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Underrated Ant species

underrated ants

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27 replies to this topic

#21 Offline Ernteameise - Posted April 16 2023 - 2:41 AM

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I will also have to add Temnothorax to the list.

Yes, they are tiny and for watching them, you might have to get a magnifying glass.

But they are beautiful (mine are a bright golden colour) and they are just so relaxed and inquisitive.

They also need very little space since they are so tiny and they do not really have any complicated special needs.


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#22 Offline Flu1d - Posted April 16 2023 - 9:36 AM

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This one's probably going to seem questionable, and I am okay with that.. However, I think Solenopsis invicta are criminally underrated as an ant to keep. When I first got into ants back in August of 2022 (I'm still new), I vowed I would never keep ANY Solenopsis species, however most definitely not S. invicta or S. geminata. My mind changed when the only thing flying when I first went to look for queens was S. invicta and I knew I'd at least need to keep them just as a learning experience so when the good ants start flying, I would be somewhat ready. Through some trial and error, I am happy to say I actually really respect and even kinda revere these ants. Their worker size has such a gigantic range.. Everything from tiny nanitic size to just under the size of the queen herself (so much so that sometimes I see a worker so big I have to double or even triple look to make sure it isn't a queen) and literally EVERYTHING in between..

These ants can make crazy rafts and float, they're extremely aggressive eaters, they will eat ANYTHING. Their population explodes rapidly with heat and food, one bite triggers all nearby ants and I know many species do that, however I have never seen it so prominent in any species in person as I do in S. invicta.

I know these ants are extremely invasive and terrible for native populations, and if it were my choice they would not exist in Florida. That being said, I think it is crazy to dismiss how cool these ants really actually are.. And how beautiful. The black and red together, their mannerisms and the fact they are explorers and curious make these ants fun to keep. Not to mention, as far as I know from what I have seen so far, they cannot beat a simple talcohol setup. Every ant I have seen has fallen. These may be escape artists with fluon but they aren't going anywhere with talcohol or baby powder.

All in all, if S. invicta live near you and you are even remotely curious, I recommend trying them. It's almost impossible for them not to found. It seems as if the ability to found is so powerful in invicta that light and even vibrations do not bother them at all. I probably overcheck my invicta more than any of my other ants because not only do they grow so fast you can see an impressive size difference in just a day, but they also do not care if you do. I'm sure there's a limit on that, however.. I just haven't hit it yet.

I could go into heavy detail on these ants but I'm not sure how many people are even interested in invicta so I will leave it at that and if anyone has questions I would be interested in answering them, if I know the answer of course.
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#23 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted April 23 2023 - 9:24 PM

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All in all, if S. invicta live near you and you are even remotely curious, I recommend trying them. It's almost impossible for them not to found. It seems as if the ability to found is so powerful in invicta that light and even vibrations do not bother them at all. I probably overcheck my invicta more than any of my other ants because not only do they grow so fast you can see an impressive size difference in just a day, but they also do not care if you do. I'm sure there's a limit on that, however.. I just haven't hit it yet.

Most ant species can actually found colonies under exposure to bright lights and vibrations. The whole "stress from light" thing is usually not true. 


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.

#24 Offline Flu1d - Posted April 25 2023 - 3:06 PM

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All in all, if S. invicta live near you and you are even remotely curious, I recommend trying them. It's almost impossible for them not to found. It seems as if the ability to found is so powerful in invicta that light and even vibrations do not bother them at all. I probably overcheck my invicta more than any of my other ants because not only do they grow so fast you can see an impressive size difference in just a day, but they also do not care if you do. I'm sure there's a limit on that, however.. I just haven't hit it yet.

Most ant species can actually found colonies under exposure to bright lights and vibrations. The whole "stress from light" thing is usually not true.
vibrations bother colonies far more than light does, but I do agree that light isn't a major issue for most ants.

#25 Offline Ants.co - Posted May 4 2023 - 9:35 PM

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Solenopsis geminata. 100%. And I say this as someone who has kept Myrmecia, Carebara and all those cool stuff out there, NOTHING compares with tropical fire ants. Their growth rate is insane, and their polymorphism is absolutely amazing to look at. Plus, they aren't picky with their food, and stand a lot of abuse - in my year in Thailand I've drowned, suffocated and underfed my colony due to some rather major accidents, yet they are still alive and booming. Love these gals  (y)

 

(My 7 month old colony on Youtube) 


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#26 Offline PurdueEntomology - Posted May 4 2023 - 11:09 PM

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I find Liometopum extremely underrated.

I have a colony going.



#27 Offline PurdueEntomology - Posted May 4 2023 - 11:12 PM

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Careful what you wish for!
I henceforth declare April 1st as Tapinoma sessile Appreciation Day.

And the new Tapinoma helenae  ;) is even cooler


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#28 Offline antsriondel - Posted May 5 2023 - 7:19 AM

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I find Liometopum extremely underrated.

I have a colony going.

 

Nice! Hope they do well! 







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