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How to collect wild colonies

ants im clueless

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10 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Connectimyrmex - Posted September 17 2017 - 12:18 PM

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Hi!
I've been thinking about digging up wild ant colonies (Crematogaster, Lasius, and Monomorium) for a while. I'm still pretty unclear on the concept, so I have some questions about the form of collection:

1. Do you just dig soil out of the nest and into a bucket?

2. Are aspirators required?
3. How do you get the ants into a formicarium from there?

4. What if you don't have any chemical barriers?

Thanks!
Also, feel free to give some suggestions!


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#2 Offline FeedTheAnts - Posted September 17 2017 - 12:55 PM

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1. I like to dig around and whenever I find a chamber gently blow as much of the ants and brood into the bucket as I can, it's always best to try and get as little dirt as possible.

2. aspirators help

3. Either use the aspirator to get as much of the ants as possible(you won't get them all), then move them from there to the formicarium(you will need to come back to the bucket in a few hours to find the rest of the workers and brood that usually flock together when you leave them. Or you can place a tube in the bucket they are in and corral the queen in there and the workers will find her and move in(assuming you did not get much dirt in the bucket for them to try and nest in, as this would mess this technique up).


Edited by TennesseeAnts, September 17 2017 - 12:55 PM.

I accidentally froze all my ants 


#3 Offline JJlikesants837363939 - Posted September 17 2017 - 2:07 PM

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you can use cinnamon as a barrier to keep the ants from going to far from the nest just make a cinnamon ring around the area you are digging up



#4 Offline matt123 - Posted September 21 2017 - 2:33 PM

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I've harvested two colonies, neither of which lived past 6 months. Queen always spontaneously died after a few months

 

But I found it really easy to gather the ants that live under rocks. Lift a rock and BAM, the queen, her brood, and all the workers were right there. I justed used my hand to start grabbing and put them in a mason jar with baby powder barrier. From there I wiped off the barrier and placed the jar in the formicarium. No digging, very little dirt, it was easy. If you just want a colony, I imagine ants under rocks are way easier.



#5 Offline Connectimyrmex - Posted September 22 2017 - 5:52 AM

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Thanks. Every rock that I flip tend to have thousands of termites or thousands of workers.


Hawaiiant (Ben)

Keeper of
Miniature Labradoodle
Baby Wolf Spider
Mud Dauber wasp larvae
Ochetellus Glaber
Solenopsis Geminata
Brachymyrmex Obscurior
Cardiocondyla Emeryi
Tetramorium Bicarinatum
Plagiolepis Alluaudi
Anoplolepis Gracilipes
Technomyrmex Difficilis
Pheidole Megacephala
Aholehole fish
Cowrie snail
Sea Fan Worm
100+ sea squirts
Tree seedlings
Ghost Crab
Day Gecko
Small Fat Centipede
Endemic Lacewing larva
Vernal Pool shrimps

#6 Offline Batspiderfish - Posted September 22 2017 - 6:00 AM

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Not the best way to obtain colonies, honestly.


  • noebl1 likes this

If you've enjoyed using my expertise and identifications, please do not create undue ecological risk by releasing your ants. The environment which we keep our pet insects is alien and oftentimes unsanitary, so ensure that wild populations stay safe by giving your ants the best care you can manage for the rest of their lives, as we must do with any other pet.

 

Exotic ants are for those who think that vibrant diversity is something you need to pay money to see. It is illegal to transport live ants across state lines.

 

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Black lives still matter.


#7 Offline matt123 - Posted September 22 2017 - 8:26 AM

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Not the best way to obtain colonies, honestly.

Yea I agree. uprooting ones home and forcefully putting them into a new one is deffinetly not ideal. My colonies both died after about 4-6 months. At which point I discovered Queens and the test tube set up...



#8 Offline anttics - Posted January 16 2018 - 12:14 PM

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i hiek all year round. evey rock i ever flip I found nothing. i guess I'm unlucky.

#9 Offline nurbs - Posted January 16 2018 - 12:42 PM

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Not the best way to obtain colonies, honestly.

 

Collected a colony of T. sessile with dozens of queens under a rock one time. And another time sucked up an entire colony of Pheidole with two queens. Used a homemade aspirator to collect.

 

Both colonies died in captivity within a few months. 

 


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#10 Offline noebl1 - Posted January 16 2018 - 1:57 PM

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My first year, I went out in April flipping rocks.  I got super impatient and found a Camponotus americanus founding colony under a rock (queen, 5 workers and pile of brood) instead of waiting.  Long story short, they did horrific and I ended up giving them to a more experienced member to try to save them (not sure if he succeeded.)  I believe digging up Lasius is pretty futile as I thought I read the queens are often quite deep, and colonies have many entrances.

 

Temnothorax living in acorns/twigs is probably one of the few collectable ones that could work as they tend to be pretty flexible/resilient.

 

Just be patient and find a queen or two, as at least to me, it feels much more rewarding starting from scratch and seeing success vs digging up and potentially destroying an established colony.


Edited by noebl1, January 16 2018 - 3:36 PM.

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#11 Offline opezskiller - Posted January 16 2018 - 3:18 PM

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I highly suggest not digging up colonies as it usually will result in failure 







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