ANTSTORE World of Ants

[ducatiman]

hi all
i am thinking of Messor barbarus for my next colony and was looking for some helpful hints and tips,but really any information would be good

do they hibernate,if not ,would the cold temperatures affect them if i order now(i am in england)

how fast does the colony grow

if anyone has some experience with them i would be intrested to learn for you

tom



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[JimmyVe]

(there is alreay a threat about this here somewhrer )

They are very nice ants, a little bit difficult to keep but not to hard. Queens is really sensitive to stress. They do hibernate but only 2-4 months (south European ants)

I don't think the temperature now would harm them if you ship them in a well packed pack.

[mpir]

Hi ducatiman

I wouldn´t recomand ordering this ants if the outside temperatue (in the night) drops below 5°C. Keep in mind that this is a south european specie and is sensitive to low temperatures.

If you order only queen you might have problems as queens are very (!!) stress sensitive and they might not lay eggs.

If you order small colony you should be ok as workers take care of the queen. Nevertheless even when the colony grows they will remain sensitive to all disturbences.

They keep a short hibernation of few months like Jimmy said and from my experience the colony grows quite fast. I started with 5 workers in the early spring and by the end of the autumn I had more than 100 workers. They are very nice as some workers grow very big and have solders.

good luck

[ducatiman]

what temperature sholud they be hibernated at

[sithmaster676]

messor barbarus colonies can usually be hibernated in non heated rooms (correct me if im wrong) if not they can be hibernated below 10c but not below 0c
Sithmaster676

[uta]

what temperature sholud they be hibernated at

The optimal hibernate for Messor barbarus is 10 to 15 degrees C.

[JimmyVe]

In deed, for hibernation it is best to keep them between 10-15 °c.

You are mistaken them with European ants (center) they need a 0-10 °c temperature to hibernate, South European ants may have a bit higher temperature.