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Good species to start out with (moved from an unrelated journal)


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29 replies to this topic

#21 Offline dermy - Posted October 24 2014 - 6:15 PM

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Myrmica is a good species to start out with.



#22 Offline AntsAreUs - Posted October 25 2014 - 6:19 AM

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Crematogaster is a myrmicine, and the sometimes squirt formic acid.

I remember stepping into a colony that was moving location and I had my flip flops on!



#23 Offline AntsAreUs - Posted October 25 2014 - 6:21 AM

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Ok now lets stop talking about stuff, this is preffered beginner ants.



#24 Offline AntsAreUs - Posted October 25 2014 - 6:23 AM

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I would say Lasius, Tetramorium, Myrmica, Camponotus (they are slow I don't prefer them for beginners), maybe Solenopsis, Formica, Crematogaster.



#25 Offline Crystals - Posted October 25 2014 - 7:57 AM

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For my northern location, I recommend Formica, Myrmica, or Camponotus.   Of course, those are also the most common species.  :D


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#26 Offline AntsAreUs - Posted October 25 2014 - 8:14 AM

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For my northern location, I recommend Formica, Myrmica, or Camponotus.   Of course, those are also the most common species.  :D

Why not Lasius, Lasius is very common and easy to keep.



#27 Offline DesertAntz - Posted October 25 2014 - 9:36 AM

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At the end of the day, shouldn't any common ants in one's location be easy to keep? 

 

My surrounding area is dominated by Solenopsis and Veromessor and those were the ants I targeted, although I missed the actual nuptial flights. 

 

And even though there is Odontomachus clarus out here, they aren't common and obviously probably need a little extra TLC than a more common species. 


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#28 Offline Gregory2455 - Posted October 25 2014 - 11:32 AM

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Odontomachus is not easy. Nor are Pogonomyrmex (other than the barbatus group), because you need to feed the queens, which are all super sensitive to movement and light.



#29 Offline dermy - Posted October 25 2014 - 11:35 AM

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Not to mention some people often have problems with the ants that are common everywhere, for some reason they don't do well in captivity. Such as argentine ants, I've heard some people just can't get them going. Yet others seem to get them going with little to no effort. It's all down to a more personal level. You have to see what species is good for you yourself, sure reading about others success is good but results vary greatly, especially when you live in a different area then the other person.



#30 Offline AntsAreUs - Posted October 25 2014 - 12:27 PM

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Not to mention some people often have problems with the ants that are common everywhere, for some reason they don't do well in captivity. Such as argentine ants, I've heard some people just can't get them going. Yet others seem to get them going with little to no effort. It's all down to a more personal level. You have to see what species is good for you yourself, sure reading about others success is good but results vary greatly, especially when you live in a different area then the other person.

Here's what you need to do, buy a ton of test tubes. Wait til' a nuptial flight. Catch every queen you see without wings. Have them each in seperate test tubes. Wait and if something  isn't right then do some experimenting.






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