Messor desertora

Name: Messor desertora
Origin: Mongolia and China (desert and steppe regions)
Queen: approx. 14 – 16 mm
Workers: approx. 6 – 10 mm, slightly polymorphic
Food: predominantly seeds (up to 60 – 70% of diet), plus carbohydrates and occasionally protein
Humidity: 50 – 70%
Temperature: 24 – 28 degrees
Winter Dormancy: No
Nest Type: Dry nests made of plaster, aerated concrete (Ytong) or sand with a seed chamber
Colony Size: 100 – 10,000 workers (monogynous)

Advantages and disadvantages of Messor desertora:

Advantages:
A robust seed-harvester species from extreme climate zones that tolerates both heat and cold well. Claustral founding without feeding the queen makes getting started simple.

Disadvantages:
As with all seed harvesters, sufficient dry space for the seed stores is needed as the colony grows.

Care:
Test tube nest at the start, later a dry nest with a seed chamber and a sufficiently large arena.

Feeding:
Seeds as the main food, supplemented with carbohydrates and occasionally protein.