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Gah, parents...

Started By azzaaazzzz00 , Feb 26 2022 7:58 AM

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286 replies to this topic

#221 Offline azzaaazzzz00 - Posted April 8 2022 - 4:26 PM

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Mm measurement? I am nothing close to expert, but don’t Camponotus pennsylvanicus live where you do? Kind looks small compared to tube though.

Oh yea sorry didn't put the measurment, its only like about 2-3 mm (I don't have her with me right now so I'm left with memory), she smaller than the Prenolepis Imparis queens if that helps. Camponotus pennsylvanicus do live here (I caught some of those queens last year), but the queen doesn't look anything like Camponotus. I'm not blaming you, those arn't the best photos and I didn't give much info. I don't have a good camera so the quality of my pictures are limited. If it is Lasius aphidicola, are they a parisitic species? If so I'll probably let her go because I don't have any host workers to give to her.


Edited by azzaaazzzz00, April 8 2022 - 4:29 PM.

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Been keeping ants since January of 2021

Always try new things, even if its hard, hard is not impossible. We are smart and it's good to be smart but not too smart for your own good.

#222 Offline ANTdrew - Posted April 8 2022 - 4:39 PM

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I wouldn’t bother with parasites for your business just yet.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#223 Offline azzaaazzzz00 - Posted April 8 2022 - 4:41 PM

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So, what should I do with her?


Been keeping ants since January of 2021

Always try new things, even if its hard, hard is not impossible. We are smart and it's good to be smart but not too smart for your own good.

#224 Offline ANTdrew - Posted April 8 2022 - 4:50 PM

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Put her back where you found her.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#225 Offline azzaaazzzz00 - Posted April 8 2022 - 4:52 PM

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Ok I'll have to do that tommorow tho, will she survive until then without hosts?


Been keeping ants since January of 2021

Always try new things, even if its hard, hard is not impossible. We are smart and it's good to be smart but not too smart for your own good.

#226 Offline ANTdrew - Posted April 8 2022 - 5:37 PM

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Yes, for sure.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#227 Offline azzaaazzzz00 - Posted April 12 2022 - 2:29 PM

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Went outside today and caught 11 more Prenolepis imparis queens, that seems to be the only species flying right now although I thought Camponotus, Formica, Lasius, and other species should also be flying here.


Been keeping ants since January of 2021

Always try new things, even if its hard, hard is not impossible. We are smart and it's good to be smart but not too smart for your own good.

#228 Offline ANTdrew - Posted April 12 2022 - 3:27 PM

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Camponotus will probably fly in May for your area. Formica fly in peak summer heat, and Lasius fly at the very end of summer. Patience.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#229 Offline azzaaazzzz00 - Posted April 12 2022 - 6:16 PM

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Thanks! I will keep that in mind


Been keeping ants since January of 2021

Always try new things, even if its hard, hard is not impossible. We are smart and it's good to be smart but not too smart for your own good.

#230 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted April 13 2022 - 7:57 PM

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Camponotus will probably fly in May for your area. Formica fly in peak summer heat, and Lasius fly at the very end of summer. Patience.


I need patience. Keep finding nothing due to wind speeds unfortunately while people up in north Florida are catching Camponotus.

Also, I find that spiderwebs will sometimes have living queens in them. Have caught a few mating like that.
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#231 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted April 13 2022 - 8:14 PM

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This thread actually went from a "complaining about my parents" thread to a "help selling ants" thread. Interesting.


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Young ant keeper with a decent amount of knowledge on local ant species.

YouTube: https://m.youtube.co...uKsahGliSH7EqOQ (It's pretty dead. Might upload again soon, don't expect my voice to sound the same though.)

Currently kept ant species, favorites have a star in front of their names (NOT in alphabetical order, also may be outdated sometimes): ★ Camponotus irritans inferior, ★ Ooceraea biroi, Pheidole parva, ★ Nylanderia sp., ★ Paraparatrechina tapinomoides, Platythyrea sp., Anochetus sp., Colobopsis sp. (cylindrica group), ★ Crematogaster ferrarii, Polyrhachis (Myrma) cf. pruinosa, Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) laevissima, Tapinoma sp. (formerly Zatapinoma)

Death count: Probably over a hundred individual queens and colonies by now. I cannot recall whatsoever.

#232 Offline azzaaazzzz00 - Posted April 14 2022 - 4:06 AM

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Hey, threads change right? I mean it didn't change to anything bad, I was looking for help at the beginning and that hasn't changed.


Edited by azzaaazzzz00, April 14 2022 - 4:09 AM.

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Been keeping ants since January of 2021

Always try new things, even if its hard, hard is not impossible. We are smart and it's good to be smart but not too smart for your own good.

#233 Offline Temperateants - Posted April 14 2022 - 7:34 AM

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Garage or basement works. Or make your mom a PowerPoint presentation.

A well planned, written presentation is a great idea. Also try to get on GAN and start bringing in some cash. That changed my wife’s tune; bet it would help with your folks, too.
A lot of kids your age are sitting around in their pjs all day smoking dope or worse. Your parents should thank their lucky stars you’re actually learning about the natural world. Keep your head up. Soon enough, you’ll be on your own making your own rules.

