Bundle Offer - Tetraponera rufonigra

Complete Set with Tetraponera rufonigra – Exotic Ant Keeping Made Easy

Bundle offer with a Tetraponera rufonigra ant colony (queen + 5-10 workers + brood), a cork starter set, 2x formicarium pads, a honeydew mix refill pack 10ml and a jar of our special blanched Crickets (moist protein).

Only while stocks last.

Everything You Need for a Tetraponera rufonigra Ant Colony
This bundle provides all the essentials to successfully start and care for a Tetraponera rufonigra colony during its early development. It's beginner-friendly and easily expandable as your colony grows.

Ant Species: Tetraponera rufonigra
Tetraponera rufonigra is a slender, arboreal ant species known for its striking reddish and black coloration. Native to South and Southeast Asia, it typically nests in dead twigs or hollow plant stems and is adapted to warm, humid tropical environments. While it is not as commonly kept as some ground-nesting species, it is an excellent choice for keepers looking for a more active and visually interesting colony. Note: This species has a stinger and shows a higher degree of defensive behavior, so handling should be done with care.

Food for Tetraponera rufonigra
These ants require a diet rich in both sugars and proteins. Offer a mixture of honeydew mix or honey solution for carbohydrates, along with small insects (live or dead) for protein. They particularly benefit from soft-bodied prey like fruit flies, mealworms, or our blanched crickets. Occasional fruits such as banana or apple can also be offered. Always ensure fresh water is available.

Formicarium for Tetraponera rufonigra
In nature, Tetraponera rufonigra builds nests in narrow cavities in wood or hollow stems. For captive care, we recommend our Starter Set L with cork or bamboo nest inserts, which replicate their natural nesting environment well. Vertical or semi-vertical nesting options are ideal to simulate their arboreal lifestyle. Ensure the formicarium has adequate ventilation and maintains moderate to high humidity, especially in the nesting area.

Contents:
1x Tetraponera rufonigra (queen + 5-10 workers + brood)

1x Cricket Jam 25g
1x Honeydew Mix (HT) - refill pack 10ml
1x Formicarium base - 20x20cm
1x Formicarium base - 20x6cm

1x ANTCUBE - Arena 20x20x10 - flat
1x ant arena frame 20x20
1x ant arena cover 20x20
4x fixing point for arena cover
1x ANTCUBE - Ant farm - L - 20x20 - upright

1x ANTCUBE - cork nest 20x20 - upright
1x 0,5m hose transparent 20/16 mm
1x ANTCUBE - Red foil 20x20 - filter
1x adhesive clips - transparent 2 pcs.
1x substrate - sand-clay beige - 1000g

2x Grid insert acrylic - 50 mm with sealing ring
1x Grid insert acrylic - 27 mm with sealing ring
1x Grid cap - 16mm - stainless steel

1x tank hose connector 27-14,16,20 mm - transparent
1x Foil thermometer - farm
1x Foil thermometer Display
1x drinking clear 5ml - sponge
1x Feeding dish white rectangle - 3 compartments
1x Drinking trough 2ml - 360 Degrees
1x Ant protection oil 10ml
1x Tweezers spring steel - wide - soft
1x Tweezers plastic transparent
1x plastic pipette 3ml
1x hand magnifier - 2x - 30mm
1x foam wiper 150x18x2,5mm

Description Starter set:
This cork starter set, with prefabricated corridors and chambers, is suitable for various ant species, especially for species that nest in (dead) wood.

The "ANTCUBE - Cork Nest" can be inserted into the fully transparent farm. Alternatively, you can also use the "Sand-clay beige" substrate to fill the farm or to close off some of the chambers of the cork nest. Additional modules can be connected via the 50 mm holes in the cover if required, e.g. the separately available foggers, fans or lights. Alternatively, suitable grid inserts and formicarium plugs to close the openings are included in the scope of delivery. If desired, the formicarium can also be operated open by simply placing the removable frame on top and applying ant escape protection oil to the edge.

Important: Please moisten the substrate before use so that the mixture can bond and develop a firm hold in the ant farm. In addition, if the substrate is too dry and dusty, the ants' airways may be blocked and, in the worst case, the animals may suffocate.

Recommendation: We recommend a substrate layer of 2 mm in height so that the animals cannot burrow into the arena and instead use the farm provided for this purpose.

