7 replies to this topic

[0xicl33n]

Hello there fellow ant people, i have always loved ants and have been wanting to get into antkeeping for a while now. I got my chance a day ago when i found a queen waltzing along the floor of my bedroom (not a good thing to have indoors). I quickly scooped her up and put her into a small tupperware container with a wet cotton ball. I have no test tube setup and do not know how to proceed, i can't like cut a hole in the top of the container for air because we need those for putting food in! I'm not sure what to do next.. i don't want to use the tupperware and have no other alternatives.. for the moment I'm also running low on money and can't invest in an expensive setup   . I'm not sure what kind of ant she is but she's massive and has already laid one egg. This is my second attempt at founding a colony with local ants and i really need some guidance! (that is why I'm here) 

 

 

she's living in my closet for now which is very dark and fairly warm(for some reason the picture is sideways though)

 

I've also considered making a formicarium but have not gotten around to that, I've only had her a day now.

 

Sorry for the long post, i didn't see a category for "new ant keepers"

[Mads]

If you have a small pill vial you can simply add some damp sand and let her start a colony in there. It usually isn't too difficult to find a snap cap vial from somewhere. Any small container with a tight fitting lid will work, clear is obviously better so you can see what's going on. Test tubes are the most commonly used to start queens, but they aren't the only option you have. There are a number of posts on here about starting colonies, many of which explain different methods you can use. 

 

Mads

[antmaniac]

You actually don't need to have holes for air, the ants will survive fine without the holes. You can also use other containers than test tube and be creative. Clear containers are ideal for observation, even drink bottles. However, make sure it is cleaned properly before use.

[0xicl33n]

Then my setup should do just fine right? The only thing I'm concerned about is hydration, i think the cotton ball has already dried out.. i was on the hunt for a pill bottle i could plug with cotton but i didn't find on yet.. I'm almost 90% sure she can't climb the sides of the container - and yea, the tupperware was perfectly clean before she went in there. 

[NightsWebs]

I actually just used small mason jars to get the founding started.  Instead of leaving the metal center on I stretched a piece of maintenance towel (tougher than regular paper towels) to provide descent ventilation and put the outer screw cap over the towel.  I place dirt about 1/2 to 3/4 of the jar. I also inserted a small straw (like a coffee stirrer) through the dirt completely to the bottom of the jar where I can add hydration because claustral queens will not come to the surface to get water or food and also the water usually just soaks the top of the dirt or substrate when poured from the top.  I also use a dark colored paper towel brown, blue purple etc.. and wrap the jar to provide darkness and painters tape (blue or green) to hold it together but loose enough to slip off so I can observe the ants progress.  The most important is to place in a warm place for heat depending on the species.  The species I have are all desert species so I try to keep the heat between 80-100 degrees F.  I hope this is an inexpensive solution for you.  I used this with great effect over the past year.

[LC3]

Tictac containers could be useful, just shove cotton in the back, poke a few holes above the cotton to hydrate it if necessary and that's it. I never tried doing that before but it's a simple concept.

[ctantkeeper]

Experimenting with the hobby is fine, but I would personally save up some money and do some research before your begin to capture queens, because chances are, if you cannot afford to buy a proper setup, you will probably not have enough money for feeder insects and other resources. Their is a wealth of information online that you can use to learn about ant biology, behavior and care (some of that information can be found in the "handy links" section of the forum). when I first started, I had very little money, wanted to start as soon as possible and had little to no prior experience, so I know how it feels in the beginning (you at first want to rush through the process and get a mature colony as fast as possible out of pure excitement, but then eventually problems start to arise and then you begin to do your homework and those problems slowly dissipate over time. Btw, learning about the ants themselves and their biology, makes the experience much more satisfying from my own experience because it allows you to have a good understanding of ant behavior and what a variety of your ant colony's habits mean.). Whatever path you chose, I wish you the best of luck, I just hope you don't make the same mistakes that I made . 

[Crystals]

I have founded colonies in deli containers with no problems, just don't let the cotton ball dry out.

 

Here are several links that may give you some additional ideas.

List of Handy Links - http://www.formicult...of-handy-links/

This has lots of links to tutorials and pictures of other people's setuups.

 

These two links may assist you the most for right now.

Various Setups for Founding Queens: http://www.formicult...ounding-queens/

Beginners guide to ants - http://forum.formicu...-for-beginners/