Pogonomyrmex barbatus are also known as red harvester ants. They are native to the southwest of the United States and Mexico. They are very different from the harvester ants of Europe and have a bright red coloration. Like most harvester species their diet consists mainly of seeds, which they peel the shell of the seed and feed on the pulp in which they grind up to make an ant bread.
Typically, Pogonomyrmex barbatus are found in areas with a lack of plant growth and may even use small pebbles near the nest as well as hulls of seeds can be found scattered near the nest entrance.
Pogonomyrmex barbatus tend to nest in both grassland and arid shrubby areas. Pogonomyrmex barbatus tend to get most of their water from metabolism of fats in the seeds they eat, and some seeds may sit in their nests for years before they are eaten.
Pogonomyrmex barbatus can possess a powerful bite and unlike their European counter parts they posses a powerful sting which is mostly used in the wild for the defence of these ants from predators such as lizards as well as hunting prey.
Their care is like European harvester ants except they do not require hibernation and generally can tolerate higher temperatures, an ideal temperature would be 26 degrees Celsius.
They are a rare species for sale in Europe which is partly why they are quite popular along with the beautiful red colorations and their visual contrast to European harvester ants. A truly must have species for any ant keeper.
Keeping difficulty: Medium (At least 1 Exotic species kept or 2 European successfully)
Colonyform: Monogyne
Queen size: 12mm Red
Worker’s size: 5-7mm Red
Food: Mostly seeds, honey water and insects
Temp: 20-28°C
Humidity: 60-80%
Founding: Claustral without feeding (feeding is recommended for this species until first workers every 2-3 weeks)
Colonysize: 1-10,000 workers
Hibernation: No but you can do a 6-to-8-week diapause end of November.
 
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We are the UK’s leading ant supplier in terms of volume of ants sold every year. We have been going for over 5 years and have had 1000s of happy customers every year with consistently high feedback.
 
Live arrival guarantee:
 
We guarantee the live arrival of your Queen they come well packed in our jiffy bags which have two-sided padding as well as an additional layer of bubble wrap around our test tubes. We are the only company in the United Kingdom to offer our live arrival guarantee of your queen as well as an additional 14-day guarantee if the colony if kept in the original test tube for all our European species. Why do we do this? We are confident with our colony’s health and our packaging process as well as our care guides, we also believe in our customers and making sure they have a good ant keeping experience.
Be aware of sellers only using the Live arrival guarantee and not the 14-day additional warranty on European ant species it might be slightly cheaper but could end up paying more in the long run, also all our products are sold as starter kits including food and a pipette.
We do require photographic evidence of the queen in the original test tube for validating the guarantee once outside the test tube and in a nest the environment is outside of our control.
It is illegal to release non-native species of ants into the wild and could damage the local ecosystem so bare this in mind we have a duty to our environment.
Live arrival guarantee we ensure the live arrival of the queen only upon delivery contact us within 24-48 hours of receiving the Queen dead on arrival with a picture of the dead queen and the original workers. DO NOT TRANSFER THE DEAD QUEEN OR WORKERS TO A NEST AS THIS VOIDS YOUR WARRNTY. For our additional 14-day guarantee for European species the Queen and workers must be kept in the original test tube sealed with the cotton and care sheet instructions followed if you want to keep this additional guarantee do not transfer to a nest or your warranty is VOIDED (we recommend you keep the 14-day warranty).
We have no control over the environment outside the test tube and have no influence in the conditions the responsibility once placed outside the test tube within the 14-day period the responsibility is with the buyer. 9 times out of 10 colonies die in the nest due to lack of water access, food, temperature, oxygen, or stress due to vibrations or exposure to excess light. If your colony does fail inside a nest contact us, we can advise what went wrong but it is up to you to buy another ant colony, you will succeed but sometimes it does not work the first time. Research is key to success with ant keeping and follow our guides.