How to Care for Novomessor cockerelli | The Desert Long-Legged Ant Guide
Photo: Sam Kieschnick, via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Stilt-like legs, a long head and a bold attitude: Novomessor cockerelli is one of the most striking ants of the deserts of the south-western United States and northern Mexico.
These big, long-legged ants scavenge insects, seeds and fruit, and they work together to drag large finds home. This guide explains Novomessor cockerelli care step by step, from a founding queen to a busy colony.
We have kept ants since 1997, and the care rules here are the same ones we use for our own harvester ant colonies every day.
👉 In a hurry? Download our free Novomessor cockerelli care sheet (PDF) or open the Novomessor cockerelli care sheet page for the key facts at a glance.
Novomessor cockerelli at a Glance
Also known as: the desert long-legged ant
Origin: the south-western United States (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California) and northern Mexico
Keeping level: Intermediate
Queen: about 11 to 14mm
Workers: about 7 to 10mm, all one size, brown with a blackish gaster and very long legs
Colony: one queen, from a few hundred to a few thousand workers
Main food: protein and seeds, with some sugars
Nest temperature: 25 to 30°C
Nest humidity: a gradient: 30 to 45% in the dry resting areas, 60 to 80% at the brood corner
Workers before moving into a nest: 10 minimum, 15 to 20 recommended
Winter: no hibernation, never below 15°C
Water: never open water, a watering test tube only
Meet the Desert Long-Legged Ant
In the wild, Novomessor cockerelli lives on dry desert plains among creosote bush, cactus, mesquite and thorn scrub. It nests in rocky or sandy soil, and the entrance is often ringed with a wide disc of small pebbles.
The workers forage in the early morning and evening, and sometimes at night, avoiding the fierce midday heat. In winter, when it is cooler, they may forage all day.
Nearly half of what they bring home is dead insects, and the rest is seeds, plant bits and fruit. When a worker finds something too heavy to carry, she releases a scent that calls nearby nestmates, and they carry it home together.
They are also clever rivals. Early in the morning, workers have been seen plugging the entrances of nearby red harvester ant nests with grit and small stones, so their neighbours start foraging late.
Each colony has a single queen. In the Chihuahuan Desert, new queens and males fly at dusk in July, after the summer rains begin.
Can You Keep Novomessor cockerelli in the UK?
Novomessor cockerelli is a North American ant, and Best Ants UK does not sell it. North American ants may be illegal or impossible to import into the UK, and we never encourage importing ants.
This guide is for keepers who already look after this species where it is native, and for anyone curious about it. The harvester care here works just as well for the harvester ants you can keep legally in the UK.
When a New Colony Arrives
The most important step: leave the parcel completely unopened, exactly as it arrived, at room temperature for 5 hours. The ants must adjust to the temperature slowly, because abrupt temperature changes make ants seriously unwell.
After the 5 hours, check the queen is safe and sound. Then leave the colony in its original packaging, with the test tube still in its tin foil and wrapping, somewhere quiet and still, away from daily household activity. Daylight is fine, never direct sunlight.
Give the colony 4 to 5 days of complete rest. The ants are fed before dispatch, so they need nothing from you. Use this time to set up and water the nest. 👉 Our step-by-step ant farm setup guide shows you how.
Still workers or a motionless queen after delivery are almost always delivery stress. Look at the queen's antennae: moving antennae mean she is fine. Almost all recover within 4 to 5 days, and a big queen like this one can take a little longer.
Life in the Test Tube
Keep the colony in its test tube until it has at least 10 workers. 15 to 20 is even better. Moved earlier, the workers often abandon the queen in the bigger space, and the colony can fail. The same rule applies to a queen bought on her own.
A queen on her own still needs a little food. Once a week, give her a tiny drop of protein jelly, about half a grain of rice, on a small flat piece of tin foil inside the tube, next to the dry cotton stopper.
In our experience a fed queen raises her first workers faster, and the queen and colony do far better afterwards. Keep her tube wrapped in its foil and disturb her as little as possible.
