Could use some help deciding which ants I should start out with

[TheRealAntMan]

Well to start can you give us a general location of your area? That way we can know what ants are in your area. If you are worried about the colony dying off, don’t because most colonies last several years before they die off. Maybe you can try a Myrmica sp. From what I hear queens last about 2-3 years, but you can add in queens even after they’re past the founding stage.

[TheRealAntMan]

Here are the species of Myrmica that live in the Netherlands. (I don’t know all so forgive me if I exclude some.)
Myrmica bessarabicus
Myrmica rubra
Myrmica ruginodis
Myrmica rugulosa
Myrmica schencki

Again, there might be more but these are all the ones I can remember that live in the Netherlands.

[TheRealAntMan]

These are actually very common ants in The Netherlands, but these ants are polygyne, I'm worried they'll grow too fast and that I won't be able to manage them well

So say you start off with 2 queens. Well from what I hear the queens of this species live for only 2-3 years. So every 2-3 years add in queens as you please. And you can always control the size of a colony by limiting food and putting them in a cooler room.

[TheRealAntMan]

Yes temperature can control the growth of the colony. Warmth will help them develop faster, and cooler temperatures slow down development. But food limits the colony size.

[TheRealAntMan]

No I have never kept Messor ants as they are not found here in North America. But I do know the care of these harvester ants. They require a variety of birdseed and an extra protein source (ex: Superworm). Some harvester ant keepers feed their ants a sugar source but it is not needed. Don’t forget they still need their water though.

[TheRealAntMan]

Put it somewhere in your drawer or closet that way it’s dark. Unless you’re constantly hitting your drawer/closet they should be fine. After all ant live outside where it’s full of vibrations and noise so they should be fine. And do occasional checkups every 7-8 days.

[AntsLuxembourg]

You could also start with a Lasius Niger colony. They are also suitable for starters. Although I had a queen from a fellow GAN Farmer which seem alright she died after two months I guess and I think it was because I always exposed the queen to too much light for streaming. Well I got 8 fertile queens at the moment and they are laying eggs like crazy.

I have roughly counted one queen with like 30-50 eggs already but their are no workers arround so far. It seems my wardrobe is perfect for that. So if you want I could provide you a colony via the GAN-Project and arrange with you to meet. I don't like the idea of sending the ants by mail anymore. Also Lasius Niger is very common all over Europe so you could also try to find a queen for yourself. So perhaps have a small empty waterbottle ready if you go looking. I think they might have another flight next thursday. At least here at my hotspots I always found some on thursdays when it wasn't raining.

Well I will have to see how it goes with my queens tho.