2 replies to this topic

[ddomingu]

Hey everyone, I am new to the hobby and wanted to get started soon. I am in the SoCal area. 

[That_one_ant_guy]

Welcome! you'll find many amazing people in Cali

Edited by That_one_ant_guy, August 15 2022 - 3:40 PM.

[Serafine]

Okay, as you're new some quick bits of helpful advice.

 

- You don't need any fancy expensive ant nests, at least not anytime soon. Test tube(s), cotton and water work fine for most species.

Test tubes are better than "starter nests" as they offer stable conditions and you don't have to remember to water your ants every day (a well-made test tube setup can last for 6-12 months before it runs dry).

There some very few ants that tend to not do well in test tubes (Odontomachus trapjaws) but most are perfectly fine with them.

 

- You're gonna need a decent-sized outworld long before you'll need an actual big nest. Most ants don't need a big nest for at least a year.

 

- Think about what you want from your ants. Different ants can be VERY different. Some grow fast, others take a year to even get to 30 workers. Some are chill, some are aggressive and some are really hard to contain. Size can (mostly) vary from 1mm to around 20mm (smaller ants are usually harder to contain).

 

- If you're away from home a lot seed-eating harvester ants might be a good choice as they can be left alone for weeks without issues, given enough water supplies (they store seeds anyway so they won't run out of food easily). Most harvester ants develop pretty massive colonies though, so they need a lot of space in the long run. They can also chew through a lot of stuff (ytong, sandstone, vinyl tubing, etc.).

 

- If cared for well, ant queens live for 10-20 years (most species, there are exceptions). Your ants can stay with your for a long time, it's worth to put in the effort ot be able to choose wisely.

Edited by Serafine, August 16 2022 - 7:47 AM.