Messor barbarus

Messor barbarus ants are truly adventurers that you can encounter in large mederiterrarnien areas. They build their nests in a variety of places, such as between paving stones, in tree stumps,open forests, meadows and moors. The peculiarity of the Messor barbarus is that there is only one egg-laying queen can be in the colony. The other ants are workers and there can be thousands. They work together to maintain the nest and find food. The Messor barbarus is pretty big and has large majors that help crack open the seeds. Messor barbarus is high polymorphic meaning workers can vary greatly in size. 

Have you decided to buy a Messor barbarus colony? Then keep in mind that these ants hibernate between late November and early February. During the months between July and September, they are looking for love and adventure before settling down somewhere safe.

Furthermore, it is a species that has hardly any requirements for conditions and habitat. In fact, they are not picky eaters: they especially like sugars from fruits, sugar water or ant jelly, as well as fruit flies, mealworms and crickets but most of all seeds. Seeds are the primairy food source of these ants.

 Furthermore, it is best to hydrate the nest regularly, about once or twice per week. In any case, make sure they always have an external water source when they are in their nest. For housing we highly recommend our mesh nests as we have seen so many people succesfull with them. 

Ant lovers often find pleasure in keeping Messor barbarus as a pet. These tiny insects are fascinating to observe and can be an interesting addition to your household. Here are some tips for successfully keeping Messor barbarus:

• Provide the right environment: make sure the ant colony's environment is kept at the right temperature. In general, this ant species thrives best at a room temperature around 20-25 degrees Celsius.
• Proper nutrition: choose sugar water and for small colonies (<200 workers) and small insects such as fruit flies, red runners and small crickets. The larger colonies you can also use other insects, such as flies and mealworms and sugar jelly. Make sure the food is clean and replace it regularly to prevent mold growth.
• Hydrate well: water and more water! Water should always be present. Place a small water container or liquid feeder in the nest, preferably with a cotton ball or sponge to avoid the danger of drowning.
• Observe, but do not disturb: Lasius niger ants thrive best when left alone. Observe them with patience and respect their natural behavior. Excessive disturbance can in fact cause stress and disrupt the colony.

They are not easily stressed, making them ideal for people who want to start keeping their own ant colony. Want more about Messor barbarus, or any other ant species? Then feel free to contact us. Also, join us on our platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

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