[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":353},["ShallowReactive",2],{"species-sheet-\u002Fspecies\u002Fmessor-capitatus":3},{"species":4,"profile":233,"countryNames":271,"lookalikes":283,"similar":289,"posts":332},{"id":5,"authority":6,"colonyStructure":7,"confidence":8,"countries":11,"defense":23,"diet":25,"difficulty":29,"dryHumidity":30,"escapeRisk":33,"estimated":34,"experience":39,"extension":40,"finder":41,"founding":42,"growth":43,"guide":44,"hibernation":45,"hibernationMonths":46,"hibernationTemperature":49,"humidity":52,"image":54,"imageCredit":55,"imageHeight":59,"imageWidth":60,"interests":44,"keptSince":44,"legal":61,"lookalikes":64,"majorSize":68,"maxWorkers":69,"meta":70,"nests":71,"nuptialFlightMonths":75,"nuptialFlightTime":78,"nuptialFlightTriggers":79,"polymorphism":81,"queenSize":82,"regions":83,"relatedPosts":86,"reviewedAt":63,"scientificName":90,"sources":91,"stem":218,"subfamily":219,"temperature":220,"tribe":223,"workerSize":224,"__hash__":227,"slug":228,"genus":229,"nickname":230,"aliases":231,"tagline":232},"species\u002Fspecies\u002Fmessor-capitatus.yml","(Latreille, 1798)","monogyne",{"biology":9,"husbandry":10,"nuptialFlight":10},"high","medium",[12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22],"ES","PT","FR","IT","MT","SI","HR","GR","MA","DZ","TN",[24],"bite",[26,27,28],"seeds","insects","sugar","2",[31,32],30,50,"low",[35,36,37,38],"hibernationTemperature","workerSize","queenSize","maxWorkers","compiled","yml",false,"claustral","fast",null,"required",[47,48],12,2,[50,51],10,15,[32,53],60,"https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fspecies\u002Fmessor-capitatus.jpg",{"author":56,"license":57,"url":58},"Philipp Hoenle (myrmecophil)","CC0 1.0","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.inaturalist.org\u002Fobservations\u002F207887615",800,1200,{"status":62,"checked":63},"free","2026-10-11",[65,66,67],"Messor barbarus","Messor ibericus","Messor structor",13,5000,{},[72,73,74],"ytong","acrylic","naturalistic",[76,77],9,11,"afternoon",[80],"rain","polymorphic",[68,51],[84,85],"europe","northAfrica",[87,88,89],"how-to-make-a-ytong-nest","how-to-hibernate-your-ants","how-to-make-a-test-tube-setup-tutorial","Messor capitatus",[92,98,104,108,113,120,125,129,133,137,141,145,149,153,157,161,165,169,173,177,181,185,189,193,197,201,206,210,214],{"type":93,"title":94,"url":95,"covers":96},"reference","AntCat: Messor capitatus (Latreille, 1798), valid species, type locality near Bordeaux","https:\u002F\u002Fantcat.org\u002Fcatalog\u002F440033",[97],"taxonomy",{"type":93,"title":99,"url":100,"covers":101},"AntWiki: Messor capitatus (country list, and the note by Borowiec 2014 that western and eastern Mediterranean populations may be different species)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.antwiki.org\u002Fwiki\u002FMessor_capitatus",[97,102,103],"biology","distribution",{"type":93,"title":105,"url":106,"covers":107},"Wikipedia (German): Messor capitatus (identification, nests and foraging, based on Agosti and Collingwood 1987, Cagniant and Espadaler 1997 and Plowes et al. 2013)","https:\u002F\u002Fde.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FMessor_capitatus",[97,102,103],{"type":109,"title":110,"url":111,"covers":112},"paper","Grasso, Wenseleers, Mori, Le Moli and Billen (2000), Ethology Ecology and Evolution: Thelytokous worker reproduction and lack of Wolbachia infection in the harvesting ant Messor capitatus","https:\u002F\u002Fdoi.org\u002F10.1080\u002F08927014.2000.9522803",[102],{"type":114,"title":115,"url":116,"covers":117},"careSheet","formicarium.it: Scheda allevamento Messor capitatus","https:\u002F\u002Fformicarium.it\u002Fformiche-italiane\u002Fmessor-capitatus\u002F",[118,102,103,119],"husbandry","nuptialFlight",{"type":121,"title":122,"url":123,"covers":124},"forum","formicarium.it forum: Storia di una colonia di Messor capitatus (diary of one colony from 2005, with winters, nests, diet and growth)","https:\u002F\u002Fformicarium.it\u002Fviewtopic.php?t=331",[118,102,119],{"type":114,"title":126,"url":127,"covers":128},"Ameisenforum.de: Steckbrief Messor capitatus (habitat, winter rest, swarming after