IDEA

[AntLove5Ever]

Everyone that is all sad because winter is coming and either A, they can't watch their colonies being fun, or B can't catch a queen, fear no longer! I have an Idea for B. You in fact CAN catch a queen.

Step 1 Have it be winter about 35F or below
Step 2 Find a log with a hole in it.
Step 3 Carefully split the log open, and pull out any camponotus inside
Step 4 Repeat steps 2 and 3.
Step 5 When you find multiple colonies of the same species, you can brood boost, an I've even seen people worker boost like this, My friend who moved to the middle east from montana showed me this method, and then his 3000 worker, 3 year old colony of Camponotus from back in montana.

[Batspiderfish]

I don't necessarily agree with tearing apart habitats in search of pet queens. I like to draw the line as to whether or not it is so important for me to harm my environment just to have a pet for my amusement.

When the ground is frosty, I find it is relatively non-destructive to turn over small rocks at the base of trees. If there are things there you didn't intend to disturb, you can put the rock back before they scurry somewhere that would put themselves in danger. I found my first two queens this way, in April of 2011; Lasius umbratus and Formica subsericea.

[AceCadet]

Yeah. I personally feel too terrible disturbing any wild nests. They worked so hard to build those nests and then you just destroy them. And unless you scoop up every single worker you are condemning many to death. I think patience is really key.

[AntLove5Ever]

I don't necessarily agree with tearing apart habitats in search of pet queens. I like to draw the line as to whether or not it is so important for me to harm my environment just to have a pet for my amusement.

When the ground is frosty, I find it is relatively non-destructive to turn over small rocks at the base of trees. If there are things there you didn't intend to disturb, you can put the rock back before they scurry somewhere that would put themselves in danger. I found my first two queens this way, in April of 2011; Lasius umbratus and Formica subsericea.

I don't consider it harm to the environment, because they are probably going to survive better with an antkeeper than in the harsh wilderness. I caught a colony from the mountains once, they were going to end up dying because the next day they cleared the whole forest to put in a new road.

I know this is a sort of exclusive situation, but habitat destruction is going to happen, be it by global warming, by people bulldozing the woods, to people like me, who are interested in their behavior, and I released the colony eventually too. I think that it is not going to endanger any species, and is possibly a good thing for the ants, and it makes your own life easier. IMO it is good in some cases, but bad in others too.

[Batspiderfish]

I don't necessarily agree with tearing apart habitats in search of pet queens. I like to draw the line as to whether or not it is so important for me to harm my environment just to have a pet for my amusement.

When the ground is frosty, I find it is relatively non-destructive to turn over small rocks at the base of trees. If there are things there you didn't intend to disturb, you can put the rock back before they scurry somewhere that would put themselves in danger. I found my first two queens this way, in April of 2011; Lasius umbratus and Formica subsericea.

I don't consider it harm to the environment, because they are probably going to survive better with an antkeeper than in the harsh wilderness. I caught a colony from the mountains once, they were going to end up dying because the next day they cleared the whole forest to put in a new road.

I know this is a sort of exclusive situation, but habitat destruction is going to happen, be it by global warming, by people bulldozing the woods, to people like me, who are interested in their behavior, and I released the colony eventually too. I think that it is not going to endanger any species, and is possibly a good thing for the ants, and it makes your own life easier. IMO it is good in some cases, but bad in others too.

These are really just rationalizations. The reason global warming/environmental destruction gets worse is because everybody collectively thinks that they hardly contribute to it. There are situations where it is less harmful to the environment to remove a wild animal, but it will always be harmful to some degree, and it's up to us to take responsibility for everything we do. The idea that a wild colony will survive better in captivity is not only untrue, but the fact that it is removed from the wild at all is ecologically equivalent to it having died in the first place; even releasing the colony back into the wild risks introducing pathogens to wild populations.

If you know an area is going to be bulldozed over and developed, the ants in there are fair game. If your family is going to burn logs during the winter that have ants in them, consider those fair game. But if we go out and destroy habitats to hundreds of different species besides ants, then we become the irresponsible, destructive force. It really isn't worth a bit of selfish human amusement.

Collecting newly mated queens, who only have a 1% chance of surviving their first year, is not particularly destructive. Collecting wild colonies who were that 1% is irresponsible, in my oppinion. Rant over.

[AntLove5Ever]

I don't necessarily agree with tearing apart habitats in search of pet queens. I like to draw the line as to whether or not it is so important for me to harm my environment just to have a pet for my amusement.

When the ground is frosty, I find it is relatively non-destructive to turn over small rocks at the base of trees. If there are things there you didn't intend to disturb, you can put the rock back before they scurry somewhere that would put themselves in danger. I found my first two queens this way, in April of 2011; Lasius umbratus and Formica subsericea.

I don't consider it harm to the environment, because they are probably going to survive better with an antkeeper than in the harsh wilderness. I caught a colony from the mountains once, they were going to end up dying because the next day they cleared the whole forest to put in a new road.

I know this is a sort of exclusive situation, but habitat destruction is going to happen, be it by global warming, by people bulldozing the woods, to people like me, who are interested in their behavior, and I released the colony eventually too. I think that it is not going to endanger any species, and is possibly a good thing for the ants, and it makes your own life easier. IMO it is good in some cases, but bad in others too.

