How to Care for Tetraponera rufonigra | The Arboreal Bicoloured Ant Guide
Updated: 3 days ago
Long, slim and striking, Tetraponera rufonigra is the bicoloured arboreal ant of tropical Asia. Its black head and gaster sit either side of a bright orange thorax, and it races up tree bark like a tiny wasp.
Unlike most ants, each worker hunts alone, stalking live insects and striking with a powerful sting. This guide explains Tetraponera rufonigra care step by step, from the day your parcel arrives to a thriving colony.
We have kept ants since 1997, and everything here comes from our own colonies and the care rules we use every day. This is a species for adults only.
👉 In a hurry? Download our free Tetraponera rufonigra care sheet (PDF) or open the Tetraponera rufonigra care sheet page for the key facts at a glance.
Tetraponera rufonigra at a Glance
Also known as: the arboreal bicoloured ant
Origin: South and Southeast Asia, from India and Sri Lanka to Myanmar, Vietnam, southern China and Java
Keeping level: Advanced, adults only
Queen: 12 to 15mm, black head and gaster, orange thorax
Workers: 10 to 12mm, the same colours, slim and very fast
Colony: one queen, around 300 to 500 workers when mature
Nest temperature: 24 to 28°C all year
Nest humidity: 60 to 80%
Workers before moving into a nest: 10+
Food: live prey, plus a little honey or Ant Nectar
Winter: no rest, keep warm all year
Sting: very painful, so never handle them
Meet the Arboreal Bicoloured Ant
In the wild, Tetraponera rufonigra lives in tropical and subtropical forest. It is built for life in the trees: its slender body slips through bark crevices, and colonies nest inside dead hardwood branches.
Watching a worker hunt is the highlight. Instead of swarming prey as a group, a single worker spots an insect, rushes in and stings it. Then it carries its catch home alone.
Young queens fly out between January and March in their home range. Each one then seals herself away to raise her first workers, living off her own body reserves.
Colonies grow steadily rather than fast. In our own colony, 21 workers grew to 107 in 2 years. A mature colony usually reaches a few hundred workers.
The sting is the one thing to respect. In parts of Southeast Asia this ant is seen as a pest because of it. Kept safely behind a closed lid, it is one of the most rewarding hunters you can watch.
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.
After the 5 hours, check the queen is safe and sound, without opening the tube. 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.
Life in the Test Tube
We supply Tetraponera rufonigra as a colony, never as a lone queen. Look for eggs, larvae or pupae in the tube: brood laid inside the colony is your proof of a fertile, laying queen.
Keep the colony in its test tube until it has at least 10 workers. Moved too early, the workers often abandon the queen in the bigger space, and the colony can fail. The more workers, the better your chances.
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 Tetraponera rufonigra
A tree-living hunter is happiest in a natural home. 👉 Our natural eco ant farm suits it best: add twigs, small branches and bark for the workers to climb and hunt on.
👉 The A7 Plus ant farm kit is another good choice. 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.
Whatever you choose, the lid must close tightly and stay closed. This species climbs superbly and stings hard, so an escape-proof home matters more than usual.
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
Tetraponera rufonigra comes from warm Asian forest, so steady warmth is a must. Keep the nest at 24 to 28°C every day of the year.
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 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 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.
In an A7 Plus, water the nest with the pipette provided. Pour slowly, a few drops at a time, through the watering hole, and stop as soon as 1 or 2 drops appear inside the nest. With the meter, water when humidity drops below 60%.
In the natural eco ant farm, water the substrate surface instead, 1 to 3ml at a time. Then wait at least a day before adding more, because the water needs time to soak in.
Water about once a week, a little more in summer and a little less in winter. Never water the outworld: keep it dry, at about 50% humidity, with a watering test tube for drinking.
Feeding Your Tetraponera rufonigra Colony
This is a true hunter. The workers attack living insects and ignore dead ones, so live prey is the heart of their diet and is given alive. Never scald it or cut it up: the ants need to hunt it.
🦗 Offer baby crickets, small locusts or fruit flies 2 to 3 times a week, in the outworld only. Size each insect so that a single worker can overpower it.
🍯 For energy, put a small drop of our 👉 organic ant honey or 👉 Ant Nectar next to the prey. Ant Nectar has even more carbohydrates than honey, and both are far better than sugar water or home-made mixes.
Serve the honey on a small piece of tin foil, so it is easy to lift out. Remove uneaten prey and leftovers after 2 days to stop mould.
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.
This matters even more for a hunter that only eats live prey. In our experience about half of all bought live food carries mites, so where you buy it matters a great deal.
Buy live prey only from established, reputable suppliers, and look it over before it goes in. 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 and Staying Safe
Tree ants are born climbers, and an escaped worker can sting. 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.
Never handle these ants, and never let children handle the setup. Use long tweezers for feeding and cleaning, keep the lid closed, and open it only as long as you need to.
Winter Care
Tetraponera rufonigra has no winter rest. It stays active all year, so keep the nest at 24 to 28°C in winter just as in summer, with 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 and feeding as usual. If the colony takes a little less prey in the darker months, simply offer a little less.
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 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 Tetraponera rufonigra good for beginners?
No. It is an advanced species for adults only. The ants are fast, climb superbly, hunt live prey and have a very painful sting. Start with an easy species such as Lasius niger or Messor barbarus first.
Does Tetraponera rufonigra sting?
Yes, and it hurts: in our experience the sting is more painful than a wasp sting. Never handle the ants, keep the lid closed, use long tweezers and keep children away from the setup.
How many workers does Tetraponera rufonigra need before moving into a nest?
At least 10 workers. We supply colonies, never a lone queen, and the colony stays in its test tube until it has 10 or more workers. Moved earlier, the workers can abandon the queen.
What temperature do Tetraponera rufonigra need?
Keep the nest at 24 to 28°C all year round. Most UK homes need an Advanced Heating System under one quarter of the nest to hold that warmth.
Do Tetraponera rufonigra hibernate?
No. This is a tropical and subtropical Asian ant with no winter rest. Keep it warm and steady all year, and never put it in a fridge, shed or garage.
What do Tetraponera rufonigra eat?
Live insects, such as baby crickets and small locusts, 2 to 3 times a week. The workers hunt and ignore dead food. A small drop of honey or Ant Nectar alongside the prey gives them energy.
How big does a Tetraponera rufonigra colony get?
A mature colony usually has a few hundred workers. Growth is steady rather than fast: in our own colony, 21 workers grew to 107 in 2 years.
Ready for a Colony of Tree Hunters?
👉 Find Tetraponera rufonigra colonies in our shop, and watch a lone hunter at work, safely behind glass.
Print this guide and keep it next to your ant farm. 👉 Keep the essentials close and explore all our free ant care sheets.
