Hello again! Ant questions once more!

[SandDeku]

Okay so umm hi guys haven't been on in a long time. Sooo... after an accidental death last year(it crawled out as I attempted to switch it to a new tube-- for cleaning purposes) and basically i stepped on her without noticing it... ironic huh? Well... now im on the look out for ants again and I have now bought some materials for the new terrarium enclosure... I'm going to mimic a video on youtube on the nest. More on that later.

Now question:
1) Am I too late for a freshly mated carpenter ant queen?

2)I thought I should look during the day... but is there anything I can do to leave an overnight trap for queen ants so that I can come back in the morning and harvest them?

3)Is there an easier method of getting a freshly mated queen ant? I mean I know the mating season and stuff but... Idk how to identify -other- queen ants just the campostus. Dx

4)I bought some test tubes(6tubes), collecting vials(4 vials) how long can they last in a reg. collecting vial? I was thinking of going hiking somewhere.

5)They're supposed to be active as of now and the nests around my house are getting active but... no swarmers yet... and other places= no ants. Am I too early in this case?

6)Any other good beginner ant species? I know most will be 6x smaller than the carpenter which bites tbh. but ehh I'd like to hear it out.

7)Can carpenters crawl out even if I put "insect-a-slip" ? I also noticed that teflon paint might work.

-----

Also.

The terrarium will be
a 40 breeder just so you guys know and itll be with plaster incorporated into it and cement or something ontop of it to make it like their "exploring" area.

Is this big enough for most species of ants in new jersey?

 

[The Snark]

Ant generalities, not just carpenters
1. Swing on by our place. I'll load you up with carpenter ant queens by the kilo. They mate year round here.
2. Ant's aren't nocturnal as a rule.
3. Raid their nest using the tried and tested device called a shovel. Look for the big soldiers rescuing the chunky larvae. Those are the queens.
4. Use cotton for a plug. They should survive until they starve to death. 3 to 5 days for most.
5. They usually swarm when weather, temperature, humidity and some esoteric other incidentals happen. That can be at a very certain time of year but can vary by several months. Some years they hardly swarm at all.
6. The ones that bite like a T Rex tend to have the widest range of food sources and thus, survivability,
7. Heck if I know.

 

[Malhavoc's]

Now question:
1) Am I too late for a freshly mated carpenter ant queen?
Too early for C. Penn. next month or so they begin. at least up here.

2)I thought I should look during the day... but is there anything I can do to leave an overnight trap for queen ants so that I can come back in the morning and harvest them?
Pitfall traps, most like snark said however. and black light traps work well.

3)Is there an easier method of getting a freshly mated queen ant? I mean I know the mating season and stuff but... Idk how to identify -other- queen ants just the campostus. Dx
Shovel, or spade, peel back bark on dry dead logs.

4)I bought some test tubes(6tubes), collecting vials(4 vials) how long can they last in a reg. collecting vial? I was thinking of going hiking somewhere.
until thy dehydrate, carpenters dont eat during the founding process so they can go without food for a month or two.

5)They're supposed to be active as of now and the nests around my house are getting active but... no swarmers yet... and other places= no ants. Am I too early in this case?
I dont know about you, but heres its been far too cold.

6)Any other good beginner ant species? I know most will be 6x smaller than the carpenter which bites tbh. but ehh I'd like to hear it out.
Semi claustial species are pretty easy to rear, any fire ants near you?

7)Can carpenters crawl out even if I put "insect-a-slip" ? I also noticed that teflon paint might work.
They are very determined, try putting the slip on surfaces that they would have to walk upside down on, like a lip to a container. I find this works best.

 

[SandDeku]

Ant generalities, not just carpenters
1. Swing on by our place. I'll load you up with carpenter ant queens by the kilo. They mate year round here.
2. Ant's aren't nocturnal as a rule.
3. Raid their nest using the tried and tested device called a shovel. Look for the big soldiers rescuing the chunky larvae. Those are the queens.
4. Use cotton for a plug. They should survive until they starve to death. 3 to 5 days for most.
5. They usually swarm when weather, temperature, humidity and some esoteric other incidentals happen. That can be at a very certain time of year but can vary by several months. Some years they hardly swarm at all.
6. The ones that bite like a T Rex tend to have the widest range of food sources and thus, survivability,
7. Heck if I know.

