Bundle Offer – Myrmica rubra

Bundle offer including a Myrmica rubra ant colony (queen with 5-10 workers + brood)

Only while stocks last.

Everything you need for a Myrmica rubra ant colony:
This bundle contains everything you need to successfully get a Myrmica rubra colony through its first few months. It is flexibly expandable and has been tested over several years with this ant species.

Myrmica rubra ant species – the European fire ant:
Myrmica rubra is a very widespread ant species in Europe. It is also known as the red garden ant or European fire ant. It loves damp and semi-shady locations, which is why it is mainly found in gardens, meadows and forests. It can also be found in parts of Canada and the USA, but there it is invasive, i.e. not native. Like most invasive ant species, it was introduced there with plants around 1900.

Myrmica rubra is a polygynous species, meaning that it usually has several queens in the wild. There are even reports of so-called super-colonies with up to 600 queens and around 20,000 workers. Myrmica rubra defends its nest aggressively and has a stinger for defense. However, its venom is harmless, except for allergy sufferers.

Myrmica rubra hibernates in the wild between the end of October and the end of March at around 5-8°.

Nest for Myrmica rubra:
In nature, Myrmica rubra nests under moss cushions, stones in fields and meadows in the ground where they build mounds or even in rotten wood. The most important thing for them is a moist nesting site.

In this starter set, we have included one of our Digfix plates as nesting material. This simulates a natural earth nest and can be kept very moist. In addition, the animals cannot soil the windows of the ant farm when digging, which allows a permanently clear view into the chambers and passages. The material is also much more stable in an ant farm than a conventional sand/clay mixture, which prevents the chambers and tunnels from collapsing.

Food for Myrmica rubra:
Myrmica rubra is an omnivore and feeds on carrion, insects and nectar in the wild. Like Lasius niger, for example, Myrmica rubra also keeps aphid colonies and defends them.

We have included our whole blanched crickets and honeydew as food in this set. Both are very well accepted by Myrmica rubra and support a natural and positive development of the colony due to the nutrients they contain.

The optimum climatic conditions for Myrmica rubra are as follows:
Humidity:
Arena: 30 – 50% Nest area: 50 – 70%
Temperature:
Arena: 18 – 28°C Nest area: 21 – 24°C

Contents:
1x Myrmica rubra queen + 5-10 workers and brood
1x whole blanched crickets
1x honeydew mix (HT) – refill pack 10ml
1x Formicarium base – 20x20cm
1x formicarium base – 20x6cm

1x ANTCUBE – arena 20x20x10 – flat
1x ant arena frame 20×20
1x ant arena cover 20×20
4x fixing point for arena cover
1x ANTCUBE – Ant farm – M – 20×20 – upright
1x ANTCUBE – Digfix plate 20×20 – M

1x 0,5m tube transparent 14/10 mm
1x ANTCUBE – Red foil 20×20 – filter
1x adhesive clamps – transparent 2 pcs.
1x substrate – sand-clay beige – 200g

1x grid insert – 50mm – stainless steel
1x Formicarium plug for 50mm hole
1x Formicarium plug for 27mm hole
1x Formicarium cap – 10mm

1x tank hose connector 27-14,16,20 mm – transparent
1x drinking trough 2ml – 360 degrees
1x bowl clear 1×20 – sponge
1x drinking trough clear 20ml – sponge
1x Mini thermo-hygrometer analog – display – hanging
1x Ant escape protection oil 10ml
1x Tweezers spring steel – wide – soft
1x Tweezers plastic transparent
1x plastic pipette 3ml
1x hand magnifier – 2x – 30mm
1x foam wiper 150x18x2,5mm
1x photo back – meadow – 20×10

Description:
This expandable starter set for Myrmica rubra contains not only the optimally adapted formicarium but also the right accessories for keeping this ant species. The “drinker clear 20ml – sponge” is intended for water, the “drinker 2ml – 360 degrees” for the honeydew mix.

