About Messor barbarus
 
Central and Southern Europe Species. Very common throughout Spain and Portugal - Harvester Ant Species.
 
Suitable for: These ants are suitable for beginners and make great colonies. They're easy to care for, but the Queen is a little sensitive to light and vibrations so try to resist the urge to peep too often while founding.
 
Temperature and Humidity 
Nest 22- 26°C - Outworld 20- 28°C
Nest 50- 70% - Outworld 30- 50%

Hibernation
Yes from the end of November to the end of February at around 15°C. Skipping the first hibernation does not harm the Workers or the Queen.

Diet
Water (at all times).
Carbohydrates like byFormica Sunburst Ant Nectar/ honey water or other.
Protein like fresh-killed insects or other.
Plant seeds are 70% of their diet, like flaxseed, grass seed, rapeseed, chia seed, and other harvested seeds.

Founding Queen and Ant colony size
Claustral (without feeding Queen).
Monogyne (one Queen per colony)
Average 10,000 workers per colony.

Nest type/ Ant farm
Acrylic
3D Printed
Glass
Natural setup
Ytong IF encased as they're known to chew
A "Tub and Tube" setup is recommended until your colony is ready for an ant nest.
 
Ant Sizes
Messor Barbarus Queen 14mm - 15mm
Minor/ Media Workers 3- 9m
Major Workers 9mm- 12mm

Bite/ Sting/ Formic acid
Large major workers may nip but it is not painful.
 
Description: Messor barbarus are a European species. They're known as Harvester Ants due to the way they collect seeds, carry them back to the nest, and store them within the drier areas (which stops them from germinating). They do this because they crack the seeds open with their mandibles and chew up the seeds to make a form of protein known as 'ant bread' which is 70% of their diet. Messor Barbarus Queens are really sensitive to light and vibrations but once the colony gets going and more workers come along, they seem to settle down. The colony reaches impressive numbers. A heat and moisture gradient is vital for Messor barbarus as they typically store their seeds in the drier parts to stop them from germinating.
 
In the wild, Messor barbarus are typically found nesting under ground-dwelling plants and low-lying shrubs. The colony size typically depends on nearby resources but successful colonies can exceed the 10,000 worker mark. The queen can come in 3 different colour variants, all black, red heads, and Bi-Colour (which is a red gaster and head). These ants have their nuptial flights between September and November. These ants in particular made news headlines all over Spain when farmers believed they were stealing their seeds and began a cull only to realise they actually play a massive part in the ecosystem and benefit the production for crop farmers completely. Messor workers forage far and wide, sometimes up to 100ft away from their nest.
 
Advice from AntsDavey
Messor barbarus are a very common species of ant for beginners to obtain. The most common mistake people make with these ants is checking on the Queen too often while she's founding. This can cause the Queen to become unsettled and eat her eggs. Leave her be until workers emerge. When workers emerge, feed them weekly within their test tube. I typically feed founding colonies crushed-up chia seed (as the first set of workers usually aren't capable of cracking open the outer casing), 1/4 of a mealworm as an extra source of protein, and a small drop of our byFormica Sunburst Ant Nectar. The first generation of workers are prone to drowning so I'd advise feeding carbohydrates on a tiny piece of cotton or a cut-off end of a Q tip that has been submerged in sugary goodness! I recommend moving this species of ant into a small ant farm setup at around the 30-50 worker mark. Keep them within the test tube or a "Tub and Tube" setup until then.
 
Check out The Colonialist's in-depth care guide on this species: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHA2lUb_5tc&t=23s

Before ordering please review both below
 
Alive Upon Arrival Guaranteed
 
Delivery