I'd buy some queens if it wasn't for the fact that they're probably illegal to buy. ; n;

How can I tell how old a nest is? Is there a way so I can raid a 1 year old nest so I don't end up getting a specimen about to croak?

 

[SandDeku]

P.s. I just remembered something. is there any additive I can add to the plaster of paris to make the nest not get mold and gross bacteria? I mean if most ants need some moisture(damp) in their nest then you would obviously need to understand there would be a possibility of mold outbreak. Now is there a way to a 100% prevent it without killing the ants? Is there any chems, that can be added to the cement mix that 100% prevents/kills mold and fungus. But does not kill ants? How often would you water the nest btw?

 

[The Snark]

P.s. I just remembered something. is there any additive I can add to the plaster of paris to make the nest not get mold and gross bacteria? I mean if most ants need some moisture(damp) in their nest then you would obviously need to understand there would be a possibility of mold outbreak. Now is there a way to a 100% prevent it without killing the ants? Is there any chems, that can be added to the cement mix that 100% prevents/kills mold and fungus. But does not kill ants? How often would you water the nest btw?

Read the label of the additive VERY CAREFULLY! Some mold retardents are simply zinc bearing compounds which do the job quite well. Others are powerful long lasting biocides that will almost certainly kill just about any small animal continually exposed to the surfaces over a period of time. If in doubt, search out zinc compounds either at your paint store or chemical supply house. Another alternative is simply painting the surface with a quality zinc chromate primer or simply find zinc chlroide and add to the plaster. Zinc chloride is the common white pigment addition for paints. It is not 100% effective for all molds, yeasts and bacteria but a zinc impregnated material presents a very hostile surface that organisms have a lot of trouble growing on. In the minimal quantities that could be absorbed by small animals it is considered non toxic.
To reiterate, if it isn't zinc it's a potentially deadly move.

 

[nepenthes]

There are alternatives to plaster hydrostone for example. There is one person I know of that sels blank hydrstone slabs for formicariums (Sp? Lol) in the states.

I haven't seen any C.penn queens yet so id say your safe too keep looking. One of the best ants to keep would be Tetramoium caespitum (sp?0 cmmon pavement ant. I've had tons of these they fly shortly after C. penn. I had submited a how to find ant alates a few years back to the ho to section of this site, check it out. I don't have time to fully respond but will later!

 

[SandDeku]

There are alternatives to plaster hydrostone for example. There is one person I know of that sels blank hydrstone slabs for formicariums (Sp? Lol) in the states.

I haven't seen any C.penn queens yet so id say your safe too keep looking. One of the best ants to keep would be Tetramoium caespitum (sp?0 cmmon pavement ant. I've had tons of these they fly shortly after C. penn. I had submited a how to find ant alates a few years back to the ho to section of this site, check it out. I don't have time to fully respond but will later!

Do they have big queens? c: I like citronellas too but Ive never even seen on...

As for the hydrostone what is it really?

---------- Post added 04-29-2013 at 11:07 AM ----------

Read the label of the additive VERY CAREFULLY! Some mold retardents are simply zinc bearing compounds which do the job quite well. Others are powerful long lasting biocides that will almost certainly kill just about any small animal continually exposed to the surfaces over a period of time. If in doubt, search out zinc compounds either at your paint store or chemical supply house. Another alternative is simply painting the surface with a quality zinc chromate primer or simply find zinc chlroide and add to the plaster. Zinc chloride is the common white pigment addition for paints. It is not 100% effective for all molds, yeasts and bacteria but a zinc impregnated material presents a very hostile surface that organisms have a lot of trouble growing on. In the minimal quantities that could be absorbed by small animals it is considered non toxic.
To reiterate, if it isn't zinc it's a potentially deadly move.

Would I be able to m ix it in with this paint additive to the plaster? It's supposed to be a dye that gives it a natural color


P.s. what would be the longest lasting colony on my state? I hear carpenters= 25 year queens; workers= ??? .