Important: Please moisten the substrate before use so that the mixture can bind and develop a firm hold in the ant farm. In addition, a dry and dusty substrate can lead to the ants’ airways being blocked and, in the worst case, the animals suffocating.

Notes on production
The glass is cut to size in accordance with DIN 1249 with a tolerance of +/- 1 mm. Additional break-out protection is essential for extremely small ant species.

Note on the blanched crickets:
Our blanched crickets are an easy way to provide your ants with freshly preserved protein food without having to feed live insects. The contained crickets (Acheta domesticus) have been gently blanched to ensure that nutritional values, taste and aroma are retained. In addition, the chitinous shell of the insects is softened in this way so that it can be digested more easily. The bonds of the collagen proteins are broken down so that the ants can utilize them better. Canned Acheta domesticus has the same nutritional value as live crickets, but is easier to digest.

The blanched crickets are not suitable for hunting ant species that require live food. (e.g. ponerines (great ants) such as Harpegnathos or Odontomachus)

Further advantages:
Guaranteed mite-free
Can be portioned
Sterilized and vacuumed
Without additives
Crickets from sustainable, purely organic breeding, fed with organic waste

Please note:
Can be kept in the fridge for about four days after opening. Longer shelf life if frozen.

Note on honeydew:
Contents: 10 ml
This is a natural product that we have refined after extensive testing in our laboratory and developed into a food that is very well accepted by ants. The reason for this is that unprocessed honeydew honey in its concentrated original form is not well accepted by ants and their metabolism.
Our honeydew was collected in the unpolluted wild mountain forests of Bulgaria. Honeydew is only produced for a very limited time, about two months in summer. It is therefore very rare. Due to the specific soil characteristics of the forests and the climate, essential nutrients are stored in the leaves of the trees, which are absorbed by the aphids. This is what makes this honeydew mix so desirable for ants.

Application:
Amount of food should be consumed within about 3 days.

Description:
Honeydew, unlike flower honey, is obtained from secretions of insects that suck on plants, such as aphids. Honeydew is a popular food source for many insects such as ants, bees and bumblebees. Bees and bumblebees lick it from the leaves or needles of various trees. Ants such as Lasius niger literally keep the aphids. They even defend them against predators and carry them to fresh shoots.

Honeydew is particularly popular with ants because of its somewhat different components. The main sugars in honeydew are sucrose and fructose, but smaller amounts of maltose, trehalose, melezitose, raffinose and other oligosaccharides are also found. In addition to sugar and water, honeydew also contains essential amino acids, minerals, trace elements, adenosines, phosphates and other ingredients such as vitamins.

Use:
For honey-eating ant species (Meliphagidae)
This is a supplementary feed
It can be offered to the animals as supplied. As the sugar concentration is reduced by the humidity and a fermentation process begins, the food should be replaced every 3 days. Clean the feeding bowl/tube thoroughly before reuse.
Once a pack has been opened, it should be kept tightly closed until the expiry date.

Nutritional information per 100 g:
approx. 2.7 % fats
of which saturated approx. 0.45 %
approx. 95 % carbohydrates
of which sugar approx. 71
approx. 2.85% protein

Minerals (potassium, calcium, copper, iron, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and other trace elements) Amino acids (proline, leucine, phenylalanine, alanine, histidine, isoleucine, glutamic acid, arginine, aspartic acid, etc.) Organic acids Enzymes (enzymes)Flavorings Inhibins (antibacterial substances) Flowers Pollen

Storage:
To ensure the quality of the feed, the feed should be stored in a dark and dry place.

Note:
Supplementary feed for honey-eating ants.
Please refer to the package insert for composition, analytical ingredients, best-before date and batch number.

Information hotline +49 30 76687051

Responsible veterinary and food inspectorate:
Steglitz Veterinary Office
Königin-Luise-Str. 92
14195 Berlin