13 replies to this topic

[Arc]

Hello

I'm quite new to the world of ant keeping. I've been reading through lots of info on this forum and on other sites and I've got a couple of questions which I'm hoping you guys/gals can help me with. I'm sorry if they seem really basic, but as a scientist by trade I tend to research things very thoroughly, and make sure I know exactly what's going on before I actually do it myself! I figure when something as fascinating as ants are involved it's only fair to be fully prepared

So, from what I can tell it looks like a test tube setup seems to be the way to go for a new colony. In all likelihood I will be going for Lasius Niger - they seem to be a common beginner species and being in the UK they seem to be readily available. I'd probably look at getting a queen with a couple of workers for my first colony. Does that sound reasonable?

Most guides recommend having an outworld - this is something I'd love to do. I'm a bit confused though: from what I can tell, with the test tube you have part of it filled with water, then a cotton wadding, then the queen (and workers?), then the end is blocked off again, right? How does this work with the workers going out for food, though? If the end is blocked off they surely can't get out. I don't see any mention of ever removing the cottonwool at the entrance but to my mind that must surely be the only way you can let them get out to forage. Maybe someone can clarify?

Also, I've noticed a lot of people make their nests from ytong or similar substances (when it's time - once a decent number of workers are out and about). I wondered to what extent it is possible to have a nest made of more natural substances. Whilst I love the idea of being able to see the colony in its nest I think I prefer the idea of them digging their own tunnels and caves. Is this possible (esp for Lasius Niger)? If so, how does one go about that, Vs just providing a tube/entrance to a "preshaped" ytong nest?

I had a few other questions but they seem to have vanished from my mind. I'll be sure to pop back if they resurface.

Thanks in advance!

[AntsDakota]

1. Lasius niger is pretty much the best beginner species you can find in Europe.
2. You need to provide a hole for the ants to enter the outworld through. A straw should work, as well as vinyl tubing. You could also place the tube directly in the outworld and leave the last cotton ball out, allowing the workers to enter. This cotton ball is only required to keep the ants from escaping either during the founding stage or if the tube is not directly inside the outworld.

[NickAnter]

Hello

I'm quite new to the world of ant keeping. I've been reading through lots of info on this forum and on other sites and I've got a couple of questions which I'm hoping you guys/gals can help me with. I'm sorry if they seem really basic, but as a scientist by trade I tend to research things very thoroughly, and make sure I know exactly what's going on before I actually do it myself! I figure when something as fascinating as ants are involved it's only fair to be fully prepared

So, from what I can tell it looks like a test tube setup seems to be the way to go for a new colony. In all likelihood I will be going for Lasius Niger - they seem to be a common beginner species and being in the UK they seem to be readily available. I'd probably look at getting a queen with a couple of workers for my first colony. Does that sound reasonable?

Most guides recommend having an outworld - this is something I'd love to do. I'm a bit confused though: from what I can tell, with the test tube you have part of it filled with water, then a cotton wadding, then the queen (and workers?), then the end is blocked off again, right? How does this work with the workers going out for food, though? If the end is blocked off they surely can't get out. I don't see any mention of ever removing the cottonwool at the entrance but to my mind that must surely be the only way you can let them get out to forage. Maybe someone can clarify?

Also, I've noticed a lot of people make their nests from ytong or similar substances (when it's time - once a decent number of workers are out and about). I wondered to what extent it is possible to have a nest made of more natural substances. Whilst I love the idea of being able to see the colony in its nest I think I prefer the idea of them digging their own tunnels and caves. Is this possible (esp for Lasius Niger)? If so, how does one go about that, Vs just providing a tube/entrance to a "preshaped" ytong nest?

I had a few other questions but they seem to have vanished from my mind. I'll be sure to pop back if they resurface.

Thanks in advance!

Question 1) personally, I would just wait for nuptial flights, that, being in the UK, you can't miss. It is far more rewarding in my opinion to raise a colony from a single queen

 

Question 2) If you are going to have workers forage outside the test tube, they need to have an opening, like placing a piece of straw in the cotton so that they can get through. It is recommended that the hole not be the hole diameter of the tube, as it makes the tube less hospitable for the ants.

 

Question 3) You could just make a small terrarium, that is the most aesthetically pleasing. as well as something similar to one of the old stereotypical "antfarms".

[Serafine]

1. Lasius niger is pretty much the best beginner species you can find in Europe.

Lasius niger are cute little Mogwais for the first 1-2 years, then they turn into hyperaggressive voracious six-legged gremlins. They are both escape artists and have an driven by an urge to exterminate any nearby ant colonies (very dangerous if you keep other ants). Also their colonies can get fairly big (around 50.000 workers). They're definitely easy to catch and interesting to watch but be prepared for them to become a PITA once they breach around 5k workers if your setup isn't absolutely secure.
 
Formica fusca (generally most of the Serviformica species) is less aggressive, has a smaller colony size (usually something around 2k, although I've seen 8k coonies in captivity) and is far less aggressive (they tend to avoid conflict and just steal food from foraging workers of other ant species). I'd recommend them in case you're looking for something more relaxed.
 
