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Red Ants

UK Fire Ants

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Why this species? About them.

Known as the UK Fire Ant, Myrmica rubra is an active and fascinating species to keep. These ants are perfect for those looking to observe lively colonies with a bit more personality. With their reddish colour and adventurous foraging behaviour, they are a great introduction to antkeeping for beginners and experienced hobbyists alike.

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Red Ants are ideal for antkeepers who enjoy observing active and exploratory colonies. Known for their striking red colour and bold behaviour, they are a hardy species that thrive in most setups. They’re slightly more adventurous than other beginner ants, making them a fun and rewarding species to care for. Just be careful, these girls do sting.

Life Cycle and colony size.

From humble beginnings to bustling colonies, red ants have a captivating life cycle.

The Queen

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Age: Up to 5-7+ Years

Size: 5-6mm

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Needs feeding until first workers are born.

Can have multiple queens

The Workers

Age: Up to 1 Year

Size: 5mm-5mm

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Fully grown colonies have more than 1,000 workers per queen.

Growing your colony: Feeding

Feeding your colony is easy too, they need 3 types of nutrition and your starter kit comes with all 3 of them.  When you receive your kit, place your sugars in the fridge and your proteins in the freezer.

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Water

This should be available at all times and is typically drunk through cotton or plaster.

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Sugars

This is to keep the Queen and workers full of energy to forage and stay active.

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Proteins

Insect protein enables the queen to lay eggs and the larvae to grow into new workers.

Husbandry: Colony Care

Looking after your colony is straight forward.  Weekly maintenance takes just a few minutes which makes them perfect low-maintenance pets. 

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  • Feed them every 3 days: Provide fresh foods and remove waste.  Your colony will maintain a waste pile to make your life easier too.

  • Keep them at room temperature:  Room temperature is fine for this species, you will not need additional heat. They will slow in the winter and become more active in spring through autumn.  

  • Clean up: Removing waste and dirt regularly will help your colony maintain hygiene levels.

  • Minimise disturbance: Try not to knock them or disturb them too much while the colony is small. 

Road to success: what next

If you are doing it right then your colony will grow.  Although getting to 100 workers from 10 workers will take a good 6 months or so, once they get there they will begin to grow faster and you will be somewhat of an expert at antkeeping.  By this point a guide like this will be far to basic for you.  But you will be pleased to know that our starter kits are all 100% compatible with any products which have the V2 connection port. We sell everything you need to expand your setup.

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