Black Harvester Ants (Pogonomyrmex rugosus)

General: Pogonomyrmex rugosus is a large Harvester Ant that forms giant colonies with large territories in the wild. In captivity, they love heat, Phacelia seeds, and fruit flies!

Diet: P. rugosus does well with a constant supply of seeds to live and grow. In addition, it is recommended that they are supplied insects to assist with growing to large colony sizes. Even if insects are supplied only every once in a while, they still help. If you cannot temporarily supply seeds, protein, such as small pieces of dead insect, should keep the ants healthy for a short time. Mealworm chunks, crickets, fruit flies, and even roaches are good protein sources for these ants.

Phacelia is a group of plants found commonly throughout the southwestern United States, and appears to be a favorite of this species, as well as other harvesters. It is a larger seed, but has a rather thin shell compared to some seeds, allowing the ants to access a large cache of food each time they open it. Our Harvester Ant Seed Mix includes this seed, as well as another favorite, Dandelion seed.

Seeds which P. rugosus will eat:

• Phacelia (favorite)
• Dandelion (favorite)
• Sand lovegrass
• Chia
• Kentucky Bluegrass

Temperature: Pogonomyrmex rugosus are true desert ants – they love heat! It is recommended to keep the hottest point of their nest over 90 degrees, but also to have an area that is cooler (closer to 78-80) so that there is a place for eggs and young larvae to stay. Allow the ants to choose their preferred temperature. Do not apply heat close to the water reservoir of a test tube, as it may cause floods!

Diapause: This species does not need diapause (hibernation), but can undergo it if the keeper prefers. If preferred, simply cool them down to room temperature or just below during the winter and ensure they still have a steady supply of seeds. The ants will slow down brood production and therefore consume less food, but will still need seeds to eat occasionally. Diapause for no more than 2 months.

Growth: Pogonomyrmex rugosus can grow wildly fast compared to many other ants. The only thing which slows them down compared to some ants is their size. It takes around 6-8 weeks from egg-worker, depending on temperature. If you feed your P. rugosus protein often and always have them on high heat, you can expect to be able to get a colony to more than 500 workers in a year. Remember, if you’re trying to grow quickly, it is better to overfeed than underfeed!

Queen size: 12-14mm

Worker size: 7-9mm

Variants: Variants of this species are purely aesthetic and don’t appear to reflect any biological difference in behavior. The Red Variant will have a fair amount of orange/red on their gaster, while the Dark Variant will be entirely jet black.

If ants arrive in bad condition, contact us for help. Live arrival is guaranteed.