Messor barb - queen only?

[buzz]

I am looking for a M.barb and have seen some for sale on the german site but with huge postage costs.

there is a site in the UK selling mated queens only - is this a good idea to buy one?

Thanks

[Quah]

I have been keeping ants for years and I know tropical ants (where I am from) are usually quite easy to keep. But can't be sure about ants in temperate regions.

However if you have not kept ants before it is more advisable to get a queen that has already at least a small brood (eggs, larvae and pupae) and workers.

Also I am not sure how long it is going to be before the nest with just one queen (from there) is going to be with just the queen alone before you can actually see some activities. You might need to wait months.

So my advice is get a nest with workers.

[Wood~Ant]

These girls mate around October and lay their first eggs in February. They can take up to a year to found a reasonable sized colony, so like Quah says it is often better to begin with a colony, as getting a lone queen to raise her first brood can be tricky unless they are kept very warm.

I have had more success from a colony of these ants than I did with single queens, so as you are a novice I would suggest waiting and getting a colony, as even if it does cost a bit more it is worth it in the long run

Both of my large colonies I bought from Antstore in Germany.

[buzz]

OK, thanks guys