Another popular beginner ant in Europe is Messor barbarus (seed-eating ants from southern Europe). They're very cheap in terms of food (they can be fed with various seeds and boiled eggs for additional protein) but their colonies can grow extremely huge (12-15k in the wild, probably far beyond that in captivity) and they are quite big ants so you need a LOT of space for them in the long run. Also they are very messy and tend to completely wreck and reshape their entire setup but they're always active and very interesting to watch.

 

Question 1) personally, I would just wait for nuptial flights, that, being in the UK, you can't miss. It is far more rewarding in my opinion to raise a colony from a single queen

Personally I don't see a big difference between raising a colony from a queen alone or a queen and 5-10 workers. I'd recommend though that if you buy ants do NOT buy a single queen. The chances of survival for a queen even with one worker are infinitely larger than those for a solo queen and if you're a newbie antkeeper it's better to go for something around 10+ workers as you may make some initial mistakes and have a few workers die (also usually a few workers die in the first 2 weeks after their arrival due to stress/damage from the mail transport).

Also having a single founding queen really isn't that interesting, you're basically completely ignoring her to not disturb her (which can make her eat her eggs) for anything between 4-6 weeks (Lasius niger) and 2-3 months (Camponotus) until she gets her first workers.

 

Also, I've noticed a lot of people make their nests from ytong or similar substances (when it's time - once a decent number of workers are out and about). I wondered to what extent it is possible to have a nest made of more natural substances. Whilst I love the idea of being able to see the colony in its nest I think I prefer the idea of them digging their own tunnels and caves. Is this possible (esp for Lasius Niger)? If so, how does one go about that, Vs just providing a tube/entrance to a "preshaped" ytong nest?

I'd keep them in a test tube until they have 300-500 workers (Lasius niger), it really offers the most stable conditions and the most insight.

You can later offer them a box with soil or some other material like sand-loam mixture (if you're looking for cheap boxes check out the IKEA Godmorgon 5 piece acrylic box set, it doesn't get cheaper than that - it's currently only available in "smoked" but IRL this effect is barely visible at all) but I wouldn't do that with a founding colony as keeping conditions stable is a massive PITA (the brood needs a wet spot but you don't want to drown them either) and you have zero vision of the nest (so if your ants stay inside for 4 weeks and only come out at night you'll get worried fairly quickly, especially as a new antkeeper).

[Temperateants]

Another good beginner species is tetramorium, I think that in many ways they are actually better than lasius. They grow slightly faster, and are terrible at escaping. They are also pretty tolerant to stress. 

Edited by Temperateants, April 6 2020 - 6:22 AM.

[Ants_Dakota]

I Think the queens are more hardy than lasius, and will grow up no matter what you throw at them. I have never failed with a tetramorium colony. Every single one has raised workers.

[AntsDakota]

They'll also accept pretty much anything you feed them.

[Ants_Dakota]

the queen sits there and just lays eggs. I have gotten 17 workers before winter here.

[AntsDakota]

That's actually not a lot. It should be closer to 50.

[Ants_Dakota]

That's actually not a lot. It should be closer to 50.

really? I don't think that is to easy to do up here with winter.

Edited by Ants_Dakota, April 6 2020 - 1:08 PM.

[AntsDakota]

If they have three months of development before winter, and it takes only three weeks for workers to arrive, and the queen lays dozens and dozens of eggs during that time, logically they should have quite the colony before winter, even here.

[Temperateants]

I'm still at about 17 workers. That's partly because of my negligence and ignorance last year. I usually fed my ants honey and animal meat, which now I know is a terrible food. I have different philosophy this year, instead of feeding my ants on a scheduled basis, I feed them various arthropods, such as mealworms, fruit flies, and fruit fly maggots as much as possible, and I have been giving my ants a lot more heat. The nanitics have all died, but the 17 workers I do have are pretty gigantic. 

Edited by Temperateants, April 6 2020 - 3:54 PM.

[Serafine]

Every queen/colony is different. I remember someone here making a test with 20 Tetramorium queens like 2 years ago and after around 3 months the colonies ranged from 40 workers to 10 larvae (about a quarter of the queens were dead by then).

In the long run it doesn't really matter as long as the queen survives.

[OhNoNotAgain]

Another good beginner species is tetramorium, I think that in many ways they are actually better than lasius. They grow slightly faster, and are terrible at escaping. They are also pretty tolerant to stress. 

I have a Tetramorium journal if you are interested (US West Coast). They are very small so they can and do escape more easily than larger ants. A few grains of sand in the wrong place, for example, are enough to create a gap for them to escape through.

I will say they display more "ant-like" innate IQ than many of my other ant colonies, in terms of food acceptance, brood rescue, etc.

 

Re: test tubes: Once my queens had enough workers, I just left mine completely open. I discovered Velcroing the tube to the side of a plastic bin worked pretty well. Make sure the bin has Fluon or other barrier along the sides and corners to stop workers escaping. Workers start off timid and stay-at-home but within a few months they "switch" internally and turn into braver escape mavens.

Edited by OhNoNotAgain, April 11 2020 - 8:48 AM.