A desert queen in a test tube needs warmth too. If your room is cool, use a heating cable at the cotton stopper end of the tube only. Never lay a test tube on a heat mat.
Moving Into the Ant Farm
When the colony is ready, connect the test tube to the nest with the delivery tin foil still on. Leave it like that for 14 days.
Then slide the foil back about 1mm every day until the tube is fully exposed to daylight. If the ants haven't moved 2 days later, wrap the foil back on, wait another fortnight and repeat. Moving in can take from a couple of days to 6 months.
Once the colony has moved, leave the old test tube connected for at least another 14 days, as ants sometimes leave brood behind.
The red filter and black cover stay on the nest all the time. You can lift the black cover once a day for 2 to 3 minutes, ideally at night, and take the red filter off once a week for 2 to 3 minutes. Take colony photos once a month at most.
The Best Ant Farm for Novomessor cockerelli
👉 Our top pick for a big, warmth-loving harvester is the A7 Plus ant farm kit. Its pre-installed digital meter shows the nest temperature and humidity at a glance, so you always know the heater and watering are right.
If you already have your ants, choose its Nest + Outworld option. Place the ant farm in normal daylight, never direct sunlight. Avoid windows, radiators and heaters, vibrating surfaces, speakers and TVs, and rooms with strong smells such as the kitchen.
Temperature and Heating
Keep the nest at 25 to 30°C. This is a desert ant: in a cool room the colony barely grows, and UK homes almost never get warm enough without heating.
👉 Use the Advanced Heating System Small 4W. Its digital thermostat holds a steady warm spot. Set it to 28°C.
The heat mat goes under one quarter of the nest only, on the side opposite the watering area, so the ants can choose their spot. Never heat the whole nest.
In the outworld, aim for about 18°C overnight up to 28°C by day. By day it should ideally match the nest or be a degree or two cooler. If the nest is heated, warm the outworld too: the Small 4W can warm a small outworld as well.
Water and Humidity
Never keep the whole nest at one humidity. Give it a moisture gradient: 30 to 45% in the dry resting areas, and 60 to 80% only at the brood corner by the watering area, where the larvae need it to pupate. Too much water elsewhere makes seeds sprout and brings mould. Use distilled or purified water only, never tap water, rainwater or bottled mineral water.
Water the nest with the pipette provided. Pour slowly, a few drops at a time, through the watering hole. Stop as soon as 1 or 2 drops appear inside the nest.
Water only the brood corner, about once a week, a little more in summer and a little less in winter. Keep the rest of the nest and the outworld low to moderate, to prevent mould.
Never water the outworld. Keep it dry, at about 50% humidity, like an average UK home. Harvester ants must never have open water, because they can drown in it. Give them a watering test tube in the outworld, not a water dispenser.
Feeding Your Long-Legged Desert Ants
🥩 Protein matters most for this scavenging species. Twice a week, give a little 👉 Protein Jelly or 👉 Cricket Mash, and never skip it. Keep protein jelly in the fridge at all times.
🌾 Seeds are the other big part of the menu. Give a few of our 👉 harvester ant seed mix at a time and add more as the colony collects them.
Always put the seeds on a piece of tin foil or in a 👉 small feeding dish in the outworld. Never put them straight on the substrate: damp seeds sprout, and sprouted seeds are harmful to the colony.
🍯 Once a week, for example every Thursday, also give our 👉 organic ant honey or 👉 Ant Nectar, which has even more carbohydrates than honey. Both are far better than sugar water or home-made mixes.
Live food, such as crickets, is only for big, established colonies. Always scald it first: wearing gloves, hold it with tweezers in just-boiled water (above 90°C, no longer bubbling) for 10 to 15 seconds. Then cut it in half only, and serve it in the outworld.
As a rare treat, a rice-grain-sized piece of peeled grape or banana is fine too. Feed in the outworld only, and remove leftovers after 2 days to stop mould.
