Crazy Idea!

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Do you think this would work?

Yes
13
72%
No
5
28%
 
Total votes: 18

AntsRule
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Crazy Idea!

Post: # 5829Post AntsRule
Tue May 17, 2016 3:52 pm

What if you took a large ant colony and made sure that at all the exits only the workers and not the queen could fit through the exits. Took that formicarium and took tubing and connected it outdoors so they could forage. They would make satellite colones outside, but you would always have the queen so they could never leave you. Just a crazy idea!!! :D :lol: Vote your opinion in the poll!
With all the things ants can do, you wonder, who rules the planet :?

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AntsRule
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Re: Crazy Idea!

Post: # 5949Post AntsRule
Thu May 19, 2016 12:39 pm

It would be sort of like a bee hive. :D
With all the things ants can do, you wonder, who rules the planet :?

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ooper01
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Re: Crazy Idea!

Post: # 5958Post ooper01
Thu May 19, 2016 3:30 pm

Beekeepers do something very similar. There is metal grating that they install, usually on the bottom box, that prevents the queen from moving up to higher boxes in the hive, but still allows the workers to move through. She lays all the eggs in the lower box and then all the honey is produced in the upper boxes. Makes honey harvesting much easier and cleaner without worrying about larvae in the upper boxes.

As for ant keeping, it may work for certain species, like the ones that don't produce majors or super majors which are typically very close in size to the queen. The one thing I see that may be a problem is that the workers would not be able to bring any food into the nest that is as large or larger than the queen. Even food that is smaller than the queen may be difficult to take in since they would be carrying it and it might make the ant + food too big to get in.

I like the idea of allowing for outside foraging though. I wish it were possible/feasible to do it.
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MCWren

Re: Crazy Idea!

Post: # 10183Post MCWren
Sat Aug 20, 2016 1:59 pm

That was discussed on the yuku forum: http://antfarm.yuku.com/reply/97498/My-Formicarium-With-a-Real-Outside-Out-World-Large-Pics
I think it's worth a try if someone has a lot of colonies and wants to try it. Maybe it could even have a pest control application. Market that, AntsCanada!

HenryWong

Re: Crazy Idea!

Post: # 19604Post HenryWong
Mon Apr 17, 2017 10:47 pm

I'm not sure if that'll work, but I hope it does, it's a intresting idea.
Plus, you won't have to feed them. :D

Martialis
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Re: Crazy Idea!

Post: # 19605Post Martialis
Mon Apr 17, 2017 10:51 pm

To be honest, it depends heavily on species and area.

If you're in California, argentine ants will get in and kill everything.

If it's a polymorphic or even monomorphic species, how do you ensure the queen isn't so small she can get out?
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Cale3459

Re: Crazy Idea!

Post: # 19609Post Cale3459
Tue Apr 18, 2017 12:21 am

I had thought about something similar for a colony that has alates. What I wanted to do was have a large outworld outside with a fluon barrier my ants couldn't cross to escape but the winged males and females could fly out of.

Serafine

Re: Crazy Idea!

Post: # 20030Post Serafine
Mon Apr 24, 2017 6:04 pm

I know someone who did that with Pheidole megacephalia. He hid the formicarium at a dark place, the Pheidole went raiding and killed all the Argentine colonies around the building.

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Jadeninja9
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Re: Crazy Idea!

Post: # 20048Post Jadeninja9
Mon Apr 24, 2017 8:31 pm

Serafine wrote:
Mon Apr 24, 2017 6:04 pm
I know someone who did that with Pheidole megacephalia. He hid the formicarium at a dark place, the Pheidole went raiding and killed all the Argentine colonies around the building.
whoa that's so cool
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HypernovaRain
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Re: Crazy Idea!

Post: # 22781Post HypernovaRain
Sun Jun 11, 2017 2:03 am

Maybe, if the queen is much bigger than the workers and there aren't any aggressive ants that could invade that area I think it's worth a shot! Although I feel that some workers might start moving the brood to a new location without the queen...
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