Messor cephalotes

Species at a glance

• Origin: East Africa, the equatorial zone
• Size: queen 22–26 mm; workers 8–18 mm
• Colony: a single queen; up to 20,000 workers
• Difficulty: intermediate, for keepers with some experience

Care conditions

• Temperature: 24–30 °C, ideally 27–29 °C; below 22 °C the brood develops poorly
• Humidity: 30–60%; a dry nest with a separate moisture source
• Food: small oily seeds (grass seeds, poppy, chia, amaranth); insects twice a week for the brood. Freezing seeds for two days beforehand is advisable

Hibernation

Not needed: keep a steady temperature of about 27 °C all year round.

Farm and colony growth

Majors chew through thin plastic, soft silicone and fine mesh, so use glass, thick acrylic, gypsum or aerated concrete. The colony is shy at first but becomes very active over time.