Pogonomyrmex badiusSpecies Introduction

Large, fierce, heat-loving harvesters that crave high humidity. Species Introduction Claustral: a single, newly-mated queen seals herself in a chamber and raises her first workers entirely on stored nutrients and metabolized wing muscles. Native to the southeastern United States, primarily Florida. Unlike other Pogonomyrmex, they live in humid environments, Florida sandhill and scrub. Strictly diurnal and will seal up the nest at night. Mature colonies are large, dominant, and impressive. They're harvester ants, but in Florida. Challenging because they need two things that don't usually go together: very high humidity and very high heat. Our Substratum nest was designed specifically to handle this combination. Formicarium Substratum nest highly recommended, originally created as a nest for this species. Alternatives can struggle to maintain humidity at the high temperatures these ants want. Very warm. Ideally the nest will have a gradient of 80–95°F. A heated foraging area will cause the ants to be more active (they're strictly diurnal in the wild, only foraging when the sun is blazing and it's super hot) but that's not strictly required for them. 1/2" Red plate cover for nest. Foraging arena can be brightly lit. Water & Humidity Extremely high humidity. The brood cannot tolerate even brief periods of low humidity and will die. P. badius are also thermophiles and need it quite warm. This is a difficult combination to achieve in captivity. The Substratum was designed for badius, it perfectly solves that issue. Recommended to use TrapJaw Labs PVA sponges for founding due to improved humidity. Water-only liquid feeder in outworld useful. Carbohydrates P. badius will sometimes take carbohydrates when the opportunity presents itself but they primarily consume protein and seeds. You are welcome to supplement the rest of their diet with honey or sugar water, but it's not necessary. Optional — they won't use it heavily. Protein P. badius need lots of protein. We suggest pre-killed feeder insects 2–3 times a week. The more often they're fed protein, the better. TrapJaw Labs feeds our P. badius colonies with pre-killed Drosophila melanogaster and D. hydei fruit flies, cockroach nymphs, and sliced mealworms. Two to three times per week. Increase amounts to scale with brood development. Seeds P. badius, along with other granivores from humid climates, have a tendency to keep their collected seeds quite moist which can lead to germinating in the nest. If this is something you want to avoid, use the TJL Seed Mix. This species prefers a wide variety of native grass seeds. The TJL Seed Mix is a good place to start if unsure of what kind to offer. Once per week Maintenance Week 1: Very humid, hot, dark, undisturbed. Weeks 4–6: First workers appear. Aggressive protein schedule + first seeds. Months 2+: Colony is beginning to put on some size. Maintain humidity and heat constantly, they will not tolerate fluctuating conditions. Diapause is not required for this species. Care Summary Very high humidity + very high heat — Substratum nest strongly recommended Protein 2–3×/week (their primary diet) Variety of seeds (use TrapJaw seed mix to avoid germination) Hot gradient 80–95°F Three times a week: Pre-killed protein, clear leftovers in 24h Once per week: Add varied seed mix Two to three times per week: Top up nest water reservoir