Notes on glass production
The glass is cut to size according to DIN 1249 with a tolerance of +/- 1 mm. Additional break-out protection is essential for extremely small ant species.

Notes on the farm
The nest should only be used in a dry formicarium. If the nest is kept permanently moist, the material may become moldy.

Please note the following when attaching or removing hoses:
If the tubing is very difficult to fit onto the connection socket, the socket should be lightly rubbed with a drop of our anti-burst oil or powder. The hose should then be pushed onto the socket using twisting or screwing movements without straining the socket with up and down movements. The same applies when removing the hoses from the farm connection socket. Please do not simply pull it off!

Instructions:
- EN Instructions for use - Starter Set Cork (PDF 3.79 MB)
- ES Manual de instrucciones - Set de inicio de corcho (PDF 3,79 MB)
- FR Manuel d'instruction - Kit de démarrage en liège (PDF 3,79 MB)

Notes on the Cricket Jam:
Our Cricket Jam is an easy way to provide your ants with freshly preserved protein food without having to feed live insects. The contained crickets (Acheta domesticus) have been gently cooked to ensure that nutritional values, taste and aroma are preserved. In addition, the chitinous shell of the insects is softened in this way so that it can be digested more easily. The bonds of the collagen proteins are broken down so that the ants can utilize them better. Canned Acheta domesticus has the same nutritional value as live crickets, but is easier to digest.

The Cricket Jam is not suitable for hunting ant species that require live food. (e.g. ponerines (great ants) such as Harpegnathos or Odontomachus)

Further advantages:
Guaranteed mite-free
Can be portioned and diluted with water
Sterilized and vacuum-packed
Without additives
Crickets from sustainable, purely organic breeding, fed with organic waste

Note:
Can be kept in the fridge for about four days after opening. Longer shelf life if frozen.
Attention: First portion, then freeze.

Note on honeydew:
Content: 10 ml
This is a natural product that we have refined after extensive testing in our laboratory and developed into a food that is very well accepted by ants. The reason for this is that unprocessed honeydew honey in its concentrated original form is not well accepted by ants and their metabolism.
Our honeydew was collected in the unpolluted wild mountain forests of Bulgaria. Honeydew is only produced for a very limited time, about two months in summer. It is therefore very rare. Due to the specific soil characteristics of the forests and the climate, essential nutrients are stored in the leaves of the trees, which are absorbed by the aphids. This is what makes this honeydew mix so desirable for ants.
 
Application:
Amount of food should be consumed within about 3 days.
 
Description:
Honeydew, unlike flower honey, is obtained from secretions of insects that suck on plants, such as aphids. Honeydew is a popular food source for many insects such as ants, bees and bumblebees. Bees and bumblebees lick it from the leaves or needles of various trees. Ants such as Lasius niger literally keep the aphids. They even defend them against predators and carry them to fresh shoots.
 
Honeydew is particularly popular with ants because of its somewhat different components. The main sugars in honeydew are sucrose and fructose, but smaller amounts of maltose, trehalose, melezitose, raffinose and other oligosaccharides are also found. In addition to sugar and water, honeydew also contains essential amino acids, minerals, trace elements, adenosines, phosphates and other ingredients such as vitamins.
 
Use:
For honey-eating ant species (Meliphagidae)
This is a supplementary feed
It can be offered to the animals as supplied. As the sugar concentration is reduced by the humidity and a fermentation process begins, the food should be replaced every 3 days. Clean the feeding bowl/tube thoroughly before reuse.
Once opened, the pack should be kept tightly closed until the expiry date.
 
Nutritional information per 100 g:
approx. 2.7 % fats
of which saturated approx. 0.45 %
approx. 95 % carbohydrates
of which sugar approx. 71
approx. 2.85% protein
Minerals (potassium, calcium, copper, iron, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and other trace elements) Amino acids (proline, leucine, phenylalanine, alanine, histidine, isoleucine, glutamic acid, arginine, aspartic acid, etc.) Organic acids Enzymes (enzymes)Flavorings Inhibins (antibacterial substances) Flowers Pollen
 
Storage:
To ensure the quality of the feed, the feed should be stored in a dark and dry place.
 
Note:
Supplementary feed for honey-eating ants.
Please refer to the package insert for composition, analytical ingredients, best-before date and batch number.
 
Information hotline +49 30 439703870
 
Responsible veterinary and food inspectorate:
Steglitz Veterinary Office
Königin-Luise-Str. 92
14195 Berlin