So in regards to "performance" what ant colony on my state would:

1) Last longer

2) Produce more offsprings(I'm tempted to make a super ant colony in a 55gallon aquarium. not sure yet. Though it would include its own foraging area-- I don't like the idea of tubing two tanks together much) WITHOUT running out of sperm quickly(i.e. within a 8year span is too quick)

3) Be more active--- I.e. forage more, hunt more, etc

4) Size "Sort" of matters but can be overlooked should there be atleast 2-3 of these attributes

5) Can't walk over insect-a-slip .-. (unless there's some other way to contain it--- I'm thinking of also putting a mote around the tank to teach the ants to not dare go outside rofl)

6)Very very hardy and highly fertile(prolific)-- as in has a high adaptability.



---

Also I was wondering should I get a smaller species of ant I'd be happy if I can view it better...

So is there any glass that magnifies the size of the organism? Like do they sell sheets of magnifying glass? I've been searching to no avail. :C

Like I know there are obv. magnifying glass/loupes but ussually in a small quantity and prefabricated already to serve as a loupe/lupa. Though it looks like it's not actually glass. Do they have it in glass form? I want it to not scratch easily.

--------------------------------------
ALMOST FORGOT! God it's the morning sorry guys for re-editting too much I just don't wanna spam by adding a new post itself!
Anywho! Yesterday I was digging up a nest(or part of it) and I saw some orangy red ants and they tried to bite but it didn't hurt. I was like "The ants over here would not survive against puertoricos fire ants, and army ants". I sorta laughed when they tried to bite. .-. What's up with that?

They're supposed to be fierce and violent. I hear some ants from idk like africa or south america could literary and very quite easily over power a couple of adult human beings and eat them alive. .___.; not kidding you.


Should I count the weak ants as "Aggressive" even though it didn't even hurt? Watching fierce hunters would make up for their dimunitive size should I be able to find a way to increase their size to my very very bad eyesight. xD

There's a few species of ants over here. One that's living in the mulch and I think has a few satellite nests because I see the same kind around any of the mulch area of my house or under a large flat stepping stone.

I'm tempted to leave out a spoon of sugar for all of the nests around my house to increase their production rate and possibly lead to give stronger and larger future queens. Plus a piece of ham or something(small) on each area. Or if not sugar I'd slather some honey underneath the stepping stone since that's where I see most of these ants congregate.

The ants in the mulch are black with yellow VERY THING line going through the butt(idk if its the abdomen?)they're quite small workers. Minor workers mind you.

I hear over here we might also have big-headed ants? I also hear they're tiny as gripes. :c But i'd still like them if I can get a fertile queen and make the terrarium with a stronger magnification.

 

[nepenthes]

Ytong, Aerated Concrete, Hydrostone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoclaved_aerated_concrete

Its a building material that's popular in Europe that has some interesting qualities! Its fire resistant, and mold resistant, and fairly easy to carve into a formicarium. They use it for ants in Europe! PM if you would like to know about the supplier.

Tetramorium are not large ants, they are actually widely distributed. I believe T. caespitum is native to Europe, but made its way thanks to human involvement. But they are incredibly easy to raise. This species was actually my first colony.

One of my old queens and workers.


Camponotus are actually difficult to get past the first year, IME. If you want to capture a wild colony, Ive had great luck locating 1-2 year colonies by tearing up rotting logs wood and branches. These colonies typically have 10-20 workers a queen and a bunch of brood. Just be careful you don't mush'em! And don't forget, just because youve located brood and workers doesnt mean you've found one colony. Camponotus are notorious for satellite colonies.

A great source to find out what ant species you do have!
http://antweb.org/

Hope this helps.

 

[SandDeku]

Ytong, Aerated Concrete, Hydrostone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoclaved_aerated_concrete

Its a building material that's popular in Europe that has some interesting qualities! Its fire resistant, and mold resistant, and fairly easy to carve into a formicarium. They use it for ants in Europe! PM if you would like to know about the supplier.

Tetramorium are not large ants, they are actually widely distributed. I believe T. caespitum is native to Europe, but made its way thanks to human involvement. But they are incredibly easy to raise. This species was actually my first colony.

One of my old queens and workers.


