Camponotus Aeneopilosus Queen + 1-4 Workers

Most of our formicariums are easy-to-use and suitable for beginners. We do however recommend our Start Up Sets as a great place to begin. They come with everything you need to get started in ant keeping, including a great beginner species queen ant. They contain all you the basic equipment needed for every stage of ant keeping.

There are over 1300 species of ants in Australia, so there are quite a number of species suitable for beginners. We recommend starting out with a species that does not sting and are relatively hardy. Examples include Camponotus, Aphaenogastor and small Iridomyrmex, but there are plenty of other suitable species also. Please contact us if you are unsure and would like some advice.

You can find our basic care guide HERE. This outlines the very basics of what your queen will need. We recommend doing further research and learn how to care for your ants. There is a wealth of information available on YouTube.

Watch a quick explanation video HERE.

Claustral: Claustral queens in the wild do not leave their founding chamber to forage at all. They will use energy gained from metabolising their wing muscles that are no longer required, to sustain themselves until their first generation of workers emerges. From that point, her workers will forage for food and will feed the queen via a process called Trophallaxis. These queens are generally kept in a standard test tube set up in captivity. 

Semi-claustral queens in the wild will periodically leave their founding chamber to forage and feed themselves during the founding stage. In captivity they will require feeding from the start and in some instances (such as Myrmecia) will require access to a foraging area during the founding stage. A tub and tube set up will work well in this instance.

Adult ants require a liquid sugar source, such as our Ant Juice. Provide this to Semi-claustral queens straight away, and start feeding this to your claustral colony once the first workers emerge. Your colony will also require a protein source. This could come from feeder insects or our Ant Mousse. The protein helps the queen with egg-laying and helps maintain healthy growth of the larvae.

For most ant species, freshly killed feeder insects are the best and most accepted protein source for ants. Mealworms are the easiest feeder insect to raise and keep. You can also try our convenient Ant Mousse. We have found most ants will readily accept this food, but it is always good to provide variety for your ants to ensure they are getting all the nutrients they require.