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abz uk ants: are Harpegnathos venator hard to keep (29. Jan 2010 23:44)

Ok so in summer I would like to buy these ants but I dont want to buy them if they die on me. I have been keeping ants for about 5 months now I have had a L asius niger colony and now I just got a M essor barbarus queen. I know they eat lots but I dont mind about that. Here a couple of questions.

Are these ants hard to keep?

How many workers should I start with?

If anyone has these ants for sale can you contact me?

Oh and how do you know witch one of the ants is a queen?

swagman: Re: are Harpegnathos venator hard to keep (9. Feb 2010 16:26)

G´day

Certain experiences with ant-keeping may be helpful, but otherwise they are easy to keep.
They do well at room temperature(20-22°C), but a slightly increased temperature(24-26°C) may be conducive for their well-being. Also the brood develops much faster.
It is better to keep Harpeganthos in a dryer habitat, that will reduce the likelihood of mites.
They feed on small crickets, cockroaches and flies, but don´t like sugar-water or honey.

The following picture shows a queen(marked with red arrow) and some workers. Notice the bulkier thorax of the queen.

http://www.phantastik.net/blog/ameisen/281208_Harpegnathos_1.jpg