9 replies to this topic

[cap_backfire]

Hey folks, so reminder, I am an Illinois resident who has a great person who is helping me collect some ants I can keep that are local caught-by local I mean around 50 mile radius from my house.   Unusual stuff I would not have found on my own.   

Anyway, their care seems pretty basic-these ants only drawback I can find is that they smell like"rotten coconuts" somehow.   Never smelled that so hoping it's just like... pina colada (fingers crossed!!)

 

So they're like 2mm in size with the queens like 3mm.   My questions for housing are thus... 

1:  Could I keep a 20k colony with 300 queens in a setup of appropriate soil in a 54 quart plastic tub?  This would be basically the size of a 30 gallon tank.   Would this be enough space if I precut some holes for future expansion?  My thought was to put some holes ready for tubes into the setup so I could expand at a later date.   New tubs, tubes running across my desk area, etc.  

 

2:   Has anyone done or have experience doing a setup like this where you have a smaller tub inside, kind of buried?   Like an 'inner outworld?"  This would push soil up against the sides of the main tub so I might have a better chance of seeing them in their tunnels, and have the outworld 'inside' with maybe a few potted plants or planted plants for them to explore/ collect moisture from.   This would also allow for a "false bottom" to help regulate humidity in the tunnels.   

 

Any help is and would be amazing.  Online info is useful but a bit sparse.   Thanks!  

[Antcatcherpro3]

I've never actually kept those ants before, but they are really quick and escape the places where I keep them very easily. They are invasive if you didn't know that, but because they are already living there, there is no reason not to keep them. In my experience, they like sweets. They would drink a lot of sweets like honey, or sugar water. But you should give them protein like insects also. And no, I haven't done that type of setup before, but it sounds like it could work.

[TennesseeAnts]

@Antcatcherpro3, Tapioma sessile is native as can be. They are basically the native equivalent to L. humile in terms of care.

 

To the OP, a proper nest for these escape artists would be a large formicarium like an XXL Labyrinth from THA or a Nucleus. I wouldn't do a large tub like that- too much could go wrong imo, but if properly managed I suppose it could work. What are you going to do with the tub? Just a bunch of test tubes, or soil for them to dig?

[ANTdrew]

Honestly, I wouldn’t bother. A soil setup like that will take up a lot of space for a rather forgettable species. The humidity given off by the damp soil will make escape barriers ineffective at stopping them, then they will happily take over your home and attack your other colonies. Like TA says, these are basically off-brand Argentine ants.

Edited by ANTdrew, March 15 2021 - 7:51 AM.

[cap_backfire]

Well crap.   OK thanks for the heads up guys.   If I leave it open topped would it still have issues with humidity?   I had an idea for a floating island thing with a bonsai money tree in it.   If they're stupid I Definitely don't need them invading my home or other setups.    

[cap_backfire]

@Antcatcherpro3, Tapioma sessile is native as can be. They are basically the native equivalent to L. humile in terms of care.

 

To the OP, a proper nest for these escape artists would be a large formicarium like an XXL Labyrinth from THA or a Nucleus. I wouldn't do a large tub like that- too much could go wrong imo, but if properly managed I suppose it could work. What are you going to do with the tub? Just a bunch of test tubes, or soil for them to dig?

To answer your question I would do soil to allow them to dig to their heart's content, keeping it at least 6 inches from the top.   

[Antcatcherpro3]

Well crap.   OK thanks for the heads up guys.   If I leave it open topped would it still have issues with humidity?   I had an idea for a floating island thing with a bonsai money tree in it.   If they're stupid I Definitely don't need them invading my home or other setups.    

If they escape, they will. I've had some workers escape before when I did keep them (not for long) and I found a few workers in my other ant nests. that's why I didn't keep them for long. I was afraid if a lot of them escaped, they would kill my other ants.

[Kaelwizard]

I've never actually kept those ants before, but they are really quick and escape the places where I keep them very easily. They are invasive if you didn't know that, but because they are already living there, there is no reason not to keep them. In my experience, they like sweets. They would drink a lot of sweets like honey, or sugar water. But you should give them protein like insects also. And no, I haven't done that type of setup before, but it sounds like it could work.

Where did you hear that they were invasive? Did you confuse them with Linepithema humile? 

[ANTdrew]

Tapinoma sessile is native to most of North America. They act in an invasive manner when they monopolize urban, human disturbed habitats, but they are still native.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Ohhh.... I was thinking of that other species. Yeah they are native, but are still escape artists. And they are pest ants I am pretty sure. so you wouldn't want them to escape.