These are really just rationalizations. The reason global warming/environmental destruction gets worse is because everybody collectively thinks that they hardly contribute to it. There are situations where it is less harmful to the environment to remove a wild animal, but it will always be harmful to some degree, and it's up to us to take responsibility for everything we do. The idea that a wild colony will survive better in captivity is not only untrue, but the fact that it is removed from the wild at all is ecologically equivalent to it having died in the first place; even releasing the colony back into the wild risks introducing pathogens to wild populations.

If you know an area is going to be bulldozed over and developed, the ants in there are fair game. If your family is going to burn logs during the winter that have ants in them, consider those fair game. But if we go out and destroy habitats to hundreds of different species besides ants, then we become the irresponsible, destructive force. It really isn't worth a bit of selfish human amusement.

Collecting newly mated queens, who only have a 1% chance of surviving their first year, is not particularly destructive. Collecting wild colonies who were that 1% is irresponsible, in my oppinion. Rant over.

Ant politics XD

[AntLove5Ever]

I don't necessarily agree with tearing apart habitats in search of pet queens. I like to draw the line as to whether or not it is so important for me to harm my environment just to have a pet for my amusement.

When the ground is frosty, I find it is relatively non-destructive to turn over small rocks at the base of trees. If there are things there you didn't intend to disturb, you can put the rock back before they scurry somewhere that would put themselves in danger. I found my first two queens this way, in April of 2011; Lasius umbratus and Formica subsericea.

I don't consider it harm to the environment, because they are probably going to survive better with an antkeeper than in the harsh wilderness. I caught a colony from the mountains once, they were going to end up dying because the next day they cleared the whole forest to put in a new road.

I know this is a sort of exclusive situation, but habitat destruction is going to happen, be it by global warming, by people bulldozing the woods, to people like me, who are interested in their behavior, and I released the colony eventually too. I think that it is not going to endanger any species, and is possibly a good thing for the ants, and it makes your own life easier. IMO it is good in some cases, but bad in others too.

These are really just rationalizations. The reason global warming/environmental destruction gets worse is because everybody collectively thinks that they hardly contribute to it. There are situations where it is less harmful to the environment to remove a wild animal, but it will always be harmful to some degree, and it's up to us to take responsibility for everything we do. The idea that a wild colony will survive better in captivity is not only untrue, but the fact that it is removed from the wild at all is ecologically equivalent to it having died in the first place; even releasing the colony back into the wild risks introducing pathogens to wild populations.

If you know an area is going to be bulldozed over and developed, the ants in there are fair game. If your family is going to burn logs during the winter that have ants in them, consider those fair game. But if we go out and destroy habitats to hundreds of different species besides ants, then we become the irresponsible, destructive force. It really isn't worth a bit of selfish human amusement.

Collecting newly mated queens, who only have a 1% chance of surviving their first year, is not particularly destructive. Collecting wild colonies who were that 1% is irresponsible, in my oppinion. Rant over.

Also, I never collect colonies that are not in any danger because that is mean. But My family collects logs from the mountains there for fires, but I mainly got the ants out because of the bulldozer. Also, I have never had any ants from my house have pathogens or be sick, so how do they make other ants sick? Also Mikey releases ants too!

[Batspiderfish]

Also, I never collect colonies that are not in any danger because that is mean. But My family collects logs from the mountains there for fires, but I mainly got the ants out because of the bulldozer. Also, I have never had any ants from my house have pathogens or be sick, so how do they make other ants sick? Also Mikey releases ants too!

I didn't mean to accuse you of anything, but I don't want collecting established colonies to be a common method for acquiring our pet ants is all.

We really can't be trusted to be able to identify or diagnose pathogens in our ant pets. Myrmecologists like James Trager say it is a very serious risk, and I believe them. Mikey does it because he loves his ants, but that does not necessarily mean we SHOULD be doing it. Try to keep your ants in captivity for the duration of their lives.

[AntLove5Ever]

Also, I never collect colonies that are not in any danger because that is mean. But My family collects logs from the mountains there for fires, but I mainly got the ants out because of the bulldozer. Also, I have never had any ants from my house have pathogens or be sick, so how do they make other ants sick? Also Mikey releases ants too!

I didn't mean to accuse you of anything, but I don't want collecting established colonies to be a common method for acquiring our pet ants is all.

We really can't be trusted to be able to identify or diagnose pathogens in our ant pets. Myrmecologists like James Trager say it is a very serious risk, and I believe them. Mikey does it because he loves his ants, but that does not necessarily mean we SHOULD be doing it. Try to keep your ants in captivity for the duration of their lives.

So Im going to say this in the most respectful way i can but i am not going to keep a colony for 20 years (average queen life span if im correct) And there is no way I could kill her. I would prob cry XD

[AceCadet]

I feel this is where things get a bit hypocritical. What about parrots, parrots live upwards of 80 years. Cats and dogs live 20 years on occasion. You wouldn't release them just because its been too long. You can control colony size through protein. So why get rid of them? I don't think I could release my colonies after spending years taking care of them. They could be wiped out by pesticides, smashed by people, destroyed by construction. Isn't this the exact thing you are stating you would be "protecting" the colonies from by relocating them.