Camponotus are actually difficult to get past the first year, IME. If you want to capture a wild colony, Ive had great luck locating 1-2 year colonies by tearing up rotting logs wood and branches. These colonies typically have 10-20 workers a queen and a bunch of brood. Just be careful you don't mush'em! And don't forget, just because youve located brood and workers doesnt mean you've found one colony. Camponotus are notorious for satellite colonies.

A great source to find out what ant species you do have!
http://antweb.org/

Hope this helps.

Thanks for that link. I'm starting to question the ants I have in my yard. God. It's irritating that I can't 100% be sure of what I have in my yard. I'm -thinking- of going to the woods later on today to catch some ants. I just need to know what to look for cause it's the only woods I have and umm it's quite a trek. =___=;;


I wish someone lived in my area so they could help me find a decent colony or freshly mated queen.

As for the carpenter. I think I -had- a carpenter ant queen but now I question it. It might have actually been a pavement ant queen.

Mind you the pictures are well "shitty" :c sorry bout' that. It's from a couple years ago. u___u;;


P.s. those test tubes are 4inch long(they're long gone now though. I now have 6inch test tubes)

 

[nepenthes]

From what I can tell those are probably Camponotus queens, they could also be a Formica species (but they look to big), hard to tell w/o clearer photos. But my guess would be Camponotus chromaiodes, or Camponotus novaeboracensis. Im only basing that on the "red" near the gaster and thorax. Its been a while since I've attempted to ID.

~~~~~~ Edit ~~~~~~~

As with Tarantulas, it is helpfull if you learn the latin names. Not just common names... Pavement Ant can mean a number of things. And to those who dont know, could think any ant they find near pavement is a "pavement ant".

 

[SandDeku]

From what I can tell those are probably Camponotus queens, they could also be a Formica species (but they look to big), hard to tell w/o clearer photos. But my guess would be Camponotus chromaiodes, or Camponotus novaeboracensis. Im only basing that on the "red" near the gaster and thorax. Its been a while since I've attempted to ID.

~~~~~~ Edit ~~~~~~~

As with Tarantulas, it is helpfull if you learn the latin names. Not just common names... Pavement Ant can mean a number of things. And to those who dont know, could think any ant they find near pavement is a "pavement ant".

thanks When do you think ill be able to go catch some? c:

 

[nepenthes]

Any day you don't need to wear a jacket or light jacket (hoodie, sweater ect.) to be outside. Its ~ 65*f outside right now and I could go find some colonies if I wanted too. Once you learn where they are at, and what the ants like, its easy as pie to find them!

 

[SandDeku]

Any day you don't need to wear a jacket or light jacket (hoodie, sweater ect.) to be outside. Its ~ 65*f outside right now and I could go find some colonies if I wanted too. Once you learn where they are at, and what the ants like, its easy as pie to find them!

I don't wear jackets now. Yesterday it was 72 degrees. I know where the colonies are. That's what tantalizes me soo friggin' much! :c It's just that I can't successfully find the queens with a lot of workers rushing out. x___x;;;I wanted to capture a freshly mated queen carpenter but from what you guys said its better to go with an established queen that's been alive for 1-2years. : x problem is-- idk how to find that "Exact" age. There's no way to measure it imho.

 

[nepenthes]

There isn't, any way to be certain, any thing under 50 workers I assume to be 1-2 years old. Just a guess, rough, nothing exact or scientific about it. It also really depends on the species.

If you want you can get a fish net, and find a log with a suspected colony (obviously nothing HUGE) and slowly submerge it in a plastic tub filled with water. You might want to allow it to float some what.

If you really want to get into catching ants, the best way IMO is using an aspirator to collect wild colonies. Just make sure you use it properly, cause you will hurt your self breathing in to much formic acid.

 

[SandDeku]

There isn't, any way to be certain, any thing under 50 workers I assume to be 1-2 years old. Just a guess, rough, nothing exact or scientific about it. It also really depends on the species.

If you want you can get a fish net, and find a log with a suspected colony (obviously nothing HUGE) and slowly submerge it in a plastic tub filled with water. You might want to allow it to float some what.

