14 replies to this topic

[soulsynapse]

I thought that all ants could climb on smooth surfaces (some better than others) but poking around a Pogonomyrmex nest today I found out that they can't climb on anything even remotely smooth

 

What other species could be kept in a formicarium without a lid or a barrier?

[Leo]

Ambylpone?

[Serafine]

Tetramorium are pretty crappy climbers if the surface is relatively smooth.
Not sure about Camponotus, mine tend to fall from their test tube walls frequently but then this might just come from doing stupid things like grooming themselves when hanging upside down from the ceiling.

Edited by Serafine, February 8 2017 - 11:26 PM.

[AntsBrazil]

Pachycondyla can't climb glass or acrylic, I could leave their outworld without a lid without problems. 

[Kevin]

I believe Atta, or at least the queens.

[AntsBrazil]

I believe Atta, or at least the queens.

The workers are very good at climbing, but the queens struggle to do it. If it's not high enough they can do it, a queen escaped once(in the day that I captured a lot of them) and I found later wondering in my room. 

[Kevin]

I'd also like to add, if you are looking to not use a lid or barrier, that is a very bad idea. Just about every ant species will get out one way or another, whether they struggle or not. Last thing you want is a colony living under your carpets.

[Vendayn]

The vast majority of ants are good climbers. I find its very very rare to find an ant that is bad at climbing. Plus, I have yet to find a small ant bad at climbing. But, even most bigger sized ants are good at climbing, so size doesn't seem to matter much.

 

However, very large ants can be easy to keep too even if they are good climbers (I assume bull dog ants can climb good). In Australia, I heard bull dog ants are really easy to keep contained, because they are so large that they can't find through small holes like other ants can. I imagine they can climb, but maybe not actually, I don't know that detail. I just know that (despite being super fast), they are really easy to contain in most lids/barriers compared to super small ants. Someone said some time back over on Antdude's forum that they are super easy ants to contain just because of their size. I don't have any experience with that though as I've never even been to Australia.

 

As for ants in the US. I find the #1 hardest to keep contained are the west coast Monomorium ergatogyna (and Monomorium minimum are 99% the same, but the east coast variety), they can cross even fluon. As a test, I separated the Monomorium and put Argentine ants in the container, and even the Argentine ants couldn't cross the same exact barrier of fluon (and Argentine ants are super good at escaping), but the Monomorium ergatogyna could without any issue at all. Then I tried Solenopsis invicta (who are quite larger) and they too couldn't climb it. Monomorium ergatogyna are so tiny that any dust particle they can climb on. The #2 hardest would be Solenopsis molesta (despite being a subterranean based species), but they too are super tiny.

 

So, if you want easy to contain ants, stay away from small/tiny ants as they seem far harder to contain than larger ants, but I suppose that makes sense.

Edited by Vendayn, February 9 2017 - 9:44 AM.

[antgenius123]

I have a pheidole queen that can't climb the walls of the test tube at all. She just slips right off.

Edited by antgenius123, February 9 2017 - 9:48 AM.

[Vendayn]

I have a pheidole queen that can't climb the walls of the test tube at all. She just slips right off.

The workers and soldiers can climb though really easily. There are a lot of queens of various species unable to climb (or have difficulty, I've had Solenopsis xyloni queens struggle to climb), but the workers can climb without any issue.

 

I think it be more accurate to talk about which ants are easiest to contain in terms of workers, not the queens. The hardest thing people have with ant keeping, is to contain a colony is the workers, not really the queen(s).

 

There are various barriers of all kinds, but a lot of them are temporary. The only barrier that isn't temporary is a 100% fitting lid, anything else doesn't last forever. I've been using baby powder and rubbing alcohol mixed into a paste (that is what Antscanada uses) and it works really well actually. I'll be trying it on Monomorium ergatogyna (the ultimate test), but it does stop Argentine ants escaping (at least as good as fluon, so I dunno how it will fair with Monomorium ergatogyna which can get through EVERY barrier I've tried). Plus baby powder and rubbing alcohol are both super cheap.

 

But, finding ants that are easy to self contain is vastly harder than coming up with a barrier

Edited by Vendayn, February 9 2017 - 10:01 AM.

[Canadian anter]

the vast majority of ponerines, it seems

[CrazyLegs]

Rhytidoponera metallica are hands down the worst glass climbing ants in Australia. Bull ants can climb glass with relative ease, however their larger size and weight makes it a chore for them. I find a happy bull ant less likely to try and scale the glass walls, but keeping them without proper containment is pure insanity.

[Alabama Anter]

 

I have a pheidole queen that can't climb the walls of the test tube at all. She just slips right off.

The workers and soldiers can climb though really easily. There are a lot of queens of various species unable to climb (or have difficulty, I've had Solenopsis xyloni queens struggle to climb), but the workers can climb without any issue.

 

I think it be more accurate to talk about which ants are easiest to contain in terms of workers, not the queens. The hardest thing people have with ant keeping, is to contain a colony is the workers, not really the queen(s).

 

There are various barriers of all kinds, but a lot of them are temporary. The only barrier that isn't temporary is a 100% fitting lid, anything else doesn't last forever. I've been using baby powder and rubbing alcohol mixed into a paste (that is what Antscanada uses) and it works really well actually. I'll be trying it on Monomorium ergatogyna (the ultimate test), but it does stop Argentine ants escaping (at least as good as fluon, so I dunno how it will fair with Monomorium ergatogyna which can get through EVERY barrier I've tried). Plus baby powder and rubbing alcohol are both super cheap.

 

But, finding ants that are easy to self contain is vastly harder than coming up with a barrier

 

Ummmmmm my majors just completely fall off.

[Vendayn]

 

 

I have a pheidole queen that can't climb the walls of the test tube at all. She just slips right off.

The workers and soldiers can climb though really easily. There are a lot of queens of various species unable to climb (or have difficulty, I've had Solenopsis xyloni queens struggle to climb), but the workers can climb without any issue.

 

I think it be more accurate to talk about which ants are easiest to contain in terms of workers, not the queens. The hardest thing people have with ant keeping, is to contain a colony is the workers, not really the queen(s).

 

There are various barriers of all kinds, but a lot of them are temporary. The only barrier that isn't temporary is a 100% fitting lid, anything else doesn't last forever. I've been using baby powder and rubbing alcohol mixed into a paste (that is what Antscanada uses) and it works really well actually. I'll be trying it on Monomorium ergatogyna (the ultimate test), but it does stop Argentine ants escaping (at least as good as fluon, so I dunno how it will fair with Monomorium ergatogyna which can get through EVERY barrier I've tried). Plus baby powder and rubbing alcohol are both super cheap.

 

But, finding ants that are easy to self contain is vastly harder than coming up with a barrier

 

Ummmmmm my majors just completely fall off.

 

Maybe it depends on the species then. When I kept Pheidole megacephala for a bit (I don't like keeping invasive ants, so they went into the freezer lol)...they could climb really easily without any issue. But, maybe Pheidole megacephala are "designed" differently than native Pheidole. They could climb as good as Argentine ants, that included the soldiers AND queens.

[sgheaton]

Last thing you want is a colony living under your carpets.

Hey........Be quiet!

 

I didn't worry about this before but now I do!