First species and specific care

Questions from those who are just starting or considering getting into the ant keeping hobby. If you’re intimidated or confused by the in-depth posts of the other sections of this forum, feel free to post here, and we'll start from square one!

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Libraryofalexandria
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First species and specific care

Post: # 84491Post Libraryofalexandria
Tue Oct 26, 2021 2:40 pm

I am thinking about starting my first ant colony and I have looked at the store to see people selling colonies in my area. I have camponotus, crematogaster, Formica, and tetramorium species in my area and I wanted to know what would make a good first colony and what do I need to know about them?

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CombinedHalo467
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Re: First species and specific care

Post: # 84493Post CombinedHalo467
Tue Oct 26, 2021 4:31 pm

Im not too experienced in cremogaster and formica but camponotus take very long to get a sizeable colony (like 2-3 years) but tetramorium explode in numbers so it depends if you want a big or small colony also from what I have heard camponotus are relatively easy to keep but im not sure about tetramorium but I find them cool because they are vicious and have a big appetite.
A prenolepis imparis colony with repletes and a big queen also 10 chickens and 1 annoying brother.

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SYUTEO
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Re: First species and specific care

Post: # 84495Post SYUTEO
Tue Oct 26, 2021 9:18 pm

Camponotus like a drier nest, will eat just about anything, slow growing but large and they are one of the most commonly kept species by beginners. Crematogaster may also like a drier nest since most of the species are arboreal, can be quite aggressive especially when defending their nest, are a bit pickier than Camponotus (may depend on species), most are small to medium sized and fast growing. I'm not sure about Formica but some species can shoot acid directly at you if you disturb their nest, run fast, have a painful bite (may depend on the species) , will eat just about anything, most are medium to large sized and some are parasitic or slave-makers. Tetramorium are small, will also eat just about anything, their stingers are too small to harm you, are invasive to the US (except for a few semi-claustral species that are native to the US), aggressive to live prey items and are one of the fastest growing ant species.

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antnest8
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Re: First species and specific care

Post: # 84511Post antnest8
Wed Oct 27, 2021 12:37 pm

I am pretty sure Tetramorium Immgrans is Native to the US, not invasive.

Anyway, Camponotus is REALLY slow to get growing, but If you are purchasing a colony, it might be good if you get a colony with 20+ workers already. Tetramorium is what I would go with. I always imagine Tetramorium as the roman empire because they expand quickly, are INCREDIBLY loyal and like to get in really big ant wars. They will eat everything so they are easy to keep, just make sure you have expansion plans.

Crematogaster is the hardest on the list. They are already an uncommon queen to find compared to the others, and they are extremely sensitive to movement and disruption. I think they are also kind of picky with food, but I have never personally gotten a colony to a large enough size to tell.

Formica is just Off-brand camponotus that grows slightly faster, and like heat more
Some of My Informative Sheets
https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=19099
Includes :
  • Ant Care Sheets
    Queen Hunting
    How To Identify Ants
Goal is to become #2 poster on the forum

SYUTEO
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Re: First species and specific care

Post: # 84521Post SYUTEO
Wed Oct 27, 2021 10:06 pm

antnest8 wrote:
Wed Oct 27, 2021 12:37 pm
I am pretty sure Tetramorium Immgrans is Native to the US, not invasive.

Anyway, Camponotus is REALLY slow to get growing, but If you are purchasing a colony, it might be good if you get a colony with 20+ workers already. Tetramorium is what I would go with. I always imagine Tetramorium as the roman empire because they expand quickly, are INCREDIBLY loyal and like to get in really big ant wars. They will eat everything so they are easy to keep, just make sure you have expansion plans.

Crematogaster is the hardest on the list. They are already an uncommon queen to find compared to the others, and they are extremely sensitive to movement and disruption. I think they are also kind of picky with food, but I have never personally gotten a colony to a large enough size to tell.

Formica is just Off-brand camponotus that grows slightly faster, and like heat more
Actually no, T. immigrans is native to Europe and not to the US. Here's proof:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetramorium_immigrans, https://antmaps.org/?mode=species&species=Tetramorium.immigrans

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CombinedHalo467
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Re: First species and specific care

Post: # 84522Post CombinedHalo467
Wed Oct 27, 2021 10:37 pm

Tetramorium are not native to the US but im not sure where they came from but they have integrated themselves into the ecosystem so its like they are native even though they are not at least I think heard that somewhere
A prenolepis imparis colony with repletes and a big queen also 10 chickens and 1 annoying brother.

Ants Are Awesome

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antnest8
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Location: Detroit, MI

Re: First species and specific care

Post: # 84744Post antnest8
Thu Nov 04, 2021 4:35 pm

SYUTEO wrote:
Wed Oct 27, 2021 10:06 pm
antnest8 wrote:
Wed Oct 27, 2021 12:37 pm
I am pretty sure Tetramorium Immgrans is Native to the US, not invasive.

Anyway, Camponotus is REALLY slow to get growing, but If you are purchasing a colony, it might be good if you get a colony with 20+ workers already. Tetramorium is what I would go with. I always imagine Tetramorium as the roman empire because they expand quickly, are INCREDIBLY loyal and like to get in really big ant wars. They will eat everything so they are easy to keep, just make sure you have expansion plans.

Crematogaster is the hardest on the list. They are already an uncommon queen to find compared to the others, and they are extremely sensitive to movement and disruption. I think they are also kind of picky with food, but I have never personally gotten a colony to a large enough size to tell.

Formica is just Off-brand camponotus that grows slightly faster, and like heat more
Actually no, T. immigrans is native to Europe and not to the US. Here's proof:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetramorium_immigrans, https://antmaps.org/?mode=species&species=Tetramorium.immigrans
Must be a recent change (Within the last year and a half). They used to be considered native on antmaps, I know that.

Thanks for the updated information
Some of My Informative Sheets
https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=19099
Includes :
  • Ant Care Sheets
    Queen Hunting
    How To Identify Ants
Goal is to become #2 poster on the forum

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CombinedHalo467
Posts: 149
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:38 pm
Location: wisconsin usa

Re: First species and specific care

Post: # 84752Post CombinedHalo467
Thu Nov 04, 2021 7:41 pm

yea I think I heard that metioned on one of mikeys vids maybe the mothers day one
A prenolepis imparis colony with repletes and a big queen also 10 chickens and 1 annoying brother.

Ants Are Awesome

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