Live photo

Species & care sheets

Ash-Red Carpenter Ant

Camponotus rufoglaucus · มดตะลานปล้องขี้เถ้า

DifficultyEasyHow often it is foundพบได้ทั่วไปDefencesDefensive

A slender carpenter ant dusted in ash-grey hairs, the Ash-Red Carpenter Ant is easy to keep and grows fast, making it a great pick for anyone starting out with Camponotus.

เป็นมดตะลานในสกุลย่อย Tanaemyrmex มีการกระจายพันธุ์กว้างและอาจเป็นกลุ่มสายพันธุ์ซับซ้อน (species complex)

Overview

Temperature

24–29°C

Humidity

50–65%

Diet

Sugar · Insects

Nest type

Ytong / Acrylic / 3d-printed / Soil

Growth

Medium

Colony size

200–800 ตัว

Difficulty — เลี้ยงง่าย ปรับตัวเก่ง ไม่จู้จี้เรื่องอาหาร และทนทานต่อสภาพแวดล้อมได้ดี
Colony size — รังขนาดใหญ่อาจมีจำนวนประชากรได้หลายพันตัว
How often it is found — มดที่มีข้อมูลบันทึกพบมากที่สุดในกลุ่ม เจอได้บ่อยตามธรรมชาติ — มีบันทึกยืนยันพบในไทยโดยตรงด้วย; มีวางขายในตลาดนักเลี้ยงมดต่างประเทศ (มีสต๊อกจริง) · Records in Thailand 32 · Records worldwide 1,783 · Hobbyist market: Sold abroad

Derived from record counts in global databases (GBIF · AntWeb · iNaturalist), not from how common the ant is in Thailand. — น่าเชื่อถือสูง — มีบันทึกพิกัด/ตัวอย่างในไทยจริง (GBIF/AntWeb)

What it eats

SugarsProteinSeedsFungus

Care sheet in progressData confidence: สูง

Size

Body length by caste, and the ants drawn to scale on a credit card

Queen

13-15 mm

Major

9-12 mm

Worker

6-8 mm

Actual size against a credit card

Ants are drawn to scale on a standard card (85.6 × 54 mm) — hold a real card against the screen and move the slider until the card matches, and the ants are then life-size.

ANTVERSE

Scale card · 85.6 × 54 mm

Worker
~7 mm

Major
~10.5 mm

Queen
~14 mm

Calibrate card width324 px

Behaviour & care

Defences

Defensive

Bites or stings when disturbed — mind the nest when opening it.

Bites

Sprays formic acid

Colony profile

Queens

Single queen (monogyne)

Founding

Claustral

Diapause

Not required

Growth

Medium

In depth

ขนสีทองหนาแน่นบนส่วนท้องช่วยในการสะท้อนแสงแดดและลดการสูญเสียความชื้น ทำให้พวกมันออกหาอาหารกลางแจ้งในสภาพอากาศร้อนได้ดี

Appearance

Medium to large carpenter ants with distinct worker polymorphism. Their most striking feature is the dense, silky golden pubescence covering the abdomen, which glimmers under light.

Where it lives

Widely distributed across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. They typically nest in soil, sand, or under stones in open terrain and dry woodlands.

Found in

Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia

Behaviour

Active and diurnal foragers. Minor workers are quick and agile, while major workers feature large heads and powerful mandibles designed for crushing food and home defense.

Keeping it

An excellent species for beginners. They thrive in acrylic, Ytong, 3D-printed, or soil setups. Keep conditions at 24-28°C and 50-70% humidity. Provide a balanced diet of sugar liquids and insect proteins.

Nest type

YtongAcrylic3d-printedSoil

Where the difficulty is

During the founding stage, queens can be easily stressed by vibrations and light. Keep the founding setup dark and undisturbed until the first workers emerge.

Fun fact

The golden abdominal hair is a specialized evolutionary adaptation that acts as a heat shield against intense sunlight in their natural habitats.

Gallery

Live photographs are by iNaturalist observers under CC BY-NC — every one carries its credit.

Sources

AntWiki: Camponotus rufoglaucus

The Thai text is written from the facts in these sources, not copied from them. · Data confidence: สูง

This page is husbandry information only — live ants aren't sold on the site, for the animals' safety in transit.