84 replies to this topic

[LAnt]

woah 

[Mads]

Wow, that's all I can say......

If you honestly think the colonies are over priced, simply don't buy them. It is a simple matter of economics. If people all think they are too highly priced, they won't sell, if they sell, they are obviously not priced too high.

If you feel so strongly that the colonies are too expensive, then simply go out and look for mated queens and start your own colony. That's the beauty of this hobby, it can be as cheap or as expensive as you choose to make it.

Drew and Mercutia have pretty much summed up what really needs to be said about the topic anyhow. I just can't understand why people are making such a big issue out of what people choose to price their colonies and in essence, their time at.

Mads

Edited by Mads, September 7 2014 - 8:19 AM.

[dspdrew]

Unfortunately there is a large portion of the population that do not understand simple free-market economics.

[Alza]

not exactly, i can afford everything they need, and the ant itself.

^^^^

[Alza]

Lol dspdrews destroyed classified thread 

[Mercutia]

If they are affordable why complain about the price? -Shake my head-

 

You clearly have no understanding what the majority of ant keepers go through to find and take care of ants. Or just the concept of time is money.

 

Not only that but you've posted a bunch of "facts" and "statistics" that have no basis and are completely untrue and I would suggest you refrain from doing so in the future as new keepers to the hobby might take what you say at face value which would only propagate the further spread of false information that would be toxic to this hobby.

[Alza]

-shake my head- i believe that's called "smh" also, its not that hard to get a queen ant, given that there are millions within 250km from where ever you live. i understand what you people go through, because I also own a colony. 9 dollars for a jar with 500+ fruit flies - easy to buy. Water for the test tubes- easy to get.

Test tubes themselves - a bit more expensive but there are many alternatives for them. And it is true that 25% of queens survive in the wild, that's a known fact. that's how we keep balanced. Also, i believe this chat ended yesterday, i don't have any wishes to continue disproving your thoughts of the idea that i don't know what ant keepers go through 

[dspdrew]

Still trying to figure out why somebody who thinks it's so easy to find a queen and raise their own colony is so upset about the cost of buying one.

[Mercutia]

-shake my head- i believe that's called "smh" also, its not that hard to get a queen ant, given that there are millions within 250km from where ever you live. i understand what you people go through, because I also own a colony. 9 dollars for a jar with 500+ fruit flies - easy to buy. Water for the test tubes- easy to get.

Test tubes themselves - a bit more expensive but there are many alternatives for them. And it is true that 25% of queens survive in the wild, that's a known fact. that's how we keep balanced. Also, i believe this chat ended yesterday, i don't have any wishes to continue disproving your thoughts of the idea that i don't know what ant keepers go through 

I would like you to link me to the exact study that gave you those numbers. Please, by all means, do. Also link me to all the articles and studies to the survival probability of captive ant colonies and queens. While it may not be hard for you to find an ant queen, you are not everybody else. Do you work a 9-5 job that limits your time to look for them? Not everyone can go out during a flight and go catch themselves an ant queen. Not everyone has a means to travel outside of their immediate environment to look for queens. These "known facts" are not known facts at all. You are literally throwing out numbers and "facts" without knowing anything. You have such a naive understanding of how the world works. This makes me believe that you must still be a kid, probably younger than 16.

 

Test tubes, containers, outworlds, frequent food, feeders, formicariums (even built from scratch). These expenses can get to $50+ easily and that's buying the bare minimum and depending on how many colonies you plan to raise. On top of how much ever time to acquire and build those things.

 

You need to stop throwing falsified statistics. You haven't disproved anything. Only spread more false "facts" to try and back up your argument. The only thing you've proved is that you have no concept of money is time, no concept of free market economics, and no concept of how to use a forum.

[Alza]

Mercutia, my first ant colony was free. it was completely a work of my own art. It was made purely of wet dirt, and a water bottle and took less then 10 minutes to make. and your right, some don't have time. but if i were someone like that, I would rather wait till  i had a day off work, then spend 100$ on a queen. my opinion completely

[Mercutia]

Just because you get a day off work, doesn't mean that queens are flying that day. Shake my head. Again, you've listed no sources to where you are getting your information from.

[Alza]

i didn't say they were flying that day lol, your putting words in my mouth. You can dig up a colony that day. Btw your arguments are invalid and i believe you should quit trying to fight me. I can argue for days over a topic

[dspdrew]

Haha, you obviously don't know Mercutia.

 

Oh, and for the record, Alza, your point about digging up a colony, does nothing in the argument about our prices, because we don't dig up colonies to sell.

[Mercutia]

The queens being sold here and by myself and other GAN farmers are fresh mated queens. We don't sell already established colonies forany reasons.

1. It is unethical to uproot an established wild colony. You are not only disrupting this colony but the flora and fauna surrounding it. It is rather selfish to use this method to gather a colony and that is why it is looked down on in the community and highly discouraged.

2. Not just that but this method can take hours without guaranteeing a queen. Even if you get a queen it can be damaged or too stressed to be viable anymore.

3. These colonies will generally have a shorter lifespan than newly established colonies. Think of buying a puppy vs an old dog.

GAN queens are caught newly mated and only sold after the first workers arrive to guarantee fertility. You are guaranteed a look into the colony from start to finish. An experience you cannot have by digging up an already established colony.

Again you are posting assumptions and assertions without understanding how things work.

[LAnt]

ding ding, we have a winner, now both of you go take care of your ants, assuming someone has some to take care of. 

[Alza]

first off, all research is conducted on mature colonies, they are dug up and taken to a research facility. and with army ants you have to dig up a colony to get them, once again invalid. btw if you didn't know most army ants don't fly (if any) 

[dspdrew]

Nobody's selling army ants, Alza.

[Alza]

i plan to give out free colonies of army ants when i get them, and i also want to conduct research on them. I'm very interested in their long trails. + they are just like fire ants and about the same size 

[Alza]

They feed mostly on other ants larvae and pupae, like solenopsis molesta, but are able to be kept. i don't see the problem with them

[Crystals]

i plan to give out free colonies of army ants when i get them, and i also want to conduct research on them. I'm very interested in their long trails. + they are just like fire ants and about the same size 

Alza, out of curiousity, what does your mother think about several colonies in the house?  Most parents don't mind one or two colonies but frown on more.  I have not met any parent who likes escaping ants...

 

Army ants usually require huge exhibits, I look forward to seeing a journal once you get a colony.  I am curious as to how many years they will last.

 

Which video mentioned they mostly ate other ant brood?  I always assumed that they went after other insects as easier prey instead of seeking out ant colonies, but I have never looked into the US army ant species.