Harvester Ant Colony (Messor barbarus) You've come to the right place if you want to start with the ant keeping hobby — the harvester ant (Messor barbarus) is the perfect species to begin with! This active and intelligent ant provides endless viewing pleasure in your ant farm and is the most popular species within the ant farm hobby.
Harvester ants are known for their special way of gathering food. They collect grass and seeds from their surroundings, chew them finely, and mix them with moisture. This creates "ant bread," an important food source for the entire colony. This unique behavior makes them incredibly interesting to observe, day after day. In the ant farm, there is always activity: workers collecting seeds, processing food, and collaborating in a well-organized nest.
The intelligence and behavior of this species make Messor barbarus a true favorite among ant enthusiasts. Harvester ant colonies also grow relatively quickly and eventually become larger than many other common species, meaning there is always more to see in the nest. Do you want to get off to a good start immediately? Then you can also choose this species in a complete set via our set page — ideal for a flying start to your ant hobby.
Messor barbarus harvester ant colony 10+
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. In 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 at least 10 workers, and the workers have thus been produced by the queen ant herself.
Nutrition
The nutrition 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. You will find this ant colony at a special combined price with various Ant Farms.
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 ball at the back providing water to keep the nest tube partly moist. The colony can stay in this tube for up to a few weeks without care (after receipt). We also guarantee the life of the queen for that long. 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 level | 1. Beginner |
| Queen | Gyne: | 14-18 mm |
| Workers: | 3-14 mm The larger the colony, the larger the ants that will emerge 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, birdseed, 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 (North) Africa |
| Ant Farm recommendation: | Acrylic, Plaster, or Sand including the use of an Arena area |
| Remarks: | - Messor barbarus is a common ant species in Southern Europe. You can find them there in gardens, parks, and forest areas. With some patience, you can grow 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 they 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 always connect additional enclosures. - Messor barbarus is our favorite ant species ;-) |
Messor barbarus harvester ant colony 20+
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 kind 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 approximately 20 workers or more, and these workers have therefore been produced by the queen ant herself.
Nutrition
The nutrition 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 outworld. The ants can get their food there and dispose of waste. Many products have an integrated outworld. You will find this ant colony at a special combined price with various ant farms.
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 behind it providing water to keep the nest tube partly 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 level | 1. Beginner |
| Queen | Gyne: | 14-18 mm |
| Workers: | 3-14 mm The larger the colony, the larger the ants that appear 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 it a little 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 develop well. |
| Nutrition: | Sugar or honey water and small insects: Our advice for smaller colonies: fruit flies. Main diet: 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: | (South) Europe and (North) Africa |
| Ant Farm Recommendation: | Acrylic, Plaster, or Sand including Outworld use |
| Remarks: | - Messor barbarus is a common ant species in Southern Europe. You can find them 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. - Larger colonies also include Mediors and Majors. Larger ants that have the task of protecting (soldiers). - Messor colonies generally develop faster than most species from the Netherlands. In the Ant Farms, they grow into colonies of hundreds or a few thousand ants. If you want it larger, you can always connect additional habitats. - Messor barbarus is our favorite ant species ;-) |
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 ;-) |
Messor barbarus harvester ant colony 200+
Species
The Messor barbarus ant is also known as the harvester ant. This is because they collect (grass) seeds. They chew these seeds finely and mix them with moisture. This way, they 'harvest' the seeds into a kind 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 200 or more workers, and these workers have therefore been produced by the queen ant herself.
Nutrition
The nutrition kit above, including seeds, is a complete diet for this species. The kit 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 outworld. The ants can get their food there and dispose of waste. Many products have an integrated outworld. You can find this ant colony at a special combined price with various ant farms.