rain)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ameisenforum.de\u002Fmessor-capitatus-t31072.html",[118,102,103,119],{"type":114,"title":130,"url":131,"covers":132},"Hormigueando: Ficha de cria de Messor capitatus","https:\u002F\u002Fhormigueando.com\u002Ffichas-de-cria\u002Fmessor-capitatus\u002F",[118,102,119],{"type":114,"title":134,"url":135,"covers":136},"Ameisenhaltung.de: Artenverzeichnis, Messor capitatus","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ameisenhaltung.de\u002Fartenverzeichnis\u002Fentry\u002F234-messor-capitatus\u002F",[118,102],{"type":114,"title":138,"url":139,"covers":140},"Antstore: Messor cf. capitatus","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.antstore.net\u002Fshop\u002Fen\u002Fants\u002FAnts-from-South-Europe\u002FMessor-cf--capitatus.html",[118,102,119],{"type":114,"title":142,"url":143,"covers":144},"Ant Shack: Messor capitatus care sheet and species profile","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ant-shack.com\u002Fpages\u002Fencyclopedia-entry\u002Fmessor-capitatus",[118,102],{"type":114,"title":146,"url":147,"covers":148},"FormicaMarket: Messor capitatus care guide","https:\u002F\u002Fformicamarket.com\u002Fen\u002Fant-database\u002Fmessor-capitatus\u002F",[118,102,119],{"type":114,"title":150,"url":151,"covers":152},"Antkeeping.info: Messor capitatus","https:\u002F\u002Fantkeeping.info\u002Fants\u002Fmessor-capitatus\u002F",[118,102,119],{"type":114,"title":154,"url":155,"covers":156},"Wakooshi: Messor capitatus","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.wakooshi.com\u002Fproducts\u002Fmessor-capitatus",[118],{"type":114,"title":158,"url":159,"covers":160},"Esthetic Ants: Messor capitatus","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.estheticants.com\u002Fproduct-page\u002Fmessor-capitatus",[118],{"type":114,"title":162,"url":163,"covers":164},"Ants R Us: Messor capitatus starter kit","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.antsrus.com\u002Fproduct-page\u002Fmessor-capitatus-starter-kit",[118],{"type":114,"title":166,"url":167,"covers":168},"MrowSon: Messor capitatus","https:\u002F\u002Fmrowson.pl\u002Fen\u002Fproduct\u002Fmessor-capitatus\u002F",[118],{"type":114,"title":170,"url":171,"covers":172},"AntOnTop: Messor capitatus (lists it as a species that needs no hibernation, unlike most shops)","https:\u002F\u002Fantontop.com\u002Fants\u002Fants-for-beginners\u002Fmessor-capitatus\u002F",[118],{"type":121,"title":174,"url":175,"covers":176},"Formiculture: Darko ant keeping journal (a Messor capitatus colony in Rome, from 30 to over 500 workers, with a winter rest down to 11 °C)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.formiculture.com\u002Ftopic\u002F22686-darkos-ant-keeping-journal\u002F",[118,102],{"type":121,"title":178,"url":179,"covers":180},"Ameisenforum.de: Messor cf. capitatus Haltungserfahrungen (climate, diet, winter rest)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ameisenforum.de\u002Fmessor-cf-capitatus-haltungserfahrungen-t44407.html",[118],{"type":121,"title":182,"url":183,"covers":184},"Ameisenforum.de: Messor capitatus, hohe Sterberate und kaum Larven vorhanden (a colony never given a winter rest, with few eggs and deaths in waves)","https:\u002F\u002Fameisenforum.de\u002Fmessor-capitatus-hohe-sterberate-und-kaum-larven-vorhanden-t60686.html",[118],{"type":93,"title":186,"url":187,"covers":188},"AntFlights: nuptial flight of Messor capitatus, León, Spain, 21 September 2024 (sunny afternoon, not yet confirmed on the site)","https:\u002F\u002Fantflights.com\u002Ff\u002F2288\u002Fnuptial-flight-messor-capitatus-castilla-y-leon-spain",[119],{"type":93,"title":190,"url":191,"covers":192},"AntFlights: prenuptial flight of Messor capitatus, Castilla y León, Spain, 22 October 2023 (at night in light rain, confirmed on the site)","https:\u002F\u002Fantflights.com\u002Ff\u002F1852\u002Fprenuptial-flight-messor-capitatus-castilla-y-leon-spain",[119],{"type":93,"title":194,"url":195,"covers":196},"AntScout: Messor capitatus (77 flight records, September to November, peak in October)","https:\u002F\u002Fantscout.com\u002Fspecies\u002Fmessor-capitatus",[119,102],{"type":93,"title":198,"url":199,"covers":200},"GBIF: Messor capitatus (Latreille, 1798), occurrence records by country and the English name European