Camponotus Pennsylvanicus ||Live Queen|| [Eastern Black Carpenter Ant]

Camponotus pennsylvanicus (Eastern Black Carpenter Ants) for sale! 

These carpenter ants are extremely abundant across eastern Canada. One of the aspects that make them so successful is that they are really big ants that can vary a lot in size and have "soldiers/majors" (polymorphism). In addition, they can tolerate harsh extreme winters during hibernation nesting under a piece of bark; which makes them really hardy. (They are also one of my favourite carpenter ant species.)

Queen size: 18 mm

Worker size: 5-7 mm

Major size: 13-15 mm

Multiqueen: N/A

Nuptial flight timeframe:  Peak queen flights occur in May-June

Hibernation: November-March at 1-10°C

Any species following the genus Camponotus is extremely easy to care for. A common misconception about carpenter ants is that they might damage wood inside a home. However, this is only true if the wood is wet or rotting. 

Care Guide:

Despite their hardy nature, it is still important to provide proper care for an optimal growing season. 

Food

Camponotus pennsylvanicus will eat anything they get their hands on. Insects (beetle larvae, fruit flies, or roaches) to meat (ham, turkey bacon, or chicken) and carbohydrates like Honey, sugar water, or nectar. 

Temperature and Humidity:

The temperature should range from 18-29C and humidity between 25-50% (room humidity or a little less)

Ant nest

Camponotus pennsylvanicus will do great in any of our setups. However, for this species, we recommend getting the Antville wooden ant nest. When choosing the size of the nest, the colony should take up at least 40%+ of the nest capacity to ensure the colony doesn't feel vulnerable and stressed.