Tetramorium Caespitum - Beginner 
 
The Black Pavement Ant - Beginner If you are looking for a beginner species of ant which can reach high numbers quickly without a large footprint then these little girls are perfect for you. Caespitum are extremely diverse in their choice of habitat, choosing their nest locations anywhere from pasture to meadow, from sand to soil.
 
Most famously though and where they get their name is from the colonisation of pavements and urban areas. Caespitum are formidable aggressive fighters, pre-nuptials when their alates need all the protein they can get. (a demand which usually cannot be met) they wage war on a neighbouring colony in a bid to conquer and gain mass resources for their own colony. 
 
These are pictured and documented as huge black ant gatherings in the street, but look closer and you have stumbled by a war of epic proportions right under your sole. Farming aphids is a primary source of sugars, however they can quickly gather around waste bins and windows if you leave sweet things there. Carspitum will also take on insects like small fruit flies and mosquitoes as well as other ants for their proteins.
 
This Species of ant that is very suitable for beginners, In terms of growth they are quite fast to develop once the colony reaches 20 workers and over.
 
This species is also a very important host species for the parasite queen Strongylognathus testaceus who after becoming covered in the colonies pheromones, enters a nest and works along side the Caespitum queen. keeping her alive and producing workers the host queen can no longer make alates, instead she is forever at the mercy of her parasite in a unique and strange game of slavery. See our specials to see if we have any of the rare Strongylognathus testaceus colonies in stock.
 
Good escape prevention will be needed, this is a small species of ant.
 
Colony Size
Up to 10,000 workers
Queen Age - Up to 25 years
Monogyne - One Queen per colony Fully Claustral - No food until first workers
Temperature & Humidity
Nest 21 to 24 degrees | Outworld 18 to 28 degrees
Nest 50%-60% | Outworld 30% to 50%
Hibernation
Yes - November to March
Polymorphic (Different size casts)
No
Sting | Bite | Spray
No
Diet
Insects, Sugars, Carbs
Nest Type 
Acrylic, Sand, Earth, Ytong, Plaster, Glass
Size
Queen - 6mm-8mm
Worker - 2mm-4mm
Development
Egg to Adult Worker - 6 to 8 weeks