 

Agreed 100%. My mom teases me for always "hanging out with my insects" but she can clearly see that I've become a lot more kind to animals (especially the creepy kinds people have no qualms about killing). That's in contrast to other teens who do sketchy stuff. These are moral benefits, as well as scientific benefits of studying the natural world.

 

You can also try to appeal to your parent's emotions. For example, my mother loves seeing the queen ants/workers caring for the brood. She was very impressed when my first queen would pick up protect her eggs when disturbed. Showing your parents the "softer side" to these insects will help make ants look nicer than just aggressive pests. 

 

Also, show your parents information from ants. Tell them that ants rarely cause damage, and even then its always giant colonies biting through decaying houses


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Check out my Youtube Channel! https://www.youtube....xh-HaScAuE5CShQ

Check out my Crematogaster Journal! https://www.formicul...e-2#entry141180

 

 

#234 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted April 14 2022 - 12:21 PM

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Garage or basement works. Or make your mom a PowerPoint presentation.

A well planned, written presentation is a great idea. Also try to get on GAN and start bringing in some cash. That changed my wife’s tune; bet it would help with your folks, too.
A lot of kids your age are sitting around in their pjs all day smoking dope or worse. Your parents should thank their lucky stars you’re actually learning about the natural world. Keep your head up. Soon enough, you’ll be on your own making your own rules.
Agreed 100%. My mom teases me for always "hanging out with my insects" but she can clearly see that I've become a lot more kind to animals (especially the creepy kinds people have no qualms about killing). That's in contrast to other teens who do sketchy stuff. These are moral benefits, as well as scientific benefits of studying the natural world.
 
You can also try to appeal to your parent's emotions. For example, my mother loves seeing the queen ants/workers caring for the brood. She was very impressed when my first queen would pick up protect her eggs when disturbed. Showing your parents the "softer side" to these insects will help make ants look nicer than just aggressive pests. 
 
Also, show your parents information from ants. Tell them that ants rarely cause damage, and even then its always giant colonies biting through decaying houses

That is true. I probably are much more kinder to animals(particularly insects) because of Antkeeping. A lot of people are paranoid about Carpenter ants, but in reality, I would be more worried about fire ants in your AC unit chewing on wiring(Happens in Texas a lot). And I love how the termite and ant inspectors tell you an Argentine ant or little black ants are “Carpenter ants”, I think they need some extra pocket change. And even in rotting wood(In Florida there is quite a lot) there is rarely Carpenter ants. I usually find them in between two board of wood that are beginning to rot, and sometimes feeble broken tree limbs.
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#235 Offline azzaaazzzz00 - Posted April 17 2022 - 1:57 PM

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I'm thinking about getting a heating pad for my queens to help them while founding. I don't know which to get get, any suggestions?


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Been keeping ants since January of 2021

Always try new things, even if its hard, hard is not impossible. We are smart and it's good to be smart but not too smart for your own good.

#236 Offline ANTdrew - Posted April 18 2022 - 2:07 AM

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ZooMed is a good brand I use.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#237 Offline OiledOlives - Posted April 18 2022 - 6:01 AM

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Heating cables are better if you've got a bunch of colonies. 11.5ft ZooMed one on Amazon is the one I use.


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Youtube: Atlantic Ants - YouTube
Website: Ants for Sale - Atlantic Ants

#238 Offline azzaaazzzz00 - Posted April 19 2022 - 1:06 PM

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Thanks, I'll use the heating cable because I have multiple queens I want to warm up.

 

Also this isn't anything really important but today at this minute (edited time) is when I joined Formiculture last year.


Edited by azzaaazzzz00, April 19 2022 - 1:44 PM.

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Been keeping ants since January of 2021

Always try new things, even if its hard, hard is not impossible. We are smart and it's good to be smart but not too smart for your own good.

#239 Offline azzaaazzzz00 - Posted April 23 2022 - 1:05 PM

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I'm a bit worried about the queens because its been 36 days since I caught them and still not an egg to be seen. I hope once I put on the heating cable they'll start to lay.


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Been keeping ants since January of 2021

Always try new things, even if its hard, hard is not impossible. We are smart and it's good to be smart but not too smart for your own good.

#240 Offline PurdueEntomology - Posted April 23 2022 - 2:34 PM

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Antpartment? You don't have to do that, it's just something I guess I have to just deal with. I mean to give you guys a better Idea heres a brief summary of what's been going on (and a little peek at how the converstion between my mom and I would probably go). I live in Bogota NJ and my parents work at a resturant that gets us enough money to get by. Now the resturant is going to be sold, and so is our house. No resturant=now job for my parents=no money=have to save money=no ants. We're probably moving into an aparment and ants in there are going to be a no-no. If I did ask, this is probably how it goes:

 

Me: can I pleaaasssseeee keep ants like inside or outside, or anywhere really???

My mom: can't you see we're in a type of money crisis right now?!

Me: but on Formiculture, there are people who are will to hel-

My mom: I don't care what they have to offer, I can't stand ants and that's that!

Me: Bu-

My mom: no

Me: B-

My mom: NO! And I don't want to hear ANYTHING about ants ever again. *angrily walks out of the room*

 

Short and sad conversation, but it's basicly what happens anytime I bring up ants (also the part about "And I don't want to hear ANYTHING about ants ever again" was directly quoted from every conversation about ants I've had with her). I know I shouldn't give up but what other choices do I have?

Keep ants when you are living on your own.  


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