At a Glance

• Difficulty: Intermediate
• Structure: Polygynous — multiple queens
• Diet: Sugars & nectar + insect protein
• Temperature: ~78–84°F warm gradient
• Repletes: Yes — golden storage workers
• Diapause: Light winter rest

Your Polygynous Colony

Myrmecocystus mendax is offered as a polygynous variety — several queens can be raised together in one nest. More foundresses means a faster, more resilient start. Founding is fully claustral: keep the queens dark, warm, and undisturbed with a water reservoir until the first workers appear.

Feeding

A sugar-hungry honeypot. Keep nectar or sugar water available at all times — the repletes depend on a steady carbohydrate supply — and offer insect protein regularly to fuel brood and egg-laying.

Heating & Setup

Warm and dry: around 78–84°F over part of the nest with a cooler gradient. Honeypots forage largely at night and appreciate a vertical surface their repletes can hang from.

Diapause

Coming from higher-elevation country, mendax benefits from a light winter rest — a modest cool-down over the colder months (with water available throughout) supports the colony's long-term health.

Growth & What to Expect

With multiple queens laying together, a polygynous colony builds faster and more steadily than a single-queen start — an active, rewarding honeypot that develops the classic golden repletes the genus is loved for.

Ready to grow your colony?

We raise and ship Myrmecocystus mendax with a Live Arrival Guarantee.