Tetraponera Rufonigra– Master stinger arboreal ant - EXPERT
 
UK SHIPPING ONLY
 
This species is well known and easily noticed. They are beautiful and look very different to anything you may have seen before.
They are known for escaping. In the wild they have no problem chewing through wood to make a nest in wood and between the bark and the tree. In captivity they chew through cotton and even thin plastic.
With impressive stings this species is not for the light hearted and will become a rewarding experience.
As they can not be contained in test tubes, tubs and tubes is the only way. They like dry, bark like environments and having dry substrate as well as a dry test tube will do fine. Water should be on hand in a spare tube but they will never nest in there.
They will feed well on live stimulation of prey (like harpegnathos) and they will ignore any dead food for the most part. If you make sure it is still twitching when feeding it will spark their interest.
They will also consume sugars as in the wild they eat lots of tree sap.
 
If you are an advanced or experienced keeper, this is the species for you.
 
Please note, this species will only accept LIVING PREY
 
Colony Size
300 to 600 workers
Queen Age
Unknown
Polygyne (Can be multiple queens per colony)
Temperature
Nest 22 to 26 degrees
Hibernation
No
Polymorphic (Different size casts)
No
Sting/Spray/Acid
Yes, intense and powerful sting more potent than a wasp
Bite
Yes (to grip while they sting you)
Diet
Small insects (Living) and sugars.
Nest Type
Natural, Acrylic, Sand, Earth, Glass.
Size
Queen – 13-16mm
Worker – 10mm to 13mm