seed harvesting ant (UK Species Inventory)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gbif.org\u002Fspecies\u002F1316432",[97,103],{"type":93,"title":202,"url":203,"covers":204},"EU list of invasive alien species of Union concern (Implementing Regulation 2016\u002F1141, consolidated)","https:\u002F\u002Feur-lex.europa.eu\u002Feli\u002Freg_impl\u002F2016\u002F1141\u002Foj",[205],"legal",{"type":93,"title":207,"url":208,"covers":209},"Bundesartenschutzverordnung (BArtSchV), Anlage 1: protected species in Germany","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gesetze-im-internet.de\u002Fbartschv_2005\u002Fanlage_1.html",[205],{"type":93,"title":211,"url":212,"covers":213},"MITECO: Spanish Catalogue of Invasive Alien Species, arthropods","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.miteco.gob.es\u002Fen\u002Fbiodiversidad\u002Ftemas\u002Fconservacion-de-especies\u002Fespecies-exoticas-invasoras\u002Fce_eei_artropodos_nc.html",[205],{"type":93,"title":215,"url":216,"covers":217},"Japan Ministry of the Environment: list of designated invasive alien species (Invasive Alien Species Act)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.env.go.jp\u002Fnature\u002Fintro\u002F2outline\u002Flist.html",[205],"species\u002Fmessor-capitatus","Myrmicinae",[221,222],22,28,"Stenammini",[225,226],4,8,"ujBOVjDoR7jeD7Fh0iY2anEEdCeW1n0RquRs7YDpsjw","messor-capitatus","Messor","European seed harvesting ant",[],"A glossy black seed harvester with big-headed majors that grind tough seeds into ant bread on dry, rocky ground.",{"id":234,"title":235,"aliases":231,"body":236,"description":240,"extension":242,"faqs":243,"identification":253,"language":254,"meta":255,"navigation":256,"nickname":230,"notes":257,"path":268,"seo":269,"stem":218,"tagline":232,"__hash__":270},"speciesProfiles\u002Fspecies\u002Fmessor-capitatus.md","Messor Capitatus",{"type":237,"value":238,"toc":239},"minimark",[],{"title":240,"searchDepth":48,"depth":48,"links":241},"",[],"md",[244,247,250],{"question":245,"answer":246},"How can I tell Messor capitatus from Messor barbarus?","Look at the majors. In Messor barbarus the head of a major is clearly red, while Messor capitatus is black all over, or at most very dark brown, and the top of the propodeum, the rear part of the thorax, is angular in capitatus and rounded in barbarus. The abbreviation cf. in a shop name, as in Messor cf. capitatus, means the seller is not fully sure of the identification, and AntWiki notes that western and eastern Mediterranean populations may turn out to be different species.",{"question":248,"answer":249},"Can Messor capitatus workers lay eggs without a queen?","In lab experiments, yes. Workers of orphaned colonies laid unfertilized eggs that grew into new workers, which very few ant species can do, and after a long spell without a queen they also began to produce males. Bacteria such as Wolbachia, which cause this in some other insects, were ruled out.",{"question":251,"answer":252},"What do Messor capitatus eat, and do they like honey?","Mostly seeds: the workers carry them home, the majors crack the hard ones, and the colony chews them into ant bread. Keepers add insects, and the ants also eat sweet ripe fruit, but many keepers report that honey is ignored or only taken when the nest runs short of moisture.","Glossy, uniformly black workers of many sizes, with big-headed majors that walk slowly and clumsily. Unlike Messor barbarus, the majors have a black head instead of a red one and an angular rear of the thorax instead of a rounded one.","en",{},true,[258,261,263,266],{"kind":259,"text":260},"tip","Give the first workers small seeds such as dandelion or grass seeds, which even the smallest of them can crush on their own. The queen herself can help crack the harder seeds that the first workers cannot open yet.",{"kind":259,"text":262},"They share no liquid food mouth to mouth, so keep water and food available at all times. Cover the water spot with cotton or small stones, because the clumsy workers can drown in open water.",{"kind":264,"text":265},"watchOut","They are strong diggers that tunnel through Ytong and softened plaster, mostly where it is damp. Leave a thick wall between the chambers and the glass.",{"kind":264,"text":267},"Make