Myrmecia brevinoda

Myrmecia brevinoda is among the largest bull ants in the hobby, and the experience of keeping it is unlike almost anything else. The ants have excellent eyesight and will track movement across the room, hunting with a bold, agile precision that makes every feeding worth watching. It comes from Australia and balances huge individual ants with a respectable colony population. The painful sting and semi-claustral founding are why we rate it Crazy: both demand real experience and steady caution. It suits an expert who wants a large, defensive, visually stunning colony and respects what that involves.

A visual hunter. These large, sharp-eyed workers chase down live and freshly killed insects to feed the brood, while the adults take sugars for their own fuel, so offer fresh prey regularly with a sugar source alongside.

★★★ readily · ★★ moderately · ★ occasionally · ✗ not eaten

Found this large bull ant in a test tube and move the colony on once the first workers cover the floor. It needs a sturdy nest with a generous arena, as these foragers are fast, agile and quick to climb. Hold moderate humidity in the brood area with a drier arena. Keep a reliable escape barrier of fluon (PTFE), oil, or talc-and-water well maintained, and work the setup with care, as the workers are big and well armed. ANTonTOP formicaria and starter kits give you a matched nest, arena and barrier sized for a powerful bull-ant colony.

Coming from a temperate part of Australia, it prefers the nest at 20-25 °C and the arena at 22-27 °C, with nest humidity at 55-70% and the arena at 45-65%. Heat one side only so the ants can move between warmer and cooler areas. Hibernation is not required, so the colony can stay active and fed year-round.

Growth is slow to moderate for this genus, with the colony reaching up to 2,500 workers over time. You receive a single fertilised queen with workers and brood, a striking start to a powerful colony.

• Myrmecia brevinoda is one of the largest bull ants in the world, with workers among the biggest of any ant.
• Bull ants have exceptional vision for ants, tracking movement and even leaping at prey or intruders.
• They are solitary hunters, foraging alone by sight rather than laying chemical trails like most ants.
• Myrmecia is an ancient Australian lineage, and a relative, the jack jumper, carries venom potent enough to cause severe allergic reactions in people.

Is Myrmecia brevinoda good for beginners?

No, it is rated Crazy, with a painful Schmidt 2-3 sting and semi-claustral founding that suit only experienced, careful keepers.

Does this bull ant need a winter rest?

No, hibernation is not required; keep it active and fed year-round.

How bad is the Myrmecia brevinoda sting?

It is painful, rated Schmidt 2-3, so handle the setup with caution.

How large does the colony get?

Up to 2,500 workers, as a monogyne species.

How big is the queen?

The queen is a giant at 24-30 mm; workers are 17-26 mm.

How fast does it grow?

Slow to moderate, as large bull ants build their numbers gradually.

What do these bull ants eat?

Mostly live and freshly killed insects such as crickets and flies, plus sugar water or jelly for energy; it does not eat seeds.

How do you ship live ants?

A single queen with workers and brood ships with a seasonal heat or cool pack, dispatched within 24 h with tracking for safe live arrival.

Escape prevention. Coat the inner rim of every open arena with fluon (PTFE), or use talc-and-water or an oil barrier as a backup, and keep a tight, fine-mesh lid on top. Check the barrier regularly, since dust, condensation and feeding debris break a fluon line over time. Keep tubing connectors tight and seal any gaps in the nest.

Keeping reminders. Always offer fresh water and never let the nest dry out completely. Give carbohydrates continuously and protein a few times a week, and remove uneaten insect prey within 24 hours before it moulds. Keep the formicarium out of direct sunlight and away from constant vibration, which stresses a young colony. A water-filled test tube plugged with cotton makes an ideal spare incubator whenever you need one.

Before you buy – do not rehouse too early. Have a test-tube setup or a small formicarium with an outworld and a working barrier ready before your colony arrives. A founding colony grows slowly at first, which is normal. Moving a small colony into a large nest too soon invites mould, mites and stress, and the workers die off one by one. Keep the colony in its open test tube on the arena, plug the nest entrance with cotton, and open up the next chambers only once the colony fills roughly 10-15% of the space.

What we ship. Every colony ships with a live-arrival guarantee, backed by our 24h unboxing-video guarantee: if the queen does not arrive alive, we reship free. Parcels travel with DHL, InPost (PL) or EMS, with a heat or cold pack to suit the season, packed discreetly and securely. We ship across the EU and worldwide, with free shipping over the Europe threshold.