Keep Mites Out of Your Colony
Blood-sucking mites are one of the biggest dangers for harvester ants, and they are not rare. They often arrive with bird seed from local shops and off-licences, dried mealworms (useless as ant food), and live food from pet shops or online, where about half carries mites.
Buy ant food only from established, reputable ant-keeping suppliers. At Best Ants UK we clean our foods in several ways before dispatch, check every colony twice a month, and check each colony again before it leaves us.
A home freezer won't kill all the mites in seeds, so never rely on it. We freeze our seeds below -60°C in a special freezer before they reach you.
Now and then, look at your queen with a magnifying glass. Tiny white or reddish specks on her joints and legs, together with ants dying fast, are a warning sign of blood-sucking mites.
Stopping Escapes
Long-legged desert ants are fast, strong climbers that probe every seam, so escape prevention is a must. Paint a band of 👉 PTFE Fluon escape barrier around the top inner edge of the outworld lid. The ants slip off it and can't climb out.
PTFE wears off as the ants keep testing the same spots. For a colony of up to about 100 ants, reapply it roughly every 4 weeks. For 300 to 500 ants or more, reapply it about every 2 weeks. Never shake the bottle; roll it gently instead.
Winter Care
Novomessor cockerelli doesn't need a cold hibernation. The colony may slow down for 2 to 3 months in winter anyway, because its biological clock can't be tricked. A quieter spell at around 20°C is fine.
We never give a queen a winter rest in her first year: keep her at her normal warmth. Harvesters are sensitive to cold. 15°C is the absolute minimum, and 17°C or above is safe.
If the room drops below 17°C, set the heater's thermostat to 17°C: it switches on at 16°C and off again at 17°C. Never put ants in a fridge, shed or garage, and avoid any abrupt temperature change.
Feed less in winter, but never guess. At 17 to 22°C, give about a third of the summer amount. At 22 to 26°C, give about half.
Can I Release My Ants?
No. A colony raised indoors won't survive outside, and a North American desert ant doesn't belong in the wild here. If you ever can't keep your colony any more, 👉 visit our ant adoption page and let us know. We'll see whether we can take it in.
Frequently Asked Questions | FAQ
Is Novomessor cockerelli good for beginners?
It is an intermediate species. The ants are hardy and eat almost anything, but they are fast, bold and bite hard, and the colony needs plenty of warmth to grow well.
Can I buy Novomessor cockerelli in the UK?
Best Ants UK does not sell this species. It is a North American desert ant, and it may be illegal or impossible to import into the UK. We never encourage importing ants. Choose a harvester that is legally kept and sold in the UK instead.
What do Novomessor cockerelli eat?
Protein, seeds and sugars. Give Protein Jelly or Cricket Mash twice a week, a few harvester seeds on tin foil or a dish, and organic honey or Ant Nectar once a week. Always feed in the outworld only.
How many workers before moving Novomessor cockerelli into a nest?
At least 10 workers, and 15 to 20 is even better. The same rule applies to a queen bought on her own: she stays in her test tube until she has raised enough workers.
Do Novomessor cockerelli need heating?
Yes. This desert ant needs a warm nest of 25 to 30°C to grow. Use an Advanced Heating System Small set to 28°C, under one quarter of the nest, on the side opposite the watering area.
Do Novomessor cockerelli hibernate?
No, they don't need a cold hibernation. The colony may slow down for 2 to 3 months in winter. Never let it drop below 15°C, and keep it at 17°C or above to be safe.
Do Novomessor cockerelli sting?
No. They have no sting, but they are very defensive and give a strong bite, sometimes several workers at once. As with every ant, never handle them.
Start Your Own Harvester Ant Colony
Desert long-legged ants are not sold by Best Ants UK, but you can enjoy harvesters at home with a European species. Print this guide and keep it next to your ant farm.
👉 Our Angie ant farm starter kit comes with a Messor barbarus colony, harvester seeds and a nest with its own humidity and temperature meter, and it makes a superb first harvester home. 👉 Explore all our free ant care sheets.
