Ansept wrote: ↑Sun Jun 23, 2019 2:28 am
So I've been diving into ant breeding and all the may come along with it. I learned you want to be responsible when releasing ants into the wild, but I want to go into this adventure with the idea that is the end goal. So I came looking for local ant enthusiasts for some help!
LOCAL became a broad term, not many people are into this sorta thing! So, I'm debating on buying a starting kit and getting started!
BUT I really want to pick the right spices of ant for me, and more importantly my local environment.
I like the idea of being able to feed ant meat/fruit not just stuff i buy off the web.
So pros, if you know of any beginner friendly, environment friendly ants...maybe something pretty/rarer or cool recommendations?
<3 Hope I fit in and hope you guys can help me get started on this!
These are a few genera and species which are very common all over North America, and are commonly recommended as beginner species-
Camponotus (carpenter ants) are large black to black and red ants. They are easy to view due to their size. Although they are very slow growing at the start, they can be very rewarding once colonies get large. When threatened, they spray formic (which doesn't harm humans unless sprayed into an open wound).
Formica (field ants, wood ants) are silver to black and red ants, slightly smaller than Camponotus. Normal species are recommended as beginner species, yet avoid parasitic species (with red heads and thoraxes (mid-sections). Athough normal species also have red legs, so don't let this alarm you). They are very quick and nimble, and spray formic acid as well.
Lasius (each individual species has its own common name) are small brown to black ants. They are the ones you would see making little sand piles in sidewalk cracks. They are quite simple, and probably the easiest species out of all these ants to keep. Yet again, avoid parasitic species (orange workers with small, black queens).
Also about feeding, ants prefer freshly killed insects as a protein source. You can either buy them at a local pet store, or catch them in your yard (if it hasn't been sprayed with pesticides).
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25