Post by occultus on Jul 19, 2015 23:37:36 GMT
I received a red head head Messor barbarus Queen from Ants Kalytta on the 13/04/15.
She arrived alone without any workers or eggs.
I've successfully raised a colony Messor arenarius last year so I presume that their care requirements will be virtually the same.
Single Queens of this species are known to be quite difficult to raise without any workers as they become stressed out by the slightest disturbance and can eat her own brood.
I left her inside a sealed test-tube and stored her for 3 months inside an old shoe box under my bed.
On the 12/07/15 she has had her first nanitic worker ant. I opened up the test-tube and placed her inside a small 5L Tupperware box with a small pile of dandelion seeds that I have collected over spring and a test-tube of spring water
Now that the first worker has arrived the development of this colony should start to speed up.
Messor ants are one of the easiest species to keep in captivity and they can practically survive on just seeds alone. I always offer insect proteins regardless.
She arrived alone without any workers or eggs.
I've successfully raised a colony Messor arenarius last year so I presume that their care requirements will be virtually the same.
Single Queens of this species are known to be quite difficult to raise without any workers as they become stressed out by the slightest disturbance and can eat her own brood.
I left her inside a sealed test-tube and stored her for 3 months inside an old shoe box under my bed.
On the 12/07/15 she has had her first nanitic worker ant. I opened up the test-tube and placed her inside a small 5L Tupperware box with a small pile of dandelion seeds that I have collected over spring and a test-tube of spring water
Now that the first worker has arrived the development of this colony should start to speed up.
Messor ants are one of the easiest species to keep in captivity and they can practically survive on just seeds alone. I always offer insect proteins regardless.
