Black Acrobat Ants (Crematogaster cerasi)

General: Crematogaster cerasi is an extremely fun species to keep. These ants grow very fast if fed and heated, and are extremely active. Queens are black and workers are black and ocassionally black/brown. These ants have heart shaped pointed gasters which separates them from any other genus of ants.

Diet: Their diet is mostly generalist. They love liquid sugars and need them frequently, and enjoy most proteins, including crickets and mealworms. Colony growth speed of this species depends almost entirely on the amount they’re fed.

Temperature: Colonies benefit greatly from a heat source, and probably requires heat for long term growth. 80-85 degrees seems to work best for this species.

Diapause: Crematogaster cerasi usually needs to have a diapause period for about 1-2 months. They have been noted to do well with as short a hibernation as 35 days. During this time, the ants need to be cooled down to a low temperature. Around 40 degrees fahrenheit is best. You can achieve diapause by placing the ants in a controlled cooling unit, such as a wine cooler, mini fridge, or regular fridge if temperatures are safe. If you cannot use any of these, a non-heated room which stays above freezing could work. Lowering them slowly from a heated setup, to room temperature, and finally to hibernation temperatures over a week or so is recommended.

Growth: Brood development can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks, usually about 5 depending on if there is proper heating or not. Heat will make these ants grow much faster, and feeding large amounts frequently will as well. These ants can get hundreds of workers within their first year, and thousands in the second with maximum feeding and heat!

Queen size: 7-9mm

Worker size: 3-4.5mm

If ants arrive in bad condition, contact us for help. Live arrival is guaranteed.