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 behind which provides water to keep the nesting 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 | De oogstmier (The harvester ant) |
| Difficulty level | 1. Beginner |
| Queen | Gyne: | 14-18 mm |
| Workers: | 3-14 mm The larger the colony, the larger the ants that appear 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 it 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: | (South) Europe and (North) Africa |
| Ant farm advice: | Acrylic, Plaster or Sand including Outworld area |
| Remarks: | - 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 them well in an Ant farm and observe them. They are particularly interesting because of their diet (the seeds). They need space to store the seeds and therefore they quickly use more nesting space than other ant species. - In larger colonies, Mediors and Majors also occur. 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 always connect additional enclosures. - Messor barbarus is our favorite ant species ;-) |
Messor barbarus harvester ant colony 100+
Species
The Messor barbarus ant is also called the harvester ant. They collect (grass) seeds. They chew these seeds finely and mix them with moisture. In this way, they 'harvest' the seeds into a kind 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 100 or more workers, and these workers have been produced by the queen ant herself.
Nutrition
The nutrition 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 and dispose of waste there. Many products have an integrated arena. You can find this ant colony in a special combination price offer with various ant farms.
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 stopper behind which provides water to keep the nest tube partially moist. The colony can remain in this tube for a few weeks without care (after receipt). We also guarantee the life of the queen for that long. 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 | Harvester ant |
| Difficulty class | 1. Beginner |
| Queen | Gyne: | 14-18 mm |
| Workers: | 3-14 mm The larger the colony, the larger the ants that appear 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 it 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 likes it drier than, for example, Lasius niger and Myrmica rubra. |
| Distribution area: | (South) Europe and (North) Africa |
| Ant Farm Advice: | Acrylic, Plaster or Sand including use of 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 some patience, you can grow 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 they quickly use more nest space than other ant species. - Mediors and Majors also appear 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 bigger, you can always connect extra enclosures. - Messor barbarus is our favorite ant species ;-) |
Messor barbarus harvester ant colony 50+
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. In this way, they 'harvest' the seeds into a kind 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 50 workers or more, and these workers have therefore been produced by the queen ant herself.
Nutrition
The feeding kit above, including seeds, is a complete diet for this species. The kit 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 and dispose of waste there. Many products have an integrated arena. You can find this ant colony in a special combination price offer with various ant farms.
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 behind which provides the 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 long. 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 a little cooler in winter, around 15 degrees. For example, in a cellar, cooler attic or shed. November-February Our experience: even at room temperature in winter, 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: | Easy. 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 (North) Africa |
| Ant Farm Advice: | Acrylic, Plaster or Sand including use of Arena area |
| Remarks: | - 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 due to 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 are also found in larger colonies. Larger ants that have the task of protection (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 favorite ant species ;-) |
Messor barbarus harvester ant colony 1000+
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 kind of ant bread, which serves as food. Our ant colonies consist of a queen together 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 1000 workers or more, and these workers have been produced by the queen ant herself.
Nutrition
The nutrition kit above, including seeds, is a complete diet for this species. The kit 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. You will find this ant colony in a special combined price offer with various ant farms.
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 stopper at the back providing water to keep the nesting 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 level | 1. Beginner |
| Queen | Gyne: | 14-18 mm |
| Workers: | 3-14 mm The larger the colony, the larger the ants that will appear 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 nutrition: 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 (North) Africa |
| Ant Farm Advice: | Acrylic, Plaster, or Sand including the use of an Arena area |
| Remarks: | - 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 cultivate and observe them well in an ant farm. They are particularly interesting due to their nutrition (the seeds). They need space to store the seeds and therefore often use more nesting 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 larger, you can, of course, always connect additional enclosures. - Messor barbarus is our favorite ant species ;-) |
Antskingdom.com
📍 Laan van de ram 64B
7324 BV Apeldoorn
💬 WA +31 85 888 9797
✉️ E: info@antskingdom.com
Chamber of Commerce no: 82353050
VAT no: NL862430744B01
Antskingdom.com
📍 Laan van de ram 64B
7324 BV Apeldoorn
💬 WA +31 85 888 9797
✉️ E: info@antskingdom.com
Chamber of Commerce no: 82353050
VAT no: NL862430744B01