Hemz - My Messor Barbarus

[hemz]

I figured as I have been a member for about just under a month now and read everyone else's wonderful journals I thought it would be time to let you all know what type of ant colonies I am breeding at this current time.

A bit about me - I live in Bristol (UK) and have been all my life and have no plans of leaving. I have always liked ants and watching them grow, but have never grown a successfully colony due to time and effort. I got into Ants when I was 8ish when my father brought me a ant farm, my father dug up a colony under a slab in the garden but I never knew any different at that age..

They lasted about 6 months and then my mum got rid of the ant farm altogether and never got back into them until at least 21 years old where I moved in with my girlfriend, ever since I have had different colonies, mostly L.Niger's which have all past now due to my child being born and she took a lot of my time as well as working 45hours a week.

Now 26 and my daughter 5, time is not so much an issue as she goes and does her own stuff (not so much a Daddies little girl any more).

My favorite, and what this journal is covering is Messor Barbarus.

21/07/11
1100 I received the colony with a Huge queen, 4 workers, stack of eggs and pupa and placed the whole test tube that they came in into the foraging area. I placed honey/water, 6 tiny dead crickets and seeds in with them hoping they would forage when they are ready.

1700 All of the crickets have gone so I killed a spider which I found in the bathtub and placed near the test tube, within minutes they took it into their test tube nest.

22/07/11
0500 Checked on them this morning as soon as I got woken up by my alarm for work and I couldn't see any activity since I went to bed last night.

1500 Just got home from work and had a look but nothing had changed, but my girlfriend said that she saw them foraging during the day which is good news, as I had a closer look I can see some seeds in with them which I placed in the foraging area.

1700 Tried them on some chocolate but they seem not interested.

23/07/11
0900 Looked of them this morning and I have a new worker which takes the total up to 5 workers and another 2 on its way. Placed 6 more tiny crickets into the foraging area.

1700 All the crickets have been token to the nest.

24/07/11
0900 It was my birthday today and I only checked to see if they had enough food and water.

27/07/11
1000 I now have 7 workers ;D. nothing else to really report as they don't seem to do a lot during the daytime, I am hoping as the colony grows they will forage more and find a better nesting site rather than the test tube, but time will tell and patients will pay off in the end .

31/0711
1200 I have seen 2 workers foraging for food and can see she has 2-3 pupa and stack of eggs, it seems the colony is growing at steady pace.

[hemz]

04/07/11
I checked on them over the last couple of days, it seems they have decided to move the nest to the feeding dish which is a pain, yesterday I removed the food that was on the dish as it was starting to go mouldy, I'm guessing they wanted a moist area? Anyone else had this before?

They now just sit in the dish next to cotton wool soaked in water and foraging when they please, which in fact is not far away as the new dish is just next to it lol.

Fed them a cut up cricket, some ant jelly for testing and honey water solution, I have only seen them interested in the cricket and the honey water at the moment.

I am now up to 10 workers yay! and 3 more on its way within the next couple of days I think.

[Wood~Ant]

Messors do some odd things at times, or at least odd to us Have you got the colony in a set up where they can dig a nest in soil?

Glad to hear they are growing in worker numbers as it is a good sign, and once a colony gets to its first 10 workers it generally means it will grow very quickly

[TenebrousNova]

I've found Messors very hard to keep, but I seem to be doing something correct with my current queen, who will have her first 10 workers by the end of the month if all goes well.

Good luck with these, Wood is right: They are very amusing and will probably start giving you surprises before you know it.

This morning I saw two workers carrying a seed between them, both going in opposite directions. ;D

[hemz]

Aug 4, 2011 15:15:27 GMT Wood~Ant said:

Have you got the colony in a set up where they can dig a nest in soil???

They are indeed in a soil nest, after reading your comments about your Messors I decided that it would be best and turns out it is as I have kept Messors before in a plaster nest and they didn't survive .

but after I updated my journal yesterday I decide to make a hole in the soil for them, to get them started within 2 mins they were moving again and they are successfully in the soil nest, checked this morning and they have made a small enough entrance for them to get in and out which looks amazing

Mmm wonder if they have anttops with wireless Internet and read my journal??? ;D. Lol

[hemz]

Not much to report over the last couple of weeks due to work and not enough time, but I have kept feeding them and fresh water.

Yesterday I cleared all the mess and also got rid of grass growing around there entrance hole and 3 workers came to see me which was an experience as I have not seen them in a while lol. I always get the feeling something is wrong when I don't see them for a couple of days but all seem to be well.

I Will update again next week as I am on a forced holiday. Thanks

[Wood~Ant]

You'll find Messor barbs tend to do things like that, as that is what makes them "ants with attitude"
Good to hear they are doing well.

Is there such a thing as a "forced holiday" then, as I always look forward to Jen being on holiday from work as she is better at catching flies for our ants than I am ;D

[hemz]

Well my store is having refurb and everyone as to take a weeks holiday, we do get a holiday allowance pay but I used mine not that long ago on my last holiday and it hasn't built up enough to take more

It's force because I didn't want a holiday because I can't afford it.