Species comparison

Messor ibericus vs Messor wasmanni

Side by side: difficulty, size, growth, climate, hibernation and nuptial flights, from the data and sources of each species sheet.

Head to head

Messor ibericus and Messor wasmanni compared fact by fact
Messor ibericusMessor wasmanni
Keeping
Difficulty
2/7

Beginner

2/7

Beginner

Escape risk
Low
Low
Diet
SeedsInsectsSugar
SeedsInsectsSugar
Best nests
Ytong nest · Sandwich nest · Acrylic nest
Ytong nest · Acrylic nest · Naturalistic setup
Colony
Growth
FasterFast
Moderate
Colony size
Reaches 3,500 workers
Reaches 5,000 workers
Workers
4–8 mm

majors up to 10 mm

4–8 mm

majors up to 10 mm

Queen
9–10 mm
12–14 mm
Colony founding
Fully claustral

One or more queens

Fully claustral

One queen

Defense
Bites
Bites
Climate
Nest temperature
22–28 °C
22–26 °C
Nest humidity
40–60 %

Seed granaries: 30–50 %

50–70 %

Seed granaries: 30–50 %

Hibernation
10–15 °C

Nov – Feb

12–15 °C

Dec – Feb

Nuptial flights
Apr – Jun
Sep – Nov

After rain

Native range
Europe
Europe, Middle East

Size to scale

  • Messor ibericus

    Workers · 4–8 mm
    Majors · ≤ 10 mm
    Queen · 9–10 mm

  • Messor wasmanni

    Workers · 4–8 mm
    Majors · ≤ 10 mm
    Queen · 12–14 mm
10 mm: both species are drawn at the same scale

Their year side by side

  • Messor ibericus : Hibernation: Nov – Feb, Nuptial flights: Apr – Jun

  • Messor wasmanni : Hibernation: Dec – Feb, Nuptial flights: Sep – Nov

Months for temperate Europe and the Mediterranean. The weather decides the exact days, so flights can come earlier or later where you live.

How to tell them apart

Messor ibericus

Reddish brown to dark brown workers of many sizes, with abundant hairs, duller than the glossy black Messor capitatus. It is a near twin of Messor structor: only a microscope shows its slightly shorter first antennal segment after the scape, and its queens are smaller, so around the Mediterranean the place it comes from is the best clue.

  • Tip A warm, fairly dry nest suits it. The team behind the 2025 Nature study kept 65 colonies in a room at 25 °C and 40% humidity and fed them grass seeds. Add a water tube or one damp corner, but keep the seed store dry, because seeds that get too damp sprout and the workers then carry them out.
  • Watch out A queen picked up next to a nest may never get started alone. In Italy, winged queens were seen waiting at the nest entrance instead of flying off, and keepers report that they mate on the ground, then go back into the nest or leave with a group of workers, and rarely found a colony alone. Collect a few workers with such a queen, or start from a colony that already has some.

Messor wasmanni

Workers come in many sizes, from small minors to big-headed majors, and the big ones usually have a red thorax and a darker, glossy gaster, never all black like Messor capitatus. Messor minor and reddish Messor bouvieri can be hard to tell apart from it, and cf. in the trade name means the identification is unconfirmed, so this sheet follows the form that European shops sell under it.

  • Tip Offer whole seed heads of grasses now and then, not only loose seeds: in the wild these ants pick seeds straight from the plant as well as from the ground.
  • Tip Give the colony one dry chamber for the seed store and a separate moist one for the brood, and never spray water into the nest, because wet seeds sprout or mold. Cover every open water spot with small stones or cotton, since Messor workers drown easily.

More comparisons

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Messor ibericus sheet Messor wasmanni sheet

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