Messor barbarus - Ant Maniacs

Information on Messor barbarus

The quintessential beginning breeder ants. This granivorous species, common in the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa and southern France, is the favorite of breeders to start in the world of ant breeding. Thanks to their type of feeding and ease of care, they tend to become large colonies.

The characteristic red head on the major, their huge, big-headed army ants, makes them very visually appealing and fun to care for.

Feeding Messor barbarus

Granivorous species where there are. Their main source of food is the seeds, although for a correct development of the colony, they also need a supply of proteins with which to feed the larvae.

The seeds that are most often used to feed the Messor barbarus are those of canary grass, quinoa or chia, with which they will also receive a small amount of protein that will favor their development.

They can store large amounts of grain within the anthill, allowing the breeder to “freeze” in that regard for certain periods of time. Although this is an advantage, it should not be abused since with the humidity of the anthill, some of the seeds can germinate and generate problems inside the anthill. Although in general, the workers are usually in charge of removing and removing the germinated seeds or those in poor condition.

This species of ant uses its saliva and the anthill’s own moisture to make “ant bread”. A kind of paste of crushed seeds from which it will be easier for them to feed, so it is important that they have a source of water with which to stock up to be able to make it.

During the beginning of a colony of Messor barbarus, it is important to facilitate the intake of seeds by breaking some of them when putting them in the test tube or anthill for queens or reiner. As the nurses and first workers do not have large jaws, it may be difficult for them to open the seeds to feed on them.

However, this is a problem that disappears relatively quickly since both the mediums and especially the majors have large jaws with which they can split almost any type of seed without problems.

Despite not being one of their favorite foods, from time to time they will appreciate some sugary liquid, as well as tenebrios, fruit flies or the odd cricket.

Nuptial flights of Messor barbarus

When are the Messor barbarus nuptial flights?

The nuptial flight of the Messor barbarus is centered between August and November, being the months of September and October the ones that usually present the greatest flight activity in this species. Always depending on the weather conditions at that time.

What time are the Messor barbarus flights?

As we have commented in the previous point, and as always happens both for this species and for the rest of ants, the climate is usually the most important when determining both the dates and the time slots at which the nuptial flights can occur. .

However, generalizing and drawing on statistics from past years, the nuptial flight of Messor barbarus could be concentrated between 11:00 and 15:00, with 13:00 being the time when (statistically speaking) it is most likely to occur. you can find a mated, wingless queen of Messor barbarus.

What is the best time to catch Messor barbarus queens?

In general, and as usually happens with the rest of the species, the days after the rains and when there is a high level of humidity in the environment, are usually the best days to find a queen of Messor barbarus. These conditions are the ones that help them the most to find a new place to settle in order to create and found a new colony.

Care of a queen of Messor barbarus

Although very few cases of polygynous colonies have been recorded, it is a monogynous species with claustral development.

When the queen is alone, it is important not to disturb her and leave her in the dark for as long as she needs. Once you have the first nurses, you can start giving them some food in the form of a drop of sugary liquid and the occasional crushed or halved seed, so that they can feed more easily.

You can always leave some seed unbroken in order to see if the development of the colony already allows them to open seeds without difficulty.

At this point, and if you don’t know how often to feed your Messor barbarus, you can do it approximately every week or week and a half.

Remember that it is VERY important that they always have a source of moisture from which they can drink.

How many years does a queen of Messor barbarus live?

It is a fairly long-lived species. The queens of this species can live between 25 and 30 years, although cases have been recorded in which they have reached more than 35 years.

Size of the ants

If you are interested in knowing how big the Messor barbarus are, these are their sizes:

Queen Size: 12-13mm.
Male Size: 7-8mm.
Minor worker size: 4 – 5 mm.
Medium worker size: 5 – 10 mm.
Major worker size: 10 – 12 mm.

Messor barbarus hibernation

In their natural environment, these ants hibernate between mid-October and the end of March. The temperature must be maintained between 10ºC and 15ºC during the hibernation period.

During this time, the colony’s pace will plummet and no new ants will hatch.

Is hibernation mandatory?

Although it is not mandatory, avoiding hibernation will shorten the life of the queen, and therefore of the colony, so it is very important to give her those months of rest so that she can develop optimally, just as she would in a wild environment.

Humidity of the anthill for Messor barbarus

These ants usually require a high or medium-high level of humidity in their nest. Between 55% and 90% could be a correct level for the development of the colony. However, each colony is a world and it will tell you if it needs more or less humidity. If you see that a large part of the colony is concentrated in the humidity zone of the anthill and that the rest is almost empty, it may be a good idea to add another humidity module.

However, they usually store the seeds in the area furthest from the source of moisture. This helps them keep them dry, preventing them from germinating and increasing their conservation so that they can be consumed later.

As in most species, it is always a good idea to have a drinker or a test tube with water somewhere in the anthill or foraging area so that they can drink directly if they need it.

Ideal anthill temperature

For times when they are not hibernating, a temperature between 22ºC and 32ºC may be optimal for the development of the colony in the anthill.

Data to take into account for your breeding

Messor barbarus are a very fearful species and are easily frightened. It is important to keep them in a place where they cannot receive vibrations of any kind, either by blows or by sounds, nor is a place with a lot of light convenient.

Both the vibrations and the light, mixed with the times that we bother them to feed them, clean the anthill or simply look at them, can cause stress in the queen that can even kill her, condemning the colony to her death as well.

On the other hand, it is a fairly clean species and they usually keep the interior of the anthill very organized and free of garbage. They will accumulate waste in the corners of the foraging area, although they can be “educated” after cleaning the foraging area, putting part of their garbage in a plug or small area to be used as a wastebasket and only its smell remains in that part.

Best anthill for Messor barbarus

After knowing and having commented on the different characteristics and factors to take into account for the breeding of these ants, an ideal anthill would be one that would allow us to maintain a high degree of humidity inside, as well as drier areas that could be used as a seed store.

Being an easy-care species, it is common to have massive colonies with a large number of ants, so it is very interesting to have an anthill that allows us to expand its size without having to force the colony to move, with the corresponding stress that this entails for our queen.

It is also interesting to have a source of internal humidity that can be used as a drinker and not only for the humidity of the anthill.

Mushroom systems are usually used to maintain humidity, but this is not entirely recommended in the medium-long term due to the great capacity of the major of this species, which have enormous jaws with which they will gradually wear down the mushrooms and will force us to have to take measures to change the mushroom once it breaks and deteriorates.

That is why we recommend our own AntManiacs 3D modular anthills, made specifically to fit all the needs that the Messor barbarus require, allowing the space to be expanded as much as the colony asks for it. Generating a perfect level of humidity, without forgetting our anti-vibration and anti-slip system, which will help the colony reach its full potential while minimizing external stress.

* Photos owned by liesvanrompaey under license Creative Commons
* Photos owned by Katja Schulz under license Creative Commons