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Ant Keeping Speculation Thread

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#1 Offline AntsDakota - Posted January 8 2020 - 4:47 PM

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This is for future projections or alternate timelines. This is a fun thread; be creative.

 

Here are some starter scenarios:

 

What if ant keeping became popular hobby?

 

What if Milton Levine was never born?

 

What other species might become predominant invasives in the future?

 

What if Drew started a Formiculture YouTube channel?


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"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version


#2 Offline ponerinecat - Posted January 8 2020 - 5:00 PM

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This is for future projections or alternate timelines. This is a fun thread; be creative.

 

Here are some starter scenarios:

 

What if ant keeping became popular hobby?

 

What if Milton Levine was never born?

 

What other species might become predominant invasives in the future?

 

What if Drew started a Formiculture YouTube channel?

Answers!

It already is becoming one.

No gel farms! Yay! But also less hobbyists. Sad.

Pretty much all the generalist ants.

He already has a channel.


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#3 Offline TheMicroPlanet - Posted January 8 2020 - 5:12 PM

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Here's another one:

 

What if you could ship all queens across US State lines?

 

My answer: chaos.


Edited by TheMicroPlanet, January 8 2020 - 5:12 PM.


#4 Offline ponerinecat - Posted January 8 2020 - 5:13 PM

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Here's another one:

 

What if you could ship all queens across US State lines?

 

My answer: chaos.

My answer: No.


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#5 Offline DDD101DDD - Posted January 8 2020 - 6:01 PM

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Here's another one:

 

What if you could ship all queens across US State lines?

 

My answer: chaos.

My answer: DEATH


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He travels, he seeks the p a r m e s a n.


#6 Offline FSTP - Posted January 8 2020 - 8:15 PM

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If you could ship all queens then ant keeping would likely explod in popularity. A few of my friends thought about getting into ant keeping until I told them what I do to find queens or what I pay for queens when I do find someone to sell me something in my own state. After hearing that they decided not to get into ant keeping and instead one bought a tarantula and the other bought a gecko....


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#7 Offline Serafine - Posted January 8 2020 - 11:44 PM

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If you could ship all queens then ant keeping would likely explod in popularity.

I wouldn't really count on that.

 

In Europe where antkeeping has been a thing for decades and you can get pretty much any queen (and the hobby has a MUCH higher age average aka paying customers with much more disposable money) it is still a niche hobby within a niche hobby (reptile/insect keeping).

It's going to take a lot of time (and probably effort) until antkeeping becomes just remotely mainstream, right now even roaches are more popular pets (and in the US Isopods are MASSIVELY more popular pets than ants).


Edited by Serafine, January 8 2020 - 11:47 PM.

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#8 Offline AntsDakota - Posted January 9 2020 - 3:04 PM

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He already has a channel.

I mean like a separate one; he should make it like AntsCanada, (except don't overexaggerate colony size estimates) as he has plenty of colonies and diversity to make it interesting. We could use an American ant channel.  B)


"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version


#9 Offline ponerinecat - Posted January 9 2020 - 3:05 PM

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If you could ship all queens then ant keeping would likely explod in popularity.

I wouldn't really count on that.

 

In Europe where antkeeping has been a thing for decades and you can get pretty much any queen (and the hobby has a MUCH higher age average aka paying customers with much more disposable money) it is still a niche hobby within a niche hobby (reptile/insect keeping).

It's going to take a lot of time (and probably effort) until antkeeping becomes just remotely mainstream, right now even roaches are more popular pets (and in the US Isopods are MASSIVELY more popular pets than ants).

 

How can you blame them. Isopods rule.


 

He already has a channel.

I mean like a separate one; he should make it like AntsCanada, (except don't overexaggerate colony size estimates) as he has plenty of colonies and diversity to make it interesting. We could use an American ant channel.  B)

 

 

No, I'd rather not have Drew be like AirConditioner.


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#10 Offline FSTP - Posted January 9 2020 - 3:05 PM

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If you could ship all queens then ant keeping would likely explod in popularity.

I wouldn't really count on that.

 

In Europe where antkeeping has been a thing for decades and you can get pretty much any queen (and the hobby has a MUCH higher age average aka paying customers with much more disposable money) it is still a niche hobby within a niche hobby (reptile/insect keeping).

It's going to take a lot of time (and probably effort) until antkeeping becomes just remotely mainstream, right now even roaches are more popular pets (and in the US Isopods are MASSIVELY more popular pets than ants).

 

 

 

That's likely true. But I think it would at least be bigger than it is now. I'd imagine you'd see stores pop up selling ants all over the place. However you have a good point.



#11 Offline TheMicroPlanet - Posted January 9 2020 - 3:06 PM

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If you could ship all queens then ant keeping would likely explod in popularity.

I wouldn't really count on that.

 

In Europe where antkeeping has been a thing for decades and you can get pretty much any queen (and the hobby has a MUCH higher age average aka paying customers with much more disposable money) it is still a niche hobby within a niche hobby (reptile/insect keeping).

It's going to take a lot of time (and probably effort) until antkeeping becomes just remotely mainstream, right now even roaches are more popular pets (and in the US Isopods are MASSIVELY more popular pets than ants).

