Messor barbarus colony, queen and 200+ workers

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€ 87,50

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Ants as pets since 2009, it starts here!

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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 ;-)
 

 

€ 87,50