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Hello From Canada!

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#1 Offline Enthusiastic_Callow - Posted July 26 2018 - 8:27 AM

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Hi!  :hi:  I'm new to this forum and have just made an account 2 days ago. I'm guessing you have already found out that I am from Canada (I wonder how?). Here, where I live, its pretty cold  :cold:  :cold: compared to many other places around the world where ants are found. Winters normally reach below -28*C for long periods of time. We don't have those exotic ants like bulldog ants, meat ants, harvester ants, leafcutter ants, etc... We just have the "standard" carpenter ants, pavement ants (tetramorium sp. e, not the colorful ones) Lasius ants and occasionally Crematogaster or Prenolepis. Do I mind? I guess a little. But there aren't nearly as many ant keepers here in Canada as there are in the U.S, Europe, Asia, or other places around the world, and I find joy in knowing that I'm special.  :rofl2:  I also like comparing the ants I can find here with the ants that everyone else talks about and how they found 20 queens in one day. (Congrats to you if you did, but that isn't possible in Canada, where I live.) However, I still get quite jealous often  lol .

Now, lets talk more about my antkeeping experiences and my plans for my future on this forum.

I love ants and have been enjoying keeping, caring and studying them for 3 years now! Unfortunately, I shouldn't say this to random people in real life anymore as everyone always steps on ants/teases me on this interest. But I ain't gonna quit what I love doing {me-->} :kill:  :ugone2far:    !  I have good experience with small colonies, as I have never had a large colony (over 40 workers) as of yet, and I can help others with queen/worker identification, hibernation tips, feeding help, different nest types for small colonies, what to do after catching a queen/first worker, etc... I keep ants exclusively as a hobby and to learn more about them and their amazing ANT-tics (get it?). I don't keep many colonies/queens like a lot of other members on this forum do (it's not like I can find many queens anyways), because I want to balance antkeeping with the rest of my life so I have time for everything (I'm not saying that those who DO have lots of colonies don't have a life, its just that my life is different than everyone else's, as none of us are the same. Sorry if what I said sounded offensive, I didn't mean it in an offensive way  :sorry:  ). But that doesn't mean I don't ADORE ants!

Things I plan to learn on this forum are:

 

1. How to build nests

2. How to manage a large colony including feeding, housing, maintenance, etc...

3. Lots of new species/genera of ants and how to keep them

4. How to make vivariums with other organisms co-existing with ants (I may never actually do this, but it's still very interesting)

5. How to introduce and manage a "cleaning crew" (I don't believe that having a cleaning crew (springtails, woodlice, etc) is necessary (sure, its nice and won't do any harm) unless there is a mold buildup issue that you can't do much about or if you have a dirt nest)

6. Many different methods of housing or just keeping ants in general that different people practice

7. ALL of the challenges/problems one may face in antkeeping (trust me, I've encountered at least half of them  :rofl:  )

8. Pretty much anything I don't know about ants/antkeeping  

 

I hope I can help others learn about ants or get interested about ants and enjoy antkeeping as much as I do! (Also, you may have noticed by now, I'm already obsessed with this forum's emojis 

 

 


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Colonies: (Max 60/70 workers) 

Camponotus Pennsylvanicus

Lasius sp.

Prenolepis Imparis?

Tetramorium Immigrans x 2

 

Queens:

Lasius sp. (Different species than one above, caught recently)

 

- Not a lot of ants, I know. I don't look for queens anymore, I just stumble upon them (not literally). It's all an amazing learning experience for me! (I still take good care of them, don't worry). But I'm still as busy as an ant!  :) 


#2 Offline dermy - Posted July 26 2018 - 11:00 AM

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everyone else talks about and how they found 20 queens in one day. (Congrats to you if you did, but that isn't possible in Canada, where I live.)

Welcome to the forum, take it from a Fellow Canadian you can find hundreds of queens if you are lucky enough to get out during the Flights. The day of most species of ant's Nuptial flights will have tons of queens scurrying around everywhere, very easy to get 20-30 queens.

 

 

Also You should have Formica, Myrmica and other various species in your area.

 

 

Spoiler


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#3 Offline rbarreto - Posted July 26 2018 - 11:33 AM

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Welcome! I've seen C. pennsylvanicus flights so large I could have finished with +40 queens if I wanted. It seems they are very dominant this far north. Also don't forget about Aphaenogaster, they are an awesome genus that is typically really aggressive and can even be hand fed!


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My journal featuring most of my ants.

My other journal featuring Formica Bradleyi.

Check our my store here!


