Unprepared beginner?!

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Djzone

Unprepared beginner?!

Post: # 18392Post Djzone
Wed Mar 22, 2017 12:43 am

Sooooo, I have always been interested in the idea of capturing my own queen ant to raise a new colony, however I work 6 days a week and have a family the other half of my life, and that combined with my lack of knowledge brings me to my current Dilemma.
I work in the pest control industry out here in the Pacific Northwest of Washington, an odd occupation for an ant enthusiast I'm sure...anywho upon inspection of a customers yard I located a tapinoma sessile colony under a tarp over a mulch bed. Within minutes I located two queens attempting to flee the scene in a haze. With the guilt in mind of having to ultimately eliminate them, I took to gathering the queens and a handfull of workers with a few brood. They survived transport and I have them in a small cup with soil from their original home, moistened by papertowls, with a local sugar water source... though my expectations aren't very high, I'd like some optimistic ideas on how to potentially turn this bad situation around! I have no idea what their protein preference may be, but I figured being typical household ants,maybe a cracked egg, some seeds in bread? Not entirely sure... I also captured a small sow bug and a crushed slug...
Anyone have advice? I've also read they are hard to keep, as they can be temperamental in captivity, not to mention these poor gals were already well established before I came along.

AntsSA
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Re: Unprepared beginner?!

Post: # 18397Post AntsSA
Wed Mar 22, 2017 6:42 am

This is very Similar to what happened to me.
if you tell me how many workers and brood there is I can help you.
Keeping.
lepisiota capensis colony
Cardiocondyla sp.
Founding
Messor. Sp. X 4
Myrmicine Sp. X 2
atopomyrmex Sp. X 2
Ants SA
:lol: :lol:
YouTube :
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC404jNiUH33dFnxqSZajoPg

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Batspiderfish
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Re: Unprepared beginner?!

Post: # 18403Post Batspiderfish
Wed Mar 22, 2017 8:24 am

Fruit flies from the pet store, then frozen, would be fine. I'd also suggest catching up on more traditional methods of care, providing a test tube and foraging arena.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

Djzone

Re: Unprepared beginner?!

Post: # 18405Post Djzone
Wed Mar 22, 2017 9:58 am

Maybe 20ish workers and 4-5 brood, plus 2 queens. They are using a Tupperware cup as a sort of nest, and it's in the middle of a large foraging area, with basically a water tube next to the entrance. They have been getting busy in the cup, but won't leave, so before I left for work this morning I applied a few drops of organic agave nectar to the soil in the cup and they seemed to congregate around it shortly after.

AntsSA
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Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 12:08 am
Location: South africa
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Re: Unprepared beginner?!

Post: # 18406Post AntsSA
Wed Mar 22, 2017 10:11 am

Provide a festive as a nest , try keeping it dark. Feed small bits of food . Give them constant access to honey applied In small drops they can't get stuck in. Workers live a few months so when the brood you all have become workers they will be able to care for new brood in till you have all stages of brood at all times. After that just treat them like a queen that just got her first workers. I will make a video about that in a few months time when my momomorium queen welcomes her first workers. The link to my channel is in my signature.
Keeping.
lepisiota capensis colony
Cardiocondyla sp.
Founding
Messor. Sp. X 4
Myrmicine Sp. X 2
atopomyrmex Sp. X 2
Ants SA
:lol: :lol:
YouTube :
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC404jNiUH33dFnxqSZajoPg

AntsSA
Posts: 218
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2017 12:08 am
Location: South africa
Contact:

Re: Unprepared beginner?!

Post: # 18407Post AntsSA
Wed Mar 22, 2017 10:14 am

And also feed any liquid food in a testube plugged with cotten
Keeping.
lepisiota capensis colony
Cardiocondyla sp.
Founding
Messor. Sp. X 4
Myrmicine Sp. X 2
atopomyrmex Sp. X 2
Ants SA
:lol: :lol:
YouTube :
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC404jNiUH33dFnxqSZajoPg

Djzone

Re: Unprepared beginner?!

Post: # 18469Post Djzone
Fri Mar 24, 2017 1:54 am

Okay! New update! Identification crisis, I thought they were tapinoma sessile, but I think they may be moisture ants? My reason being, that I just recently uncovered an active odorous house ant colony and found several queens, much smaller than the two queens I found, unless they were alates? But they were much smaller than the queens I found, perhaps half the size?

Djzone

Re: Unprepared beginner?!

Post: # 18470Post Djzone
Fri Mar 24, 2017 1:55 am

And they had no wings, but I had no time to sit an note exact differences

Djzone

Re: Unprepared beginner?!

Post: # 18471Post Djzone
Fri Mar 24, 2017 1:56 am

Sorry for spamming, im not sure what the temperament difference would be between the two, like food, temperature, etc...
Either way it's now been day two, and three workers have emerged and actively forage in the makeshift environment I've created, I wish I could afford the proper equipment, but working 6 days a week to take care of my daughter and home is quite the drain financially! If any improvisional advice could be given I'd appreciate it, I am currently using a shooter glass with a sugar water mix stoppered by cotton as a sort of test tube water

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idahoantgirl
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Location: Idaho, USA

Re: Unprepared beginner?!

Post: # 18476Post idahoantgirl
Fri Mar 24, 2017 10:56 am

Djzone wrote:
Fri Mar 24, 2017 1:56 am
Sorry for spamming, im not sure what the temperament difference would be between the two, like food, temperature, etc...
Either way it's now been day two, and three workers have emerged and actively forage in the makeshift environment I've created, I wish I could afford the proper equipment, but working 6 days a week to take care of my daughter and home is quite the drain financially! If any improvisional advice could be given I'd appreciate it, I am currently using a shooter glass with a sugar water mix stoppered by cotton as a sort of test tube water
You can go down to a place that sells flowers and ask for a water pik. (it is a plastic test tubelike container that hold a single flower) They are super cheap. The most you would have to pay is like 50 cents each. Sometimes you can get them for free! They are considerably shorter than a traditional test tube but It has worker fine for me. This can be your test tube for the young colony. Try to move them out of the dirt into the test-tube-like thing. (with the traditional water and cotton setup.) It is much easier to monitor a colony in a clear test tube. You will always be sure they have the right humidity, the soil isn't rotting, and you will be able to monitor food levels.. ect.
If your colony already has 20 plus workers, you may find that they need a nest somewhat soon. (25 to 50 workers is the safest number to move ants into a nest.) I suggest that you make your own out of a bead organizer. All the things needed in this formicarium are super cheap. Here is an instructional video. The only thing would change on this design is covering the nest with a sheet of glass (harvested from a picture frame lying around the house) for better visibility. I would also maybe find a way to have the hydration chamber available to be changed out if it started to mold.I might also make more holes on the hydration chamber so more humidity can enter the nest. (If you don't have all the tools it is easy to improvise. For larger holes, take a pocket knife, hold it in boiling water for a few minutes and then cut the plastic. For small holes (hydration chamber) hold a thick needle in boiling water and push it through.) You can also add sand to the bottom of the nest so it doesn't look so plain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slse_qq2SXU
Proverbs 6:6-8

Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.

Keeping Tetramorium immigrans, Tapinoma Sessile

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