Messor barbarus colony, queen and 300+ workers

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€ 97,50

Out of stock

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Ants as pets since 2009, it starts here!

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Specialists in ants, free advice

Messor barbarus harvester ant colony 300+

 

Species

 

The Messor barbarus ant is also known as the harvester ant. They collect (grass) seeds. They chew these seeds finely and mix them with moisture. This way, they 'harvest' the seeds into a type of ant bread, which serves as food. Our ant colonies consist of a queen along with brood and a number of workers. This number depends on the number of eggs that have developed into ants (egg-larva-pupa-ant). This colony already contains 350 or more workers, and these workers have therefore been produced by the queen ant herself.

 

Nutrition

 

The food set above, including seeds, is a complete diet for this species. The set consists of sugar water, honeydew, fruit flies, and a starter set of seeds. The starter set of seeds is sufficient for the first year.

 

Suitable for

 

The ant colony is intended for acrylic, plaster, and sand ant farms. We also recommend using an arena. The ants can get their food there and dispose of waste. Many products have an integrated arena. With several ant farms, you will find this ant colony in a special combined price offer.
If you are looking for ants for a gel ant farm, we recommend the ant family.

 

Packaging and shipping

 

The photo shows how the product is actually delivered by us. The colony is in a test tube with a cotton wool plug at the back for water supply to keep the nest tube partially moist. The colony can remain in this tube for up to a few weeks without care (after receipt). We also guarantee the life of the queen for this period. If the queen does not arrive alive or dies within a few weeks, we will provide a replacement colony.

 

Specifications and information

 
Scientific name Messor barbarus
Dutch name The harvester ant
Difficulty class 1. Beginner
Queen | Gyne: 14-18 mm
Workers: 3-14 mm
The larger the colony, the larger the ants that join it
Mediors and Majors (soldiers).
Colony type: Monogyn, 1 queen per nest.
Nest type: Sand nests, relatively deep. Very wide, often under grass.
Temperature: Room temperature, 15-30 degrees
Hibernation: No, but winter rest. Our advice: keep them slightly cooler
in winter around 15 degrees.
For example, in a cellar, cooler attic or shed.
November-February
Our experience: even in winter at room temperature
these ant colonies continue to develop well.
Nutrition: Sugar or honey water and small insects:
Our advice for smaller colonies: fruit flies.
Main food: various seeds (grass seeds, bird seeds,
dandelion seeds etc...)
Humidity: Simple. Advice: Keep part of the nest slightly moist
This species prefers drier conditions than, for example, Lasius
niger and Myrmica rubra.
Distribution area: (Southern) Europe and (Northern) Africa
Ant Farm recommendation: Acrylic, Plaster or Sand including use of an Arena area
Comments: - Messor barbarus is a common ant species
in Southern Europe. You can find them there in gardens, parks and
forest areas. With a little patience, you can raise and observe them well in an ant
farm. They are particularly interesting because of their diet (the seeds). They need
space to store the seeds and therefore quickly use
more nest space than other ant species.
- Mediors and Majors also occur in larger colonies.
Larger ants that have the task of protecting (soldiers).
- Messor colonies develop on average faster than most
species from the Netherlands. In ant farms, they grow
into colonies of hundreds or a few thousand ants.
If you want it larger, you can of course always connect additional habitats.
- Messor barbarus is our favourite ant species ;-)
 

 

€ 97,50