roomy chambers. 👉 Our Carpenter Ant Farm Starter Kit is made for big carpenter-type ants, with a nest and its own humidity and temperature meter, an outworld and a watering test tube.
👉 The A7 Plus ant farm kit is another good choice for a young colony. Its pre-installed digital meter shows the nest temperature and humidity at a glance. If you already have your ants, choose the Nest + Outworld option.
Giant forest ants are long-lived and the colony keeps growing, so plan on a bigger home as the workers multiply. Give them a roomy outworld, because these big workers love to walk.
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
Dinomyrmex gigas is a rainforest ant, and warmth is not optional. Keep the nest at 24 to 28°C every day of the year. A cold room slows the colony right down and makes the ants unwell.
Almost every UK home is too cool for this species for most of the year. 👉 The Advanced Heating System Small 4W holds the nest steady with its digital thermostat. Set it to 26°C, the middle of the ideal 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.
In the outworld, aim for about 21°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 60 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.
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 60%. Heated nests dry out faster, so check the meter often.
Never water the outworld. Keep it dry, at about 50% humidity, like an average UK home. Giant forest ants should never have open water: give them a watering test tube in the outworld instead, never a water dispenser.
Feeding Your Giant Forest Ants
In the wild, most of what these giants eat is sweet: honeydew and plant juices, with insects for 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 big carpenter-type ants. 👉 Protein Jelly works well too. Keep protein jelly in the fridge at all times.
Serve food on a small piece of tin foil, so leftovers are easy to lift out. Now and then, a rice-grain-sized piece of peeled grape or banana makes a nice treat.
Small colonies forage mostly at night, so put the food out in the evening. Live food, such as crickets or locusts, is only for big, established colonies, never small ones.
Always scald live food 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. That is why live food always gets the scalding step above.
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
Giant forest ants are strong climbers, and a 2cm ant loose in the house is hard to miss. 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
Dinomyrmex gigas has no winter rest. Rainforest stays warm all year, so your colony needs 24 to 28°C in December just as much as in June. Keep the heater running through the colder months.
Never put ants in a fridge, shed or garage, and avoid any abrupt temperature change. Cold doesn't kill a colony at once: the ants get sick and die over the following days.
Keep watering as usual, and keep feeding twice a week. If the colony takes a little less in the darker months, simply give a little less.
Can I Release My Ants?
No. A colony raised indoors won't survive outside, and this rainforest ant would never cope with a UK climate. 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 Dinomyrmex gigas good for beginners?
No, it is an advanced species. The ants are calm and hardy once settled, but they react strongly to climate changes and need steady tropical warmth all year. Start with an easier carpenter ant or Lasius niger first.
How big is the giant forest ant?
The queen is around 30 to 32mm long, and the workers measure about 21 to 29mm. That makes it one of the largest ants in the world: many of its workers are bigger than most ant queens.
How many workers does Dinomyrmex gigas need before moving into a nest?
At least 3 workers is a must, and 5 or more is recommended. The workers are huge and capable from the very first day, so the colony settles into an ant farm sooner than small species do.
What temperature do Dinomyrmex gigas need?
Keep the nest at 24 to 28°C all year round. In a UK home that means an Advanced Heating System under one quarter of the nest, because this rainforest ant can't cope with cold rooms.
Do Dinomyrmex gigas hibernate?
No. Giant forest ants come from tropical rainforest and have no winter rest at all. Keep them warm and steady from January to December, and never put them in a fridge, shed or garage.
What do Dinomyrmex gigas eat?
Mostly sugars: organic honey or Ant Nectar. Add Cricket Mash or Protein Jelly for the queen and brood. Feed twice a week, in the outworld only, and remove leftovers after 2 days.
Do giant forest ants sting or bite?
They have no sting, but the big jaws can give a strong nip. Never handle them. Use soft tweezers if you ever need to move anything in the outworld.
Ready for a Giant Forest Ant Colony?
👉 Find Dinomyrmex gigas colonies in our shop and check availability. Few ants make a bigger impression.
Print this guide and keep it next to your ant farm. 👉 Keep the essentials close and explore all our free ant care sheets.