#4 Offline Enthusiastic_Callow - Posted July 26 2018 - 1:44 PM

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... I'm sad now ... I have never seen more than 3 queens in a day, and other days i never see any at all. How are all of you guys finding so many queens?? Please help me i can't find many. Also I know I live in a pretty warm part of Canada, but most people on this forum are from the U.S where its a lot warmer, and I was comparing -28*C with other places around the world where ants are found.


Colonies: (Max 60/70 workers) 

Camponotus Pennsylvanicus

Lasius sp.

Prenolepis Imparis?

Tetramorium Immigrans x 2

 

Queens:

Lasius sp. (Different species than one above, caught recently)

 

- Not a lot of ants, I know. I don't look for queens anymore, I just stumble upon them (not literally). It's all an amazing learning experience for me! (I still take good care of them, don't worry). But I'm still as busy as an ant!  :) 


#5 Offline rbarreto - Posted July 26 2018 - 1:48 PM

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The only ones here in Canada that have huge flights are the boring ones that are very common and easy to find. You probably wouldn't be very interested in those.

My journal featuring most of my ants.

My other journal featuring Formica Bradleyi.

Check our my store here!


#6 Offline Lazarus - Posted July 26 2018 - 4:42 PM

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Welcome Enthusiastic_Callow.

 

You do not state where in Canada you're from but the Ontario thread may be of interest:

http://www.formicult...g-thread/page-9

 

Like you I have not stumbled open any of these mass queen troves others have had luck in finding, but I'm having a pretty good year especially in the last month. The most I've seen in one day was 6 and managed to snag 4 of those. But having tons of queens in not my goal. I'm looking for variety so even if I only find one or two of a species I'm happy.


My online ant spreadsheet


#7 Offline Enthusiastic_Callow - Posted July 27 2018 - 5:21 AM

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Thanks for welcoming me everyone! Can you guys please give me some tips as how I can find huge flights of queen ants like you all mentioned? I would still be interested in the 'boring' ants. I don't want a LOT of colonies but it would be nice to catch a bunch of queens. Also, sorry Lazarus but I will not narrow down my location anymore, I would like it kept no less private than just the country I live in. Oh and also dermy when I was listing some genera/species of ants in my area, I know that I didn't state all of them and know that other species live in my area, but I've never found even a wild colony, forget a queen.

 

So anyone, could you please give me some tips to find huge flights of ants, even if they are 'boring', in Canada? 


Colonies: (Max 60/70 workers) 

Camponotus Pennsylvanicus

Lasius sp.

Prenolepis Imparis?

Tetramorium Immigrans x 2

 

Queens:

Lasius sp. (Different species than one above, caught recently)

 

- Not a lot of ants, I know. I don't look for queens anymore, I just stumble upon them (not literally). It's all an amazing learning experience for me! (I still take good care of them, don't worry). But I'm still as busy as an ant!  :) 


#8 Offline rbarreto - Posted July 27 2018 - 12:08 PM

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You do you man! Id suggest checking out the Ontario anting thread that Lazarus linked (its probably good enough for most of Canada). The large flights remaining are probably just the Lasius and Myrmica flights happening around septemberish.


  • Enthusiastic_Callow likes this

My journal featuring most of my ants.

My other journal featuring Formica Bradleyi.

Check our my store here!


#9 Offline LearningAntz - Posted July 27 2018 - 1:39 PM

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Welcome!

Edited by LearningAntz, March 16 2019 - 3:00 PM.

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#10 Offline DaveJay - Posted July 28 2018 - 3:28 AM

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Welcome to the forum!
You sound like you'll be a valuable addition.
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#11 Offline Enthusiastic_Callow - Posted July 29 2018 - 4:10 AM

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Thanks! OK I'll be on the lookout for Lasius and Myrmica queens in August, but mostly probably September. Wow I just realized how bad I want a myrmica colony  :lol:  I could put multiple queens together and it could be my very first polygynous colony! (And first fire ant colony too) Next year I would love to catch a Formica queen and maybe an Aphaenogaster queen or crematogaster  too. Thanks for welcoming me everyone and for all the tips!


Colonies: (Max 60/70 workers) 

Camponotus Pennsylvanicus

Lasius sp.

Prenolepis Imparis?

Tetramorium Immigrans x 2

 

Queens:

Lasius sp. (Different species than one above, caught recently)

 

- Not a lot of ants, I know. I don't look for queens anymore, I just stumble upon them (not literally). It's all an amazing learning experience for me! (I still take good care of them, don't worry). But I'm still as busy as an ant!  :) 


#12 Offline Unfrozen - Posted June 21 2019 - 12:27 PM

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bought some ants can't wait to receive them!