 

How can you blame them. Isopods rule.


 

He already has a channel.

I mean like a separate one; he should make it like AntsCanada, (except don't overexaggerate colony size estimates) as he has plenty of colonies and diversity to make it interesting. We could use an American ant channel.  B)

 

 

No, I'd rather not have Drew be like AirConditioner.

 

how do i delete a post...


Edited by TheMicroPlanet, January 9 2020 - 3:07 PM.


#12 Offline AntsDakota - Posted January 9 2020 - 3:08 PM

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Here's another one:

 

What if you could ship all queens across US State lines?

 

My answer: chaos.

I think it would be fine as long as the government restricted invasive species. Instead of a list you CAN ship, there should be a list that you CAN'T ship. Such as:

 

Solenopsis invicta

Solenopsis geminata

Linepithima humile

Brachymyrmex patigonicus

Pheidole megacephala

Tetramorium immigrans

Tetramorium tsushimae

Anoplolepis gracilipes

Paratrechina longicornis

Brachyponera chinensis

Myrmica rubra

Lasius niger


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"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version


#13 Offline AntsDakota - Posted January 9 2020 - 3:10 PM

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If you could ship all queens then ant keeping would likely explod in popularity.

I wouldn't really count on that.

 

In Europe where antkeeping has been a thing for decades and you can get pretty much any queen (and the hobby has a MUCH higher age average aka paying customers with much more disposable money) it is still a niche hobby within a niche hobby (reptile/insect keeping).

It's going to take a lot of time (and probably effort) until antkeeping becomes just remotely mainstream, right now even roaches are more popular pets (and in the US Isopods are MASSIVELY more popular pets than ants).

 

How can you blame them. Isopods rule.


 

He already has a channel.

I mean like a separate one; he should make it like AntsCanada, (except don't overexaggerate colony size estimates) as he has plenty of colonies and diversity to make it interesting. We could use an American ant channel.  B)

 

 

No, I'd rather not have Drew be like AirConditioner.

 

Well, someone on Formiculture should. And it should be at least affiliated with the forum. Then establish an official Formiculture website/shop, (not unofficial shops ran by forum members, not that there's anything wrong with that, you get the idea) and we're good.


Edited by AntsDakota, January 9 2020 - 3:11 PM.

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version


#14 Offline AntsDakota - Posted January 9 2020 - 3:13 PM

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how do i delete a post...

I don't think you can. You just edit and say 'deleted'.


"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version


#15 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted January 9 2020 - 3:13 PM

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Here's another one:
 
What if you could ship all queens across US State lines?
 
My answer: chaos.

I think it would be fine as long as the government restricted invasive species. Instead of a list you CAN ship, there should be a list that you CAN'T ship. Such as:
 
Solenopsis invicta
Solenopsis geminata
Linepithima humile
Brachymyrmex patigonicus
Pheidole megacephala
Tetramorium immigrans
Tetramorium tsushimae
Anoplolepis gracilipes
Paratrechina longicornis
Brachyponera chinensis
Myrmica rubra
Lasius niger

This is a great idea, and I've thought this would work for years now. However, our government doesn't have the time or the care to make this happen.
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#16 Offline AntsDakota - Posted January 9 2020 - 3:16 PM

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Yeah. The hobby's just not large enough for the government to take the initiative (not that it would anyways, but you know...) Besides, what good would it do for the government? In essence, it would have to be us ant keepers that petitioned (rather persistently if it were to work). Yet do we have the time and motivation to take such an act?


"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version


#17 Offline Serafine - Posted January 9 2020 - 3:58 PM

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This is a great idea, and I've thought this would work for years now. However, our government doesn't have the time or the care to make this happen.

Just as a quick example why this is a bad idea - imagine someone imported Oecephylla weaver ants to Florida and they break loose...
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#18 Offline AntsDakota - Posted January 12 2020 - 3:56 PM

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This is a great idea, and I've thought this would work for years now. However, our government doesn't have the time or the care to make this happen.

Just as a quick example why this is a bad idea - imagine someone imported Oecephylla weaver ants to Florida and they break loose...

 

No imports, period. Species must be native to the continental United States. This is what I was thinking- you can buy Odontomachus in Washington, and Myrmecocystus in Maine, but you can't buy Oecophylla smaragdina from Malaysia or Messor barbarus from Spain.


"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version


#19 Offline ponerinecat - Posted January 12 2020 - 6:11 PM

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This is a great idea, and I've thought this would work for years now. However, our government doesn't have the time or the care to make this happen.

Just as a quick example why this is a bad idea - imagine someone imported Oecephylla weaver ants to Florida and they break loose...

 

No imports, period. Species must be native to the continental United States. This is what I was thinking- you can buy Odontomachus in Washington, and Myrmecocystus in Maine, but you can't buy Oecophylla smaragdina from Malaysia or Messor barbarus from Spain.

 

Could work for some species in some states, but I see all sorts of ways this can go wrong.



#20 Offline PacificNorthWestern - Posted January 12 2020 - 6:28 PM

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so many ants can turn into "invasive ants" in the right conditions if they are let loose by a reckless owner.


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