Carebara diversa, commonly known as the Marauder Ant, is one of the most fascinating and complex ant species in the world. Famous for its extreme polymorphism, this species displays a stunning size range — from tiny 2–3 mm minor workers to massive 16–18 mm major soldiers with enormous heads and crushing mandibles. Native to Southeast Asia, these ants form immense supercolonies and exhibit some of the most sophisticated social coordination in the insect world.
Their caste system is among the most developed:
This dynamic hierarchy gives Carebara diversa remarkable adaptability and makes it a prime example of nature’s efficiency and specialization.
In the wild, Marauder Ants thrive across tropical forests and lowland regions of Southeast Asia. They construct vast underground tunnel systems and organize coordinated swarm raids for food collection. During these raids, soldiers guard the perimeter while smaller workers gather and transport prey.
They are known to overpower insects many times their size through sheer numbers and coordination. However, this species has a short lifespan for minor workers, meaning the colony must continuously produce new workers to maintain stability — a crucial factor in captive care.
Use large plaster or concrete nests with multiple chambers. Allow room for expansion as this species grows rapidly into a supercolony.
Maintain between 25–30°C (77–86°F). Avoid sudden temperature fluctuations.
Nest areas should remain 70–85%, while foraging areas should stay slightly drier to prevent mold.
Primary Diet: Feed daily with insects such as crickets, roaches, and mealworms to support continuous brood production.
Supplemental Nutrition: Offer diluted honey or sugar water several times a week for carbohydrates.
Feeding Frequency: Adjust portion size to colony population. Remove any uneaten prey promptly to maintain hygiene.
Supercolony Expansion: Expect rapid growth — frequent nest expansion or connecting new modules will be necessary.
Worker Lifespan & Replacement: Minor workers live only a few weeks; ensure stable temperature, humidity, and protein supply to allow new workers to emerge before older ones die off.
Environmental Sensitivity: Marauder Ants are sensitive to disturbance, vibration, and sudden light exposure. Keep in a quiet and stable environment.
Some worker loss during shipping is normal. Colonies typically stabilize within 7–10 days under consistent conditions.
Carebara diversa is recommended for advanced or expert ant keepers only, due to its rapid growth rate, humidity sensitivity, and supercolony structure. Always comply with local wildlife regulations and never release non-native species into the wild.
Carebara diversa, Marauder Ant, Polymorphic Ant, Supercolony Ant, Giant Asian Ant, Expert Ant Keeping, Exotic Live Ants, AntNook.
We guarantee the quality of all our products. If your item arrives damaged, please contact us for a solution.
Health Guarantee
We ensure all colonies are healthy with mated queens. Compensation is provided if standards aren't met.
Shipping Timeline
We generally ship within 1–3 days. Delivery may take up to 4 days during peak order periods.
They all arrived alive and well, though with little brood. I expect the queen to lay more eggs in the coming days. Thanks!
We appreciate your business!
Healthy queen, worker count maybe a bit lower than stated. They haven't left the test tube after 3 weeks, but there's brood in all stages and new eggs are being laid. Satisfied overall
Super fast delivery to the US, well packaged with up-to-date tracking. Will 100% use again. Thank you!
We're glad they arrived safely!
My son has been fascinated by ants since he was born, and now we've stepped up to this more advanced species. The colony arrived healthy and active!
Thank you for your feedback!
