(Note: Some of the pictures provided are taken by fox which are colonies we have sold to them) 
Camponotus mutilarius (xiangban) are a truly stunning Asian species with there orange and dark complexion along with their body hairs which make them interesting and visually pleasing. They are described as the term Xiangban due to their sweet aroma produced if they are handled.
They commonly are found nesting in tropical rainforests, nesting between srubs and soil roots, overall, they are quiet a rare species found in Asia which is why they are not often sold.
 
Keeping difficulty: Medium (kept at least one or two exotic species previously)
 
Colony form: Monogyne (Polymorph workers)
 
Queen size: 13-15mm Head and legs black, thorax orange/brown, gaster with orangebrown spots, bulky with visible hairs
 
Worker’s size: 6-12mm highly polymorphic head and legs black, thorax and gaster orange/brown
 
Food: honey water and insects
 
Temp: 24-28°C
 
Humidity: 50-70%
 
Founding: clasutral without feeding
 
Colony size: 100-2000 workers
 
Hibernation: No
 
Live arrival guarantee:
We guarantee the live arrival of your Queen they come well packed in our jiffy bags which have two-sided padding as well as an additional layer of bubble wrap around our test tubes. We are the only company in the United Kingdom to offer our live arrival guarantee of your queen as well as an additional 14 days guarantee if the colony if kept in the original test tube for all our European species. Why do we do this? We are confident with our colony’s health and our packaging process as well as our care guides, we also believe in our customers and making sure they have a good ant keeping experience.
 
Live arrival guarantee we ensure the live arrival of the queen only upon delivery contact us within 24 hours of receiving the Queen dead on arrival with a picture of the dead queen and the original workers. DO NOT TRANSFER THE DEAD QUEEN OR WORKERS TO A NEST AS THIS VOIDS YOUR WARRNTY. For our additional 14-day guarantee for European species the Queen and workers must be kept in the original test tube sealed with the cotton and care sheet instructions followed if you want to keep this additional guarantee do not transfer to a nest or your warranty is VOIDED (we recommend you keep the 14-day warranty).
 
We have no control over the environment outside the test tube and have no influence in the conditions the responsibility once placed outside the test tube within the 14-day period the responsibility is with the buyer. 9 times out of 10 colonies die in the nest due to lack of water access, food, temperature, oxygen or stress due to vibrations or exposure to excess light. If your colony does fail inside a nest contact us, we can advise what went wrong but it is up to you to buy another ant colony, you will succeed but sometimes it does not work the first time. Research is key to success with ant keeping and follow