Mexican honeypot ant
Also known as Honeypot ant, Honey ant (a general name for several genera)
Famous for its repletes, living food stores that hang from the nest ceiling: a nocturnal desert ant of the American Southwest and Mexico.
Not currently listed
Myrmecocystus mexicanus, the Mexican honeypot ant, comes from the arid southwest of the United States and parts of Mexico. It is best known for its repletes: workers that swell with liquid food until they hang from the nest ceiling as living food stores that the rest of the colony can draw on.
It is a nocturnal species. Workers forage mainly at night, collecting nectar, honeydew and dead insects, and a colony is led by a single queen. Wild colonies can number thousands of ants, and the pale, golden workers make a striking colony.
Ant-keeping sources rate it Intermediate: it needs warmth, a deep nest with a sandy substrate and tall chambers, and a steady supply of sugar water. It suits ant keepers who want something different from the usual starter species. Ask ANTELYX about the colonies available.
Pale, golden-looking ants whose workers vary in size. The repletes have a swollen, translucent abdomen that can look like an amber bead.
Deserts, arid grassland and scrubland. Nests are often placed on ridges and mesas with open, uncovered entrances, and they reach deep underground: one ant-keeping source reports wild nests about 0.8 to 2.3 m deep.
The arid and semi-arid southwest of the United States and parts of Mexico.
Foraging happens mainly at night, roughly from March to November in the wild, and workers have been recorded foraging at temperatures from 0.5 to 30 °C. They forage up to about 20 m from the nest entrance.
Repletes: some workers, developing from the largest workers, swell with liquid food until they hang motionless from the ceilings of nest chambers and act as living food storage. Other workers drain them when food is scarce, usually in winter. In one survey repletes made up about 22–25 percent of a colony.
A newly mated queen digs a chamber, seals it and lays her first eggs about five days after the mating flight (claustral founding).
The first workers are smaller than later ones. In an established colony the largest workers can become repletes, and ant-keeping sources describe moderate growth.
A founding queen lays eggs about five days after her mating flight, and the first workers emerge about 63 days after the eggs are laid.
Ant-keeping sources agree on warmth, about 26–29 °C, and an arid setup: a dry nest with a small water source, a deep nest with sandy substrate and tall chambers, constant access to sugar water and small insects for protein. The ants are nocturnal. The sources do not agree on worker and queen size and give no clear humidity figure or winter rest, so none are published.
In nature mainly nectar and other sugary liquids (yucca nectar, galls on scrub oak, flower nectars, aphid honeydew) plus dead insects, especially harvester ants. In captivity sugar water or honey water is kept available, with small insects as protein.
Nest type. Deep nest with a sandy substrate and tall chambers where the repletes can hang
Recommended nest size. Height matters: one source recommends at least 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) of substrate
Colonies of this species that are currently listed. Not sure which to choose, or want to know more? Ask us before you order.
There are currently no colonies listed for this species. If you would like to know about availability, ask ANTELYX.
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Questions about this species.
A replete is a worker that swells with liquid food until it hangs from the nest ceiling and acts as living food storage for the colony.
Yes. Workers forage mainly at night.
Nectar and other sugary liquids, plus small insects. In captivity ant keepers keep sugar water available and offer small insects as protein.
From the arid southwest of the United States and parts of Mexico.
In one survey of wild colonies a typical colony held about 5,000 ants. Captive colonies are usually smaller.
Ant-keeping sources rate it Intermediate: it needs warmth and a deep nest.
The difficulty level is shown at the top of this page. The Ant Keeping guide explains what to expect at each level.
Each product describes what is included. Colony contents vary by species and product.
Availability depends on your destination. See the shipping notes above and the shipping page.
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Myrmecocystus mexicanus care guide: deep nest, warmth, nocturnal habits, feeding the repletes and what to expect from the Mexican honeypot ant.
Honeypot ant care: what repletes are, nest and substrate, warmth, feeding, nocturnal habits and who these desert ants suit.
The right temperature and humidity for an ant colony: why they matter, how to measure them, and the ranges ant keepers report for popular species.
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Images are AI-generated illustrations, not identification photographs.
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