Messor bouvieri

Information species
Messor bouvieri are known to accept various types of seeds and grind them into a paste which they then feed to the larvae and the queen. They are fairly easy to keep and have some demands on their conditions, making them an ideal species for patient keepers.

Specifications
Scientific name: Messor bouvieri
Dutch name: /
Distribution area: Southern Europe, North Africa
Color of the ant: glossy black
Difficulty level: 2.5/5
Queen size 16-17 mm
Worker size: 3-14 mm
Soldier size: /
Temperature : 20 to 26 degrees
Optimal temperature: 23-25 ​​degrees
humidity nest: 50 to 70%
humidity outside world: 30 to 50%
Winter dormancy: November-February at +- 15 degrees
Growth rate: 3/5
Growing to number of workers: several thousand workers
Subfamily : Myrmicinae
Foundation: claustral
Colony formation: monogynous (can have 1 queen per nest)

Care:

Nutrition: seed mix, small insects such as fruit flies, redrunners, crickets, mealworms, buffalo worms.
Food requirement: normal
From how many workers to a nest: from 30 workers move to a small nest
Recommended nest type: test tube, AntLab Fusion Nest, 3d, acrylic, Camponico sand formicarium

Messor bouvieri is fairly easy to care for, the most important thing is that the colony always has sufficient seeds and water. In addition, you can offer the colony an insect a few times a week, then watch its behavior carefully. For example, if the colony does not accept the food, the colony has sufficient food available and you can try again a few days later. It is also important that this species is placed in a place where there are little to no vibrations, Messor is very sensitive to this and this causes stress.