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ColAnt735's Messor minor Journal

messor minor harvester ants colant735

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#1 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted September 17 2022 - 2:26 PM

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Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to a new journal!

 

In my never ending quest for more ants I have purchased a small Messor minor colony from Canada Ant Colony at The Canadian Pet Expo. At the moment this colony has five workers a pile of brood and some seeds that I fed them. From what I have experienced so far Messor minor is super fun to keep and accepts most foods you give them. (y)

I have yet to see their creation of ant bread behaviour although I'm sure I'll witness it in the future. I have never kept a Messor species before so please feel free to post tips about this species and correct me  if I'm doing something wrong.  I hope that this colony thrives under my care and will continue to be such a joy to keep like they have been thus far. Thanks for taking the time reading this and have a great rest of your day (or night)! :)

 

Photos:

This photo doesn't do this species justice they are much prettier in real life.

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The queen is much larger than the workers.

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These two photos aren't good sorry.

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  • lazyant likes this

"If an ant carries an object a hundred times it's weight,you can carry burdens many times your size.


#2 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 17 2022 - 2:33 PM

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Lucky acquisition!
  • lazyant likes this
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#3 Offline Leptomyrmx - Posted September 17 2022 - 9:16 PM

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Very cool, I like Messor a lot. AntMaps says they're dubious in Ontario though?


My Ants:

Colonies: Camponotus humilior 1w, Opisthopsis rufithorax 11w, Aphaenogaster longiceps ~5w, Pheidole sp. ~235w ~15m, Iridomyrmex sp. 2q 1w, Brachyponera lutea 6w, Crematogaster sp. ~20w, Podomyrma sp. 1w

Queens: Polyrhachis cf. robinsoni, Polyrhachis (Campomyrma) sp. (likely infertile)

Previously Kept: Colobopsis gasseri, Technomyrmex sp., Rhytidoponera victorae, Nylanderia cf. rosae, Myrmecia brevinoda/forficata, Polyrhachis australis, Solenopsis/Monomorium

Key: Q = Queen, W = Worker, M = Major

Youtube Channel: Ants of Sydney - YouTube

Patreon (for YouTube channel): https://www.patreon.com/antsofsydney


#4 Offline NicholasP - Posted September 17 2022 - 9:18 PM

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Very cool, I like Messor a lot. AntMaps says they're dubious in Ontario though?

Dubious as in there are none in Ontario.


gallery_5979_2399_15405.png

#5 Offline Leptomyrmx - Posted September 17 2022 - 10:30 PM

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Very cool, I like Messor a lot. AntMaps says they're dubious in Ontario though?

Dubious as in there are none in Ontario.

 

 

Are they native to parts of Europe or something?


My Ants:

Colonies: Camponotus humilior 1w, Opisthopsis rufithorax 11w, Aphaenogaster longiceps ~5w, Pheidole sp. ~235w ~15m, Iridomyrmex sp. 2q 1w, Brachyponera lutea 6w, Crematogaster sp. ~20w, Podomyrma sp. 1w

Queens: Polyrhachis cf. robinsoni, Polyrhachis (Campomyrma) sp. (likely infertile)

Previously Kept: Colobopsis gasseri, Technomyrmex sp., Rhytidoponera victorae, Nylanderia cf. rosae, Myrmecia brevinoda/forficata, Polyrhachis australis, Solenopsis/Monomorium

Key: Q = Queen, W = Worker, M = Major

Youtube Channel: Ants of Sydney - YouTube

Patreon (for YouTube channel): https://www.patreon.com/antsofsydney


#6 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted September 18 2022 - 3:53 AM

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Very cool, I like Messor a lot. AntMaps says they're dubious in Ontario though?

Dubious as in there are none in Ontario.

 

 

Are they native to parts of Europe or something?

 

No Messor species is found in Canada. This species was bought from Canada Ant Colony who has permits.


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"If an ant carries an object a hundred times it's weight,you can carry burdens many times your size.


#7 Offline T.C. - Posted September 18 2022 - 12:48 PM

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So did @Canadian Anter throw you up against the wall and make you buy them. I went to the expo too and he held me at gun point until I "bought some ants." I was scared so I bought some ants.

10/10 Review
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#8 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted September 18 2022 - 2:14 PM

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Haha, no he didn’t we chatted about ant related things and I bought them because this is a cool species.

Edited by ColAnt735, September 18 2022 - 2:15 PM.

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"If an ant carries an object a hundred times it's weight,you can carry burdens many times your size.


#9 Offline NicholasP - Posted September 18 2022 - 9:01 PM

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So did @Canadian Anter throw you up against the wall and make you buy them. I went to the expo too and he held me at gun point until I "bought some ants." I was scared so I bought some ants.

10/10 Review

Huh? How does someone hold you at gunpoint to buy them?


gallery_5979_2399_15405.png

#10 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted September 24 2022 - 8:53 AM

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I’m thinking of naming the queen of this colony Nisaba the Sumerian god of grain and writing.
  • ANTdrew likes this

"If an ant carries an object a hundred times it's weight,you can carry burdens many times your size.


#11 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted November 3 2022 - 3:26 PM

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Nisaba and her ( please give me a name for the colony I’m drawing a blank) have been doing a period of mini diapause in that they don’t forage much but have a large egg pile.
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"If an ant carries an object a hundred times it's weight,you can carry burdens many times your size.


#12 Offline bmb1bee - Posted November 3 2022 - 3:53 PM

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Since Nisaba is a Sumerian god, how about naming the colony the Ziggurats?


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"Float like a butterfly sting like a bee, his eyes can't hit what the eyes can't see."
- Muhammad Ali

Check out my shop and parasitic Lasius journal! Discord user is bmb1bee if you'd like to chat.

Also check out my YouTube channel: @bmb1bee


#13 Offline ANTdrew - Posted November 3 2022 - 4:29 PM

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That’s cool.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#14 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted November 20 2022 - 9:16 PM

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Mini update 21/11/22

 

Foraging has started to become more frequent I'm pretty sure the colony wasn't taking a little diapause but instead had collected enough seeds so they stopped foraging.


"If an ant carries an object a hundred times it's weight,you can carry burdens many times your size.






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