Acrobat Ant Care

General care instructions for Crematogaster scutellaris

A lovely small species from Southwest Europe. this is an easy to care for species, that due to their small size do not require a huge amount of space. They are popular due to their red and brown colourations. Called Acrobat ants as they bend their abdomen over their head in defence which gives the appearance that they are very flexible.

TEMPERATURE

Daytime & Nest Temp 21-25 C. 30-50% humidity

LIGHTING

Well lit enclosures.

Avoid direct sunlight

HOUSING

Ensure that your habitat is secure. This species is typically arboreal so would benefit from branching, planting and rotting logs to climb. A sandy loam soils works best to maintain humidity and a nice surface for the ants. We do not recommend using the commercial purchased ant gels at all. We would recommend using any of the ant farm modules, Ytong, Glass tanks or acrylic tanks (although acrylic can warp with heating)

FEEDING

Most ant species enjoy the sugars from honey or sugar water. They also have a requirement for protein in the form of dead insects. We would recommend freshly dead locusts, crickets or fruit flies.

THE QUEEN & COLONY

This species has a single queen. She does not need to feed whilst producing brood. The queen is around 7mm in size. Workers are around 3-4mm and colonies can form up to 10,000 ants. This species do not have soldiers

GENERAL

This species would benefit from a short hibernation period at 10-15 C from December to March.

Ants will arrive in test tubes with water on one end and a cotton wool bung on the other. This enclosure is suitable for them to remain in until there are sufficient workers. Ants should be fed within the tub or introduced to a small out-world. Once the tube starts to look busy, this can be connected to an out world and additional nest tubes. Always allow ants to move themselves to new enclosures, do not tip them into a new habitat.

This species is not native to the UK and therefore it is illegal to release these into the wild. Should you have any issues with your ants or wish to rehome, please contact us and we can advise.