Ants

While my primary research focus is on bees (Apidae), I'm equally fascinated by ants—a distantly related family that independently evolved complex social behaviors and, honestly, are much easier to keep.

Camponotus singularis

One of the largest Camponotus species in Asia, featuring two distinct worker castes. The major workers have absurdly huge heads—even bigger than the queen's in the photo—and serve primarily as guards. Minor workers handle most of the foraging duties. I started this colony from a founding queen this past summer. Despite mentally preparing myself for their size, I was still startled when I first saw the queen—she's almost as big as a small Vespa wasp!

Despite their intimidating appearance, this species is surprisingly non-aggressive. In the wild, they mainly feed on plant nectar and honeydew from aphids, occasionally scavenging dead insects. They almost never actively hunt other insects. (P.S.: I honestly can't figure out how such a sugar-loving diet produces workers this massive!) The major workers seem to exist solely for nest defense—their 2cm body length and powerful mandibles mean they're rarely bothered by other ants in the wild.

Possibly Camponotus vagus

I can barely confirm this species' identity, since Camponotus is one of the most species-rich and notoriously difficult-to-identify groups in Formicidae. Based on its characteristics, I'm tentatively calling it C. vagus, though there's a huge discrepancy with its known distribution: according to AntMaps, C. vagus does occur in China, but only in the far northwest province of Xinjiang, whereas this colony was collected in Sichuan Province:

Also started from a queen this summer, their workers are much smaller than C. singularis and considerably more skittish. Whenever I try to observe them, even the slightest change in light or vibration sends the workers scattering frantically around the nest. However, if this really is C. vagus, forum experience suggests that once the worker population reaches around 100, they'll shed their timidity and become highly aggressive instead.

Camponotus pseudolendus

The photo might not show them clearly because my room is pretty cold, so they're all huddled together. The fine hairs covering their bodies give them a distinctive metallic sheen. This is another large-bodied species, widely distributed across southern Chinese provinces. What surprises me is that despite being fairly common and not particularly difficult to keep, this species remains quite unpopular among hobbyists—supposedly because founding queens have a habit of eating their own eggs during the early colony stages.

Tetraponera rufonigra

A really fascinating arboreal ant widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia. In the wild, they typically excavate and nest inside dead tree trunks. This is easily the most beginner-friendly species among all my ants—the queen reproduces quickly, workers are large and brightly colored, and unlike C. singularis (which tends to just sit around), T. rufonigra is incredibly active.

Tetraponera species generally possess powerful stings, and T. rufonigra is no exception. Their stings can cause pain and swelling, and if you're allergic, symptoms may be more severe and last longer. That's probably the only real concern when keeping them.