I started with the colony on April 2nd, 2025, receiving a queen with two pupae. Eleven days later, egg-laying began:
The very next day, the first worker hatched. Although the nest may appear too large at the moment, the queen was sold to me in this nest and had lived in it with the previous owner as well. Leftover food has never been an issue, as the ants consistently hide it in a corner of the arena. Therefore, I have not seen any reason to provide a smaller nest.
The worker impressed me with her climbing abilities, as I had previously kept ants of this size and they typically struggled to climb glass.
Agave syrup was readily accepted as a carbohydrate source, but the ants proved extremely selective with other types of food. On April 26th, 2025, almost two weeks after the first worker hatched, the second worker emerged and immediately set about redecorating the outworld.
Just two days later, she became trapped in a drop of agave syrup and died. Following this incident, I have only offered very small drops of syrup, and the colony occasionally began filling the feeding dish with small stones.
On May 4th, 2025, I observed the first small larva, which presented another challenge in care. As this was my first Myrmecia colony, I was not yet familiar with their selective feeding habits. I had previously assumed their refusal to eat protein was due to the lack of brood to feed. Within a week of offering various foods—including mealworms, spiders, woodlice, moths, flies, grasshoppers, thawed cockroaches, and thawed crickets—the larvae were fed to one another, leaving only a single survivor. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, I went to the nearest pet store and purchased all suitable feeder insects I could find. Fortunately, freshly killed crickets were accepted and successfully incorporated into the nest.
Over the following weeks, the larva grew steadily and began pupating six weeks after hatching, on June 18th, 2025. She appeared very small to me.
During this period, another problem arose. The remaining worker lost a leg and an antenna, possibly due to a fall from the arena lid, though the exact cause remains unknown. She died a week later and brought no food to the nest during that time, which prompted the queen to hunt herself.
On July 27th, 2025, a new worker hatched. At first, she stayed close to the queen but eventually began hunting independently.
Crickets were successfully brought into the nest and consumed. No new brood was laid immediately, but the colony still faced additional challenges. I had a few extra Myrmecia pyriformis larvae from another boost, which I offered to the colony; they were accepted, though one was later removed.
On August 30th, 2025, this beautiful farewell photo was taken before my substitute caretaker assumed responsibility for the colony until the end of the month.
