Messor aegyptiacus

Messor aegyptiacus is a quite rare species from North-Africa that eat seeds. They have beautiful red colors and look simular to Messor cephalotes. 

General
Caring for Messor aegyptiacus is very easy. If this colony is left at piece you should have no problem in raising this colony.

Food
Messor aegyptiacus primairly eat seeds. Later on you can feed them proteins. For protein the best food for them is fruitflies, mealworms, crickets and other smaller insects.

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
Messor aegyptiacus does not need a damp 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.

Temperature
Since Messor aegyptiacus  is a dessert species they thrive under a heated setup. Heat part of the setup to provide the ants with a nice gradient. You want to aim for a high temperature around 25-30c.

Hibernation
Messor aegyptiacus does not hibernate.

Sting/bite
The majors of Messor aegyptiacus can bite but this is not painfull.

Both the Esthetic Ants mesh and acrylic nests work very well for these ants.