A fly crashes into the ground in an oak savannah in Southern Ontario. Within minutes, it's surrounded by a pack of a dozen slow moving red ants. Aphaenogaster fulva is a common forager in much of North America, and nothing is on the savannah floor for long before being discovered by the ants. The group drag the carcass back to the colony, where there resides several queens almost a centimeter long, a bit less than twice the size of the workers. Aphaenogaster larvae are special, being able to crawl around, more reminiscent of their more waspish ancestors. Within hours, the fly disappears into a swarm of mouths. Protein is an integral part of the diet of this savannah species.
They do best under 30-50% humidity and 24-27 degrees Celsius, with a substrate as they have no social stomach and will need something to soak up liquids. Workers are 4-6mm while queens are 7-8mm. Although relatively slow-growing, they do considerably better in groups and when fed lots of insect protein. Small seeds are a great alternative for this species