They can get well into the thousands, so I would say 2-3 20mm test tubes. Their queens also breed in the nest, so theoretically they don't have a size limit except how much you feed them.
It probably depends in the species and population, as here in CA we don't have true S. molesta, just similar undescribed species. That being said, true S. molesta are probably more entertaining to keep as their colonies probably get larger than most species around here and also mate intranidally, which is pretty cool. Reminds me of Monomorium ergatogyna, which are another inbreeding species I've kept before.
Owl lives within the range of true S. molesta, though I wasn't at all clear about the undescribed species. Regardless, I love the aesthetics of your colonies, especially the darker queens. I believe here in South Dakota we have true molesta, though since I'm sitting on the continental divide of ant species (in some places you can find both Camponoutus pennsylvanicus and modoc colonies side by side) I wouldn't be surprised if there's undescribed species as well. At the very least I've seen some fascinating color morphs in the hundreds of queens I've collected. Definitely an understudied and underrated species complex. Excellent journal!
Edited by RushmoreAnts, Yesterday, 8:08 PM.