#13 Offline levar.javontae - Posted July 13 2019 - 3:52 AM

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Hi!  :hi:  I'm new to this forum and have just made an account 2 days ago. Speed Test Scrabble Word Finder SolitaireI'm guessing you have already found out that I am from Canada (I wonder how?). Here, where I live, its pretty cold  :cold:  :cold: compared to many other places around the world where ants are found. Winters normally reach below -28*C for long periods of time. We don't have those exotic ants like bulldog ants, meat ants, harvester ants, leafcutter ants, etc... We just have the "standard" carpenter ants, pavement ants (tetramorium sp. e, not the colorful ones) Lasius ants and occasionally Crematogaster or Prenolepis. Do I mind? I guess a little. But there aren't nearly as many ant keepers here in Canada as there are in the U.S, Europe, Asia, or other places around the world, and I find joy in knowing that I'm special.  :rofl2:  I also like comparing the ants I can find here with the ants that everyone else talks about and how they found 20 queens in one day. (Congrats to you if you did, but that isn't possible in Canada, where I live.) However, I still get quite jealous often  lol .


Now, lets talk more about my antkeeping experiences and my plans for my future on this forum.

I love ants and have been enjoying keeping, caring and studying them for 3 years now! Unfortunately, I shouldn't say this to random people in real life anymore as everyone always steps on ants/teases me on this interest. But I ain't gonna quit what I love doing {me-->} :kill:  :ugone2far:    !  I have good experience with small colonies, as I have never had a large colony (over 40 workers) as of yet, and I can help others with queen/worker identification, hibernation tips, feeding help, different nest types for small colonies, what to do after catching a queen/first worker, etc... I keep ants exclusively as a hobby and to learn more about them and their amazing ANT-tics (get it?). I don't keep many colonies/queens like a lot of other members on this forum do (it's not like I can find many queens anyways), because I want to balance antkeeping with the rest of my life so I have time for everything (I'm not saying that those who DO have lots of colonies don't have a life, its just that my life is different than everyone else's, as none of us are the same. Sorry if what I said sounded offensive, I didn't mean it in an offensive way  :sorry:  ). But that doesn't mean I don't ADORE ants!

Things I plan to learn on this forum are:

 

1. How to build nests

2. How to manage a large colony including feeding, housing, maintenance, etc...

3. Lots of new species/genera of ants and how to keep them

4. How to make vivariums with other organisms co-existing with ants (I may never actually do this, but it's still very interesting)

5. How to introduce and manage a "cleaning crew" (I don't believe that having a cleaning crew (springtails, woodlice, etc) is necessary (sure, its nice and won't do any harm) unless there is a mold buildup issue that you can't do much about or if you have a dirt nest)

6. Many different methods of housing or just keeping ants in general that different people practice

7. ALL of the challenges/problems one may face in antkeeping (trust me, I've encountered at least half of them  :rofl:  )

8. Pretty much anything I don't know about ants/antkeeping  

 

I hope I can help others learn about ants or get interested about ants and enjoy antkeeping as much as I do! (Also, you may have noticed by now, I'm already obsessed with this forum's emojis 

Welcome how are you ?


Edited by levar.javontae, July 13 2019 - 1:07 PM.


#14 Offline Manitobant - Posted July 13 2019 - 7:52 AM

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Welcome from another canadian! Some of the easiest ways to find queens are looking under stones or using a blacklight. You can also always buy queens as you can shop ants inbetween provinces here!

#15 Offline spartANTS - Posted July 19 2019 - 10:49 AM

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Welcome to the nest.



#16 Offline ponerinecat - Posted July 28 2019 - 1:33 PM

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8. Pretty much anything I don't know about ants/antkeeping  

 

If you simply want to know about ants, I recommend browsing around on antwiki. It tends to lack when talking about ant behavior, but its otherwise the most complete database I've found. If you want to know about antkeeping, you've found the right place, with great people who know great things.



#17 Offline Canadant - Posted April 15 2020 - 1:11 PM

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everyone else talks about and how they found 20 queens in one day. (Congrats to you if you did, but that isn't possible in Canada, where I live.)

Welcome to the forum, take it from a Fellow Canadian you can find hundreds of queens if you are lucky enough to get out during the Flights. The day of most species of ant's Nuptial flights will have tons of queens scurrying around everywhere, very easy to get 20-30 queens.


Also You should have Formica, Myrmica and other various species in your area.


Spoiler

Did not know you were Canadian, dermy. What part that goes to minus 40? Quebec? NWT? N. Alberta?
"You don't get what you want. You get what you deserve".





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