Crematogaster biroi

Looking to add a unique and fascinating ant species to your ant colony? The Asian variant of the ant commonly known as the Acrobat Ant, can usually be found spanning territories of India and China. Unlike their European counterparts which are commonly seen in the hobby, these are usually golden yellow/orange in colouration instead of red & black seen in Crematogaster scutellaris.
 
The queen is around 5-7mm and the workers are 2-4mm. C. biroi are relatively easy to care for if you provide them with a heating mat.
Habitat requirements:
Air humidity: Outworld: 50 - 60%; Nestpart: 50 - 80%
Temperature: Outworld: 21 - 30°C Nestpart: 21 - 28°C.
(lower temperatures are overnight and the higher daily ones)
 
Interestingly, in terms of nesting habits, they differ quite a lot from others of their genus as they are known to create subterranean nests as opposed to arboreal ones (usually in pine tree trunks). These ground-dwelling ants have adapted very well to such a low-light environment through physical adaptations such as smaller eyes.
Such nests are usually rather simple chambers and tunnels that are created under stones, twigs and logs on the forest floor.
 
Crematogaster biroi is a general predator, meaning they will consume a large range of insects, from crickets to flies to roaches. Whilst they are typically rather slow-moving and non-aggressive, they can and will initiate attack responses to prey by stinging and biting. They are so small that they can not sting you so nothing to worry about.
This brightly coloured species of ant is relatively easy to keep. In terms of growth, they can reach up to 5000 individuals and even more so in polygynous (more than 1 queen) colonies. However, a large formicarium is not necessarily needed due to its small size. Your best shot would be the A7 Plus ant farm.
 
Find out more about Ant-keeping here in the UK.