New to Ant Keeping

Discussions about the care and keeping of ants

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kamisamalanasa

New to Ant Keeping

Post: # 18542Post kamisamalanasa
Mon Mar 27, 2017 6:58 am

I am new to ant keeping and have caught an unidentified queen, I am not sure wether or not she is fertilized because she has not yet broken off her wings. I want to know how long I can use a test tube environment with her and her future workers before I need to upgrade the amount of space the colony needs. Do you recommend homemade ant colony setups or manufactured setups?

Martialis
Posts: 1576
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2016 5:30 pm
Location: Indiana

Re: New to Ant Keeping

Post: # 18543Post Martialis
Mon Mar 27, 2017 9:19 am

If you post pictures and measurements(in millimeters), we may be able to get an ID on your queen.

Any setup that works I recommend.
Keeper of

Selliing:

xTNxANTMANx
Posts: 416
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2016 9:03 am
Location: Western Tennessee

Re: New to Ant Keeping

Post: # 18545Post xTNxANTMANx
Mon Mar 27, 2017 10:22 am

I use both kinds of setups. I have grout set up that I have made myself and also have a few AntsCanada hybrid nest. And they seem to work great whatever one you use. Just make sure if you make a homemade one they have a hydration chamber to hydrate your nest. And also depending on the species you can keep your queen and your test tube set-up until there's quite a few workers.
Keeping:
Camponotus subbarbatus
Formica pallidefulva x2
Formica subsericea x4
Lasius sp
Tetramorium immigrans x2
Dorymyrmex bureni

Founding:
Formica pallidefulva
Unknown sp x2

JackPayne
Posts: 287
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2017 2:28 am
Location: Australia,NSW

Re: New to Ant Keeping

Post: # 18613Post JackPayne
Tue Mar 28, 2017 4:44 am

Heya, Don't worry, the loss of wings doesn't guarantee that the queen is fertilised, nor does the keeping of wings mean that she isn't! All you can really do is wait until her eggs hatch, and if they are males with wings she's unfertilised, but if workers hatch your all good :D
Hi I'm Jack, How are you?

kamisamalanasa

Re: New to Ant Keeping

Post: # 18618Post kamisamalanasa
Tue Mar 28, 2017 5:02 am

xTNxANTMANx wrote:
Mon Mar 27, 2017 10:22 am
I use both kinds of setups. I have grout set up that I have made myself and also have a few AntsCanada hybrid nest. And they seem to work great whatever one you use. Just make sure if you make a homemade one they have a hydration chamber to hydrate your nest. And also depending on the species you can keep your queen and your test tube set-up until there's quite a few workers.
Can you send photos of your homemade setup for ideas?

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