{"product_id":"myrmecia-pilosula-shiny-bulldog-ant","title":"Myrmecia Pilosula (Shiny Bulldog Ant)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMyrmecia pilosula\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e(Shiny Bulldog Ant)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the smaller Bull ant species in Australia - \u003cem\u003eMyrmecia pilosula\u003c\/em\u003e. Whilst they may not be the largest, they certainly as aggressive and inquisitive as their larger counterparts. Queen ants of this species often reach a formidable size of 18mm, with workers also reaching similar lengths. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHowever, it's not only its fast movement that make this a fearsome species of ant. In fact,\u003cem\u003e Myrmecia pilosula\u003c\/em\u003e have unusually large eyes which can be easily seen with the naked eye. These allow queens and workers to distiniguish objects that are anywhere between 5-80cms in their field of vision. Coupled with their long, strongly toothed mandibles and a powerful stinger, it's no wonder why this species is so well adapted to its environment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIts innately aggresive nature means that feeding and maintaining can be tricky. Therefore, it's often advised that hobbyists have a degree of experience prior to keeping this species.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe founding stage is lengthy and arduous with eggs taking as long as six months to develop into young worker ants. However, that being said - colonies can reach impressive sizes upto a thousand workers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eQueens of this species should be considered semi-claustral and as such, need to be supplemented with freshly killed insects and sugar water which will provide necessary protein and sugars for herself and her growing larvae.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring the foundation stage, it is incredibly important to limit physical interactions as much as possible as queens will often consume their brood in response to stress.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYoung queen's should be housed in a setup that will enable you to feed them without having to disrupt their founding\/claustral chamber.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost importantly, temperature parameters should be set between 24-26C and a humidity level of 50% should be observed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLastly, one should consider having substrates such as cocoa fibre\/lignocel\/coarse sand to ensure that larvae are able to pupate properly and therefore, eclose successfully into a young worker ant.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll in all, a truly charismatic species of ant that if cared for properly, will provide countless opportunities of rare and fascinating behaviours not seen in many other species.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith all of that being said.... \"Of course it had to be Australian, eh?!\".\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIt is illegal and strictly frowned upon to release any non-native ants into the wild.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"AntsHQ","offers":[{"title":"1 queen \u0026 eggs","offer_id":64156538274141,"sku":null,"price":219.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"1 queen \u0026 larvae","offer_id":64156538306909,"sku":null,"price":224.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1058\/4109\/9101\/files\/Myrmeciapilosula_F.Smith_1858_queenandeggs1.webp?v=1776144794","url":"https:\/\/www.antshq.co.uk\/products\/myrmecia-pilosula-shiny-bulldog-ant","provider":"Ants HQ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}