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One of the most interesting things about ants is how well they've adapted to their surroundings. No matter how hostile an environment is, or how devoid of life it can seem to appear, one can bet that ants have mastered that land. Except for the poles, ants live in almost every type of environment. Where some ants have colonized places like the lush tropical forests of Brazil, others have mastered mixed European woodlands, In this case, one group has taken to a specialized life of 'sowing seeds.'
Of the ~100 known Messor species (otherwise known as Harvester ants), this journal will profile the journey of a single queen's (Species : Messor barbarus) path to empirical status. The name "Messor" derives from the Roman god of crops and harvest, Messor.
Messor spp. are polymorphic and have a distinct caste of macrocephalic dinoergates (aka the large-headed soldier caste) whose role is to carry and mince the large seeds. These ants are Monogynous, and contain usually only one queen.
This is the journal of my Messor barbarus queen, who has yet to lay her first set of eggs. She came from Europe in perfect condition, and my personal research will begin right away. She actually has four eggs as of now. I will post a picture of her this evening, she is absolutely GORGEOUS. Until then, see you!
February 7, 2012 at 1:41 PM
Journal shared from my website & store :
http://antsnational.webs.com/apps/forums/topics/show/7200634-messor-barbarus?page=last
Here is the queen lapping up some milk+honey solution. This solution has proven to be extremely beneficial for almost every species of ant that I keep. One can see 5 eggs near her abdomen.
February 8, 2012 at 12:55 AM
The eggs have not hatched as of yet, I checked last night briefly to see but she still has a large pile of eggs. To antkeepers out there, no matter what "level" you are at, the core to antkeeping for any species is patience. A little patience goes a very long way, and can define either success or demise of your ant colony.
March 6, 2012 at 11:53 AM
The eggs are beginning to hatch!
April 25, 2012 at 1:06 PM
More larvae have hatched and are growing steadily. I am pleased with my queen's progress. I will post a few pictures this evening.
Sorry to all for the delay, there has been a TON of news.
The larvae have pupated and have darkened. This evening the first worker eclosed!
Here are some pics. :)
Hello
Just a quick question! What temprature can messors live at? My thermostat in my home is set at a constant 20? Is this to cold? Thanks#
That is quite cold for them, yes.
The airtemperature where they live is much higher. A good temperature to keep them in my opinion is about 28°C. However everybody will have his own opinion about it.
When they only have about 20°C in their nest the growth of the colony will be extremly slow.
To reach a good temperature for Messor barbarus even a 40Watt lamp is ok. You will have to try some things out to get a good result.
He is correct, a higher temperature benefits these ants. Mine are doing well at room temp :)