Myrmecocystus navajo

Myrmecocystus navajo is a night forager, so its activity peaks once the lights dim, which suits keepers who like to observe after dark. It comes from Arizona’s desert country and founds claustrally, with the queen sealing in to raise her first brood on her own reserves. Like all honeypots it keeps repletes, workers that swell with stored nectar to carry the colony through dry periods, and that caste is the real reason to keep it. Rated Intermediate, it best rewards a keeper already comfortable with heat gradients and arid feeding. The combination of nocturnal habits and the replete caste gives this colony real character.

A nectar specialist whose foragers collect sweet liquid by night and hand it to repletes that store the colony’s reserves. Sugar water and nectar anchor the diet, with insect protein fed to the brood to keep larvae growing.

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

Found the queen in a test tube and rehouse the colony once the founding chamber crowds with brood and workers. As a desert honeypot ant, it suits a dry acrylic or ytong nest with ceiling room for repletes to hang, plus a spacious warm arena. Keep the nest dry and the arena separate so the moisture and heat gradient stays readable. Contain foragers with a fluon (PTFE) or oil barrier, or talc and water. ANTonTOP formicaria and starter kits arrive arranged for this arid nest-and-arena split, barrier included.

Keep the nest at 24-28 °C and run the arena warmer at 26-32 °C. Humidity stays low, 35-50% in the nest and 20-40% in the arena. Heat just one end to form a gradient the colony can choose from. Hibernation is not required, so keep this species active and feeding all year.

Honeypot colonies grow steadily, slow at founding then quicker as workers accumulate, with brood reaching workers in roughly 6-8 weeks. A mature colony can reach up to 10,000 workers. You receive a queen with workers and brood, a settled founding group beyond the riskiest stage.

• Honeypot ants devote some workers to becoming repletes, living food stores that hang from the nest ceiling swollen with nectar.
• A night forager like this one works the desert in the cool dark, when water loss is lower and prey more active.
• Repletes feed nestmates by regurgitation, buffering the colony through dry months when little can be gathered.
• Myrmecocystus occurs only in arid western North America, the sole honeypot genus on the continent.

Is Myrmecocystus navajo good for beginners?

It is Intermediate, so it fits a keeper who has already raised one easy colony and understands heat gradients and arid setups.

Does Myrmecocystus navajo need a winter rest?

No. Hibernation is not required, so keep it active and feeding year-round.

Does this honeypot ant sting or bite?

No. It only bites mildly and has no sting.

How big does a Myrmecocystus navajo colony get?

Up to 10,000 workers in a mature colony.

How big is the queen?

The queen is 11-12 mm, with workers at 4-8 mm.

How fast does Myrmecocystus navajo grow?

Steady; brood develops to workers in about 6-8 weeks, then the colony builds up.

What does it eat?

Mainly sugar water and nectar or jelly, plus crickets and flies for protein. Repletes store surplus sugar.

Will it arrive alive?

Yes. We send a queen with workers and brood, add a seasonal heat or cool pack, and dispatch within 24 h with tracking.

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.