Restricted Space

[dinoman9877]

I've come to the realization in my ponderings of keeping ants that I lack one key ingredient, something so incredibly vital to the whole thing that it is the determining factor on me raising a colony.

No, it's not the lack of a queen. Good guess though.

I don't have a place to keep the ants. Like, at all. Despite my house originally being a 'two family' home, there's no suitable location for the formicarium. We have an attic that would be the equivalent of the Sahara in the summer and the Arctic in the winter to the little guys, but on top of that it's just filled with dust and, more importantly, unpacked boxes. So no go there.

The second floor is a compact space with a small 'den', two bedrooms, and a bathroom. Call me crazy but I want the ants as far from my bed as possible if they get out, and my mother does too. So the second floor is off limits.

The first floor is just as compact, and the ants are no more than a jog away from a pantry stocked with sugary foods.

That just leaves a rather ignored and in desperate need of cleaning concrete basement, which is also often filled with wild insects because we live right next to a forest.

Any ideas guys?

[AntMomo]

Hmm that's a good question. It'll be hard to raise them without suitable space. However I don't think you should worry TOO much about them getting out. If you get yourself a good quality formicarium, you'll probably be alright. Same with the type of ant you're keeping. If you keep ants who aren't very opportunistic nesters (as in, they dont move out so readilly), you should also be fine.

The basement could also work. Just make sure it's temperature and humidity levels are good for your ant species. You can always get a heating cable if it's too cold. As for outside bugs getting in from the basement, if you have an outworld with a top and a very small-holed screen, that also shouldn't be a problem, as far as I know. Also, you won't have to worry about winter temperatures of a room, since if you live in a temperate region, you should be hibernating them in the winter time in a fridge.

But yeah, best to be safe than sorry. I'll let others reply who are more experienced to see what they think as well.

[dinoman9877]

That's another thing, putting a whole colony of ants in my fridge. We don't really have a ton of space in there, heck we had the tiniest area available to fit the few workers after they got here from when I had one of those tiny ant farms when I was little. (It was sand, not gel, don't worry.)

Not to mention that we can't let the fridge get too warm so milk and food doesn't spoil, or too cold so the ants turn into little insect icicles.

[PotatoDelight]

That's another thing, putting a whole colony of ants in my fridge. We don't really have a ton of space in there, heck we had the tiniest area available to fit the few workers after they got here from when I had one of those tiny ant farms when I was little. (It was sand, not gel, don't worry.)

Not to mention that we can't let the fridge get too warm so milk and food doesn't spoil, or too cold so the ants turn into little insect icicles.

You dont need to put them in a fridge as far as i can tell. This would be impossible for some of the larger colonies to fit in one. You just need to keep it cold in a specific area. And keep them there.

[Barfdog]

That's another thing, putting a whole colony of ants in my fridge. We don't really have a ton of space in there, heck we had the tiniest area available to fit the few workers after they got here from when I had one of those tiny ant farms when I was little. (It was sand, not gel, don't worry.)

Not to mention that we can't let the fridge get too warm so milk and food doesn't spoil, or too cold so the ants turn into little insect icicles.

I just got a mini ridge in my room, I got mine for free but others aren't that expensive. Also, if you have a formicairum from AntCanada, you should be good and not have too much to worry about when it comes to "Escapees" as Mikey would say.

[AceCadet]

My ants currently are in a shoebox on my book shelf. And to be honest if you worry about escapes just put in place obstacles. My test tubes are in a tupperware without a lid, with a layer of petroleum around the top lip. Do something similar. Be cautious and look for any escape routes. I know lots of ant keepers who keep their ants in bedrooms and kitchens with little to no problems. Hope that helps.

[Batspiderfish]

I say put them near the pantry. Your main concern should be that your ants get loose at all, so it shouldn't matter too much where it hypothetically happens, just so long as it doesn't drive your coinhabitants out of the house. My room, where I keep my ants, is actually adjacent to the kitchen, but no problems here.

If foraging ants are the worst of your escapee problems, it's an easy situation to correct.