Polyergus rufescens

The legendary slave-maker

Polyergus rufescens, nicknamed the “Amazon ant”, is one of the most fascinating and most complex species to keep. Its workers, a bright orange-red, can neither feed themselves nor raise their own brood. The whole colony depends on Formica fusca slaves captured during spectacular raids.

In the wild, organised raids of Polyergus workers attack Formica fusca nests to steal their pupae. Once adopted, the Formica slaves do all the work: raising the eggs, feeding the queen, defending the nest.

Parasitic founding

The mated Polyergus queen must enter a Formica fusca nest, kill the resident queen and take her place. The Formica workers then keep raising the brood, but it’s Polyergus that lays the eggs. It’s a mechanism of parasitic founding that’s impossible to reproduce easily in captivity.

The raids

Once the colony is established, the Polyergus workers organise seasonal raids. This is the great spectacle of the species: watching a hundred red workers invade a Formica colony and leave with bundles of pupae.

Keeping advice

Reserved for very experienced keepers. Maintain a large Formica fusca colony nearby and regularly organise “transfers” of Formica pupae to the Polyergus nest. Classic hibernation.