Atta sexdens

Atta sexdens belongs to the leaf-cutter ants that require a tropical climate. These ants feed on a home-grown fungus with which they live in symbiosis, which is cultivated by the worker ants using leaves, flowers and fruit. The tank should always have high humidity for the fungus to grow. When a colony is growing, three separate areas are best to provide optimal husbandry. When feeding on leaves, care should be taken to lightly spray the leaves with water. A heat mat or heating cable is ideal for heating. However, the heat mat should not be placed directly under the tank.

husbandry information
- Latin name = Atta Sexdens
- Origin = South America
- Habitat = rainforests, steppes, savannah
- Colony form = monogynous
- Queen = reddish brown approx. 30mm in size
- Workers = reddish-brown 3-16mm large
- Soldiers = reddish brown 18-25mm large
- Food = sugar-honey water, blackberry leaves, raspberry leaves, rose petals and blossoms, elderberry leaves, fruits such as apples, grapes and much more
- Feeding chamber = humidity at approx. 40-70% temperature approx. 21-28 degrees
- Mushroom chamber = humidity at about 85-97% temperature 21-25 degrees
- Waste chamber = humidity at about 30-40% temperature about 22 degrees
- Hibernation = none
- Substrate = sand-clay mixture and Seramis is recommended
- Activity = Mostly active during the day
- Behavior = very aggressive
- Development = egg to worker 3-5 weeks (temperature dependent)
- Max. colony size = several 100,000 animals in the enclosure