Temnothorax stumperi

Quick Summary

• Difficulty: Expert
• Origin & Habitat: Montane species from the Alps (Switzerland, Austria, Northern Italy), Pyrenees (Spain), Peloponnese (Greece), and mountains of Türkiye. They live at 1000–2000 m altitude, usually under flat stones in short-grass alpine meadows or light pine/larch forests ^[2].
• Colony Type: Single-queen (monogynous) colonies. The parasite queen invades a host nest, kills the host queen, and uses the host workers to raise her own brood ^[1]. This is a permanent social parasite: it cannot survive without a host colony.
• Size & Growth:
  • Queen: 2.2 mm ^[2]
  • Worker: 2.2 mm ^[1]
  • Colony: Small colonies, usually fewer than 20 parasite workers plus whatever host workers remain
  • Growth: Slow
  • Development: Unknown – development has not been studied in this species. (As a social parasite, all brood rearing is done by host workers.)
• Antkeeping:
  • Temperature: Keep cool – around 15–20 °C. This ant comes from high-altitude alpine areas where it's never hot ^[3]. Avoid temperatures above 25 °C.
  • Humidity: Moderate. The nest substrate should be slightly moist but not wet, matching conditions under stones in alpine meadows.
  • Diapause: Yes. As a montane species, they need a winter dormancy of 3–4 months at 5–10 °C ^[3]. Both parasite and host must be kept together during this period.
  • Nesting: You can't keep this species on its own. First establish a healthy host colony (Temnothorax nigriceps, T. tuberum, or T. unifasciatus), then introduce the parasite queen. In nature they nest under flat stones .
• Behavior: Aggressive slave-maker. The queen invades a host nest, kills the host queen by biting her throat, and uses host workers to care for her brood. Workers are tiny (2.2 mm) but actively raid other host nests for more brood ^[1]. They have a functional stinger, but at this size you won't feel it. Escape risk is high because they are small and can squeeze through tiny gaps – use a tight outworld seal.
• Common Issues: obtaining and maintaining a host colony is very hard – host species must be collected from the same region and kept healthy, introducing the parasite queen to a host colony often fails – host workers may kill her, you must match the temperature and humidity requirements of both species precisely, this species cannot survive long-term without a viable host colony – if the host colony dies, the parasite dies, proper hibernation is critical – if you skip or mess up diapause, both colonies will suffer

The Challenge of Keeping a Slave-Maker

Temnothorax stumperi is an obligate social parasite – it cannot survive without a host colony. Unlike most ants where you start with a queen and raise workers, here you must first establish a healthy colony of a suitable host species (Temnothorax nigriceps, T. tuberum, or T. unifasciatus) ^[4]. Only then can you try to introduce a parasite queen. The queen kills the host queen by biting her throat and takes over the nest . This means you're basically running two ant colonies at once, and both have to thrive.

Host Colony Requirements

You need to collect and maintain a host colony before getting T. stumperi. The best hosts are Temnothorax nigriceps (found in 11 of 20 wild samples) or T. tuberum (2 of 20 samples) ^[4]. These are small, peaceful ants that nest under stones in similar alpine habitats. Keep the host colony in a small nest (test tube or Y-tong) at 15–20 °C with moderate humidity. Feed them small insects and sugar water. The host colony should have at least 20–30 workers before you try to introduce the parasite.

Introducing the Parasite Queen

Introducing a parasite queen to a host colony is tricky and often fails. The host workers may recognize the intruder and attack her. Some keepers have had success by placing the queen in a separate container with a few host workers and brood, letting her pick up the colony's scent before merging. The queen must kill the host queen to take over – that's her natural behavior ^[5]. If everything goes right, she'll lay eggs and the host workers will raise them. Expect a high failure rate – this is not a species for beginners.

Temperature and Seasonal Care

This species comes from cold mountains at 1000–2000 m ^[3], so it needs cool conditions: 15–20 °C year-round. Avoid warmth. During winter, both parasite and host require a proper hibernation period at 5–10 °C for 3–4 months ^[3]. This mimics the snow-covered alpine winter. Keep them in a cool basement, unheated garage, or refrigerator during dormancy. Both species must hibernate together.

Feeding and Nutrition

Once established, the host workers will do all the foraging. Feed the combined colony small insects like fruit flies, springtails, and pinhead crickets twice a week. You can also offer sugar water or honey water occasionally, though acceptance varies. Don't overfeed – small colonies can be overwhelmed by rotting food.

Natural History and Defense

In the wild, T. stumperi queens perform mating flights to find new host nests ^[1]. The species is known to produce diploid males – an unusual sex-determination trait where some males come from fertilized eggs . Workers and queens are both 2.2 mm and use a smear-type stinger (they wipe venom onto enemies rather than injecting it). Workers are monomorphic (all same size) ^[1].

Frequently Asked Questions

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References