the winter rest properly cool, not half-way. In a long-running Italian diary, a colony kept at in-between temperatures lost a number of workers in late winter, which a myrmecologist suspected was because the ants were too inactive to make the substances that normally keep mold and bacteria in check, and it recovered once it was warmed up.","\u002Fspecies\u002Fmessor-capitatus",{"description":240},"r96JnCGJt5cUdQAgaDkwkj8x1sp-mynEtk9aZHWYeBo",[272,273,274,275,276,277,278,279,280,281,282],"Algeria","Croatia","France","Greece","Italy","Malta","Morocco","Portugal","Slovenia","Spain","Tunisia",[284,286,287],{"name":65,"slug":285},"messor-barbarus",{"name":66,"slug":44},{"name":67,"slug":288},"messor-structor",[290,302,318],{"slug":288,"scientificName":67,"genus":229,"nickname":240,"aliases":291,"tagline":292,"image":293,"experience":39,"guide":44,"difficulty":29,"workerSize":294,"majorSize":50,"queenSize":295,"temperature":296,"hibernation":45,"hibernationTemperature":297,"hibernationBand":298,"sizeClass":299,"founding":42,"colonyStructure":300,"regions":301},[],"A rough-skinned brown harvester ant that shares its nest with many queens and spreads by splitting off new colonies.","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fspecies\u002Fmessor-structor.jpg",[225,226],[76,77],[221,222],[226,47],"cool","large","polygyne",[84],{"slug":303,"scientificName":304,"genus":229,"nickname":305,"aliases":306,"tagline":307,"image":308,"experience":39,"guide":44,"difficulty":29,"workerSize":309,"majorSize":50,"queenSize":310,"temperature":311,"hibernation":312,"hibernationTemperature":313,"hibernationBand":315,"sizeClass":299,"founding":42,"colonyStructure":7,"regions":316},"messor-ebeninus","Messor ebeninus","Ebony harvester ant",[],"A glossy ebony-black harvester ant of the Middle East that stores its seeds upstairs and raises its brood in damp soil far below.","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fspecies\u002Fmessor-ebeninus.jpg",[225,226],[77,47],[221,222],"recommended",[51,314],18,"mild",[317,85],"middleEast",{"slug":319,"scientificName":320,"genus":229,"nickname":321,"aliases":322,"tagline":323,"image":324,"experience":39,"guide":44,"difficulty":29,"workerSize":325,"majorSize":50,"queenSize":326,"temperature":328,"hibernation":45,"hibernationTemperature":330,"hibernationBand":315,"sizeClass":299,"founding":42,"colonyStructure":7,"regions":331},"messor-wasmanni","Messor wasmanni","Wasmann's harvester ant",[],"A big-headed seed harvester of sunny Italian and Balkan grasslands, with tidy trails to its nest and a name still written with a cautious cf.","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fspecies\u002Fmessor-wasmanni.jpg",[225,226],[47,327],14,[221,329],26,[47,51],[84,317],[333,340,347],{"id":334,"title":335,"description":336,"image":337,"categoryText":338,"path":339},"blog\u002Fhow-to-make-a-ytong-nest.md","How To Make a Ytong Nest - Ant Keeping Tutorial","In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a Ytong nest for your ant colonies! This is one of the best nest types for many ant species!","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fbruma_ants_thumbnail_ytong_ant_nest_tutorial.png","Tutorials & D.I.Y.","\u002Fhow-to-make-a-ytong-nest",{"id":341,"title":342,"description":343,"image":344,"categoryText":345,"path":346},"blog\u002Fhow-to-hibernate-your-ants.md","How To Hibernate Your Ants - Hibernation Tutorial","In this guide, we’re going to talk about hibernation: What is it? Why do ants need hibernation? Should I hibernate my ants? Let's see!","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fbruma_ants_thumbnail_hibernation_guide.png","Ant Keeping Basics","\u002Fhow-to-hibernate-your-ants",{"id":348,"title":349,"description":350,"image":351,"categoryText":345,"path":352},"blog\u002Fhow-to-make-a-test-tube-setup-tutorial.md","How To Make a Test Tube Setup - Ant Keeping Basics","In this tutorial you will learn how to make a test tube setup, the best way to create the optimal environment for a newly mated queen ant!","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.brumaants.com\u002Fimages\u002Fbruma_ants_thumbnail_test_tube_setup_tutorial_new.png","\u002Fhow-to-make-a-test-tube-setup-tutorial",1791900225862]