3 replies to this topic

[sirsants]

Hello. I'm a mom to an ant loving son   Does anybody know what kinds of ants can live in Lancaster, CA? It's the desert, and gets hot in the day, and colder at night. Any help is appreciated. Make a Wish got him an omni nest, but idk what to put in. Thanks so much!

 

i looked at veromessor andrei but i don't know anything about ants. We've spent $100 on some that didn't make it 72 hrs. Please help me.... i don't mind googling but i'm not even sure where to start looking....

Edited by sirsants, May 2 2018 - 10:34 AM.

[Scrixx]

Hello there!

 

I believe any of desert species would work out for your location and setup besides honeypot queens and fungus growers. My Pogonomyrmex rugosus are currently loving the 90F temperature I'm giving them with a heating cable. They are another desert species similar to Veromessor andrei. Other ants that live in the desert that could work for you include Pheidole xerophila, Pheidole gilvescens and Forelius spp.

 

If you could answer some questions we would be able to see how we can help you best.

 

Did you hydrated the nest, meaning did you add water in any way? There are holes on the sides where the blue sponge is to add water.

 

Did you setup the outworld and provide them with sugar water or insects? An outworld is just an open area connected to the omni nest that the ants can go and look for food and water. 

 

Also how big was the colony that you had? 

 

Do you have a heating pad or heating cable to provide heat? Desert species don't tolerate cold weather very well. You could also use a heat lamp or just anything that provides warmth. I believe the desert gets to the 40s sometimes at night and that's too cold. The wild colonies are able to survive because they dig deeper where the temperature is more stable and warmer than the surface. They can't do that in a confined nest that we keep them in.

 

Last is just luck. Colonies fail even if we give them the best conditions. It's just part of the hobby. We just have to try again! 

[sirsants]

Hello there!

 

I believe any of desert species would work out for your location and setup besides honeypot queens and fungus growers. My Pogonomyrmex rugosus are currently loving the 90F temperature I'm giving them with a heating cable. They are another desert species similar to Veromessor andrei. Other ants that live in the desert that could work for you include Pheidole xerophila, Pheidole gilvescens and Forelius spp.

 

If you could answer some questions we would be able to see how we can help you best.

 

Did you hydrated the nest, meaning did you add water in any way? There are holes on the sides where the blue sponge is to add water.

 

Did you setup the outworld and provide them with sugar water or insects? An outworld is just an open area connected to the omni nest that the ants can go and look for food and water. 

 

Also how big was the colony that you had? 

 

Do you have a heating pad or heating cable to provide heat? Desert species don't tolerate cold weather very well. You could also use a heat lamp or just anything that provides warmth. I believe the desert gets to the 40s sometimes at night and that's too cold. The wild colonies are able to survive because they dig deeper where the temperature is more stable and warmer than the surface. They can't do that in a confined nest that we keep them in.

 

Last is just luck. Colonies fail even if we give them the best conditions. It's just part of the hobby. We just have to try again! 

OMG you are awesome! The first ant colony was about 6 ants we got from Nurbs, C. Laevigatus, but they were all dead by the 3rd day. I'm pretty sure it was the temperature here that killed them. So now, he's getting an OmniNest from Make a Wish, but we're trying to find some ants that will survive.

 

My son is 13, and he's been watching AntsCanada for a while. He had found 6 queens a year ago, but I think I killed them when I told him to put sugar water on the cotton balls in the test tube (they got moldy). I had no idea they needed an artificial heat source, so thank you so much for letting me know! Can we use a regular light bulb, or a heat lamp? Where can we buy the pad or coil?? And is there anything else that you might think we need?

 

Thank you so much Scrixx, we appreciate the help and info! And if you happen to have some ants for sale, please drop me a line, so that we can get in contact with you! 

[nurbs]

You won't need a heat source if you say Lancaster's desert temperature is killing the ants. Just looked at my email, and sold a C. laevigatus for $65 to someone in Lancaster last year. Was that you? Never sold $100 ants to anyone in Lancaster though. 

 

If they died within the first three days, did you leave them outside in the desert sun? Does the house have AC? I do send out a detailed care sheet with all purchases that details feeding and temperature, so it's important to follow that. These ants are very hardy. As long as there is water in the test tube, they can survive for 1-2 months even without food, especially the queen, so if they died within the first 3 days it may be good to figure out exactly why.

 

 

 

 

OMG you are awesome! The first ant colony was about 6 ants we got from Nurbs, C. Laevigatus, but they were all dead by the 3rd day. I'm pretty sure it was the temperature here that killed them. So now, he's getting an OmniNest from Make a Wish, but we're trying to find some ants that will survive.

 

My son is 13, and he's been watching AntsCanada for a while. He had found 6 queens a year ago, but I think I killed them when I told him to put sugar water on the cotton balls in the test tube (they got moldy). I had no idea they needed an artificial heat source, so thank you so much for letting me know! Can we use a regular light bulb, or a heat lamp? Where can we buy the pad or coil?? And is there anything else that you might think we need?

 

Thank you so much Scrixx, we appreciate the help and info! And if you happen to have some ants for sale, please drop me a line, so that we can get in contact with you!