At a Glance

• Difficulty: Beginner–Intermediate
• Structure: Polygynous — multiple queens
• Founding: Fully claustral
• Diet: Sugars & honeydew + insect protein
• Temperature: ~80–86°F warm gradient
• Sting: None — chemical defense only

Your Polygynous Colony

This is the polygynous variety — several queens can be raised together in one nest, giving you a faster and more resilient start than a single foundress. Founding is fully claustral: keep the queens dark, warm, and undisturbed in a test tube with a water reservoir until the first workers appear.

Feeding

A serious sugar ant. In the wild Dorymyrmex tend honeydew-producing insects, so keep nectar or sugar water available at all times — it's the main growth driver. Add insect protein regularly to fuel brood. They feed fast and enthusiastically.

Heating & Setup

Warm and dry suits them best — around 80–86°F over part of the nest with a cooler gradient. In nature they nest in open sandy ground, so a simple dry setup with a roomy outworld works well. Keep it escape-proof — these are small, extremely fast ants and they will find a gap.

The Pyramid — What Gives Them Their Name

Look closely at a worker's back and you'll see a small cone-shaped projection on the propodeum — the “pyramid” that names the genus. Wild colonies also build distinctive crater-shaped nest entrances, little volcanoes of excavated sand. Workers are bold, blisteringly fast, and quick to harass rival ants.

Growth & What to Expect

Fast. With multiple queens laying and a steady sugar supply, colonies build quickly into busy, populous nests. An endlessly active display colony — there's always something moving.

Defense

Dorymyrmex are dolichoderines — they have no sting. Instead they defend chemically, releasing a sharp, distinctive odor when disturbed. Completely harmless to keepers.

Ready to start a colony?

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