The numbers
Enclosure
Small bioactive soil nest + outworld (buy as small colony, not lone queen)
Diet
Live/pre-killed insects; some sugar · Protein 2-3x/week
Temperature
25-29C
Humidity
60-80%
Identity
Order / Family
Hymenoptera
Origin
IUCN / CITES
Not evaluated; not CITES
Difficulty
Intermediate
Commonality
Niche; interesting queenless biology
Adult size
Worker 9-12mm; no morphological queen
Lifespan
Colonies persist via replacing reproductive; individuals ~1 yr+
Growth rate
Slow (small colonies)
Activity & niche
Ground predator, leaf litter, diurnal-crepuscular
Temperament
Alert; will sting
Venom / defense
Functional STING + mandibles; painful, harmless
Price (THB)
indicative ~200-600
Enclosure and conditions
Temperature
25-29C
Humidity
60-80%
Min. enclosure
Small bioactive soil nest + outworld (buy as small colony, not lone queen)
Substrate
Moist soil/cocopeat + leaf litter
Hides / decor / water
Leaf litter, hides; high humidity; water dish
Diet
Staple food
Live/pre-killed insects; some sugar
Feeding frequency
Protein 2-3x/week
Behaviour and handling
Handling
Do not handle - stings
Communal
Single colony; workers are near-identical
Defense / stress signs
Sting posture, dueling for reproductive rank
Reproduction
Reproduction
Queenless: a single mated worker (gamergate) reproduces; rank set by removing rivals' gemmae (thoracic buds) - cannot be founded from a lone queen
Common health problems
Common health issues
SignsReproductive conflict, feeding refusal, dehydration
Red flags / quarantine
SignsBuy established colony; sting risk; never release
Good to know
- Has no queen caste - one worker mates and rules; rivals are bitten to remove wing-bud 'gemmae'
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