Camponotus Nicobarensis - Carpenter Ant - Intermediate
Our colonies are from Southern Asia.
 
Asian Carpenter Ant These are a tropical ant species from ASIA they are big ants and have workers of many sizes. With beautiful black and red colouration these ants are amazing as they do not hibernate and grow fast so they are good to look at all year round.
 
As a rule of thumb most carpenter ants throw caution to the wind, remaining noctournal and digging complex tunnel access to foraging areas. However the Nicobarensis is much to bold for this, it has no problem quickly gathering a response to a threat and can take down prey by overwhelming it.
 
Incredibly fast and nimble on their feet "Nico's" form large colonies quickly despite taking up to 10 weeks for brood development. This is done by the queen laying larger batches than other species would typically lay and by the vast amount of protein they consume to feed the larvae.
 
In the wild Nico's find home in dead wood, logs, bark and preferably damp and dead. They discard waste wood from digging tunnels outside leaving a saw-dust around their nest. The high moisture of wood, especially dead and decaying wood means they like good amounts of humidity and warmth in their nests. These nible and pretty ants will entertain you for hours.
 
There is a variation in this species which occurs between where they are found. Southern species are met with hostile environments and as a result cannot afford to hibernate, they also have larger colonies and are polygyne. In contrast where the ground is not teaming with jungle critters the northern species can afford smaller colonies and they hibernate whilst retaining a Monogyne colony
 
Colony Size
Northern Species - 3,000 workers
Southern Species - 5,000 workers
Moderate start until 15 workers, then RAPID growth with increased proteins.
Queen Age
Up to 25 years
Polygyne (Southern Species) - Several queens per nest
Monogyne (Northern Species) - Single queen per nest
Fully Claustral - No food until first workers
Temperature
Heated 25 to 28 degrees
Hibernation
Southern Species - No
Northern Species - Yes
Polymorphic (Different size casts)
Yes - Will produce Majors
Sting
No
Bite
Yes
Diet
Lots of Protein, Lots of Sugars, Lots of Water. These ants eat fast and grow quick.
Nest Type
Natural, Acrylic, Sand, Earth, Glass, Ytong, Plaster. 
Size
Queen - 14mm-16mm
Worker - 6mm-12mm
Polymorphic - Yes
Development
Egg to Adult Worker - 4 to 6 weeks
Special Note
The Camponotus Nicobarensis will grow rapidly, be sure to have the correct size setup ready.