Care Level: Medium
Founding Type: Claustral
Setup: At the founding stage, a test tube setup or founding chamber with a water source is sufficient. Once the number of workers exceeds ~10, they should be moved into a small nest.
Diet:
Diet: Queens do not require feeding until workers arrive. When workers arrive, feed sugars and protein regularly.
Queen size: 14-18mm
Worker size: 6-7mm
Meat ants are a formidable force in the outback. Typically found in bushland or similar vegetated areas, these large ants can grow huge colonies with thousands of workers. Needing to survive in harsh conditions, they have evolved to be capable of eating almost anything, often seen devouring large animal carcasses very, very quickly. Their workers’ metallic purple shimmer make them great to observe in captivity, and they’re a very active species, just make sure you have an effective barrier in place, as they can swarm, and their bite is painful.
Healthy queen in perfect condition
Good communication from Jim about when she would be delivered. They send the Queens only on Mondays so they are not in the post over the weekend, so if you are in a hurry try to order on the weekend. The ant arrived well packed and in good condition, plus a got a few hints from Jim about how to feed it and what environment they like to be kept in. Overall a satisfied customer thank you