Formica rufibarbis is a rare an species found throughout Europe,endangered in many places. They are mostly black/brown with orange-red colorationsThe queens are 10-12mm and workers 5-8mm.They are polygionous,colonies in nature usually reach a few thousand workers.

General
They are very easy to care for and will grow well if not disturbed often.

Food
They will accept most foods as they have a varied diet,eg. Fruit flies,mealworms,crickets,dubia/turkestan roaches,honey,maple syrup,jelly,sugar water and more.

If you feed insects from the wild freeze or boil these insects to sterilize them. Skipping this step can introduce mites to your colony.

Humidity
Formica a medium humid nest. If you hydrate the nest regularly (once or twice a week) you should have no problem in keeping the humidity right for these ants. Always make sure the ants have an external watersource in the test tube when in a nest.

Temperature
Formica rufibarbis does not need to be heated but doing so is preferred,remember to heat only a part of the nest.

Hibernation
This species hibernates from Late October to early March at 8-12c.This species needs a cold hibernation so ensure brood production. You will need a fridge/attic/windowsill to hibernate this species.

Sting/bite
workers can bite but this rarely causes pain.They also spray formic acid .