If you really want to get into catching ants, the best way IMO is using an aspirator to collect wild colonies. Just make sure you use it properly, cause you will hurt your self breathing in to much formic acid.

Alright I'll take that into consideration. As long as I can recover all the workers from that colony I'm satisfied.

First things first though. I need to build my terrarium. I have some materials but I want to get everything perfect. Now would a 3ft longx 18inch widex 20inch tall work tank work?

I want to make the nest big enough to suffice for future numbers. Question--- is there another way to improve egg laying rate? and if it improves whats the likelihood it won't live long since the queen would run out of sperm?

I'd really like a carpenter queen or a citronella. Because I'm somewhat near sighted I can very well the carpenter colonies(even the small workers) but anything smaller than say..... a little black ant is nearly invisible to me. Not only will it be -impossible- for me to find the queen should it be smaller i might accidentally kill it. :x

Is there a way to magnify the whole tank from the outside without those little small mag. lens?

What are some long lived species that produce a lot of ants-- enough for the enclosure I stated?

The nest will be sort of like this:

http://www.tarheelants.com/products-page/tha-formicaria/the-pinnacle

And I want to make it so there's a layer of cement/plaster covering the top of the nest(with the watering holes, entrances, etc made-- as in not closing the entrances or anything) so they can't dig anywhere else and it serves as a foraging ground that I can make.


I hear you can "Dye" the plaster/ytong before you even prepare it. I.e. when its in liquid form you mix it in there.

Is there a way to give the inside texture of the nest sorta gritty and some areas smoother? so they can use all of the nest to their comfort? As for inside ventilation.

I'm thinking of making a small hole on one of the sides and keeping it a strong glued in tube with a cotton plugged to it and for added safety a cup of water lying under the plug to prevent any issues. x___x;;;


I'm thinking the lid could be -sort- of like the one in the critter keepers except a finer mesh made of some metal and the edges are all sealed in with a lock or something. Then in the it has like a quick-open lid/flap that provides easy access. think of it like.... this:


http://www.reptilesupply.com/images/FreshAirScreenCoverWithHing.jpg

Except the outer areas would be of glass and would be locked IN the tank not COVERING the tanks outer edges. and the mesh would only run in a few sections so that the glass area could be painted with the insect-a-slip/fluon.


Also the tank that would look like "the pinnacle" would be larger sized, more tunnels, and ventilation would be hidden in the back away from sight. Or i'd like to provide some other form of ventilation without making a hole in the tank. but idk how.


Is there a way to make the plaster/cement "Breatheable"? I want to make sure that the tank itself and the contents are somewhat lighter than if it was filled with water so when I transport it to the new house(within the same state/county) it doesn't break or something. I'd use plexiglass but something tells m e to be terrified of it for the fact it scratches easily.


Also i hear we have fake-honey pot ants over in nj. they store up grease and such but i was wondering would they do that thing normal honey pot ants do? And where can I find a honey-pot ant queen?

 

[nepenthes]

There are plenty of methods to keep ants, I do not bother with the method you are speaking of. A much more economical and simple solution is a type of test tube set up. Simply using a shoe box container with a screen (even open faced if you are ballsy enough) and insect-a-slip is more than sufficient to house ants. All you do is toss in the test tube setup w/o cotton in. An alternative is to plug it with a rubber plug that has a hole (similar to the aspirator) to reduce evaporation. When you see a dry tube, just knock out the workers and larvae (there shouldn't be allot) best you can and put in a fresh one. You can then clean the old tube and use it again when needed. I cannot comment on what you want to do, I have never used ytong. And had one very nice plaster nest I made that Ill never be able to replicate, not right now at least. Ytong is a very breathable and good source, they sell slabs there, and if your worried about mold and want a plaster like enclosure go with Aerated concrete/Ytong.

Again, I cannot speak to what ants you have, I am not from new jersey. I do not know of a honey pot ant this far north. I do know most ants have a second stomach for storing liquids. One very interesting ant, that flies as early as feb. that is commonly found in humming bird feeders (drowned from gluttony), known as Prenolepis imparis. They are known to store excess sugars in its second stomach, could this be the "honey" pot ant you speak of? This behavior is common of most ants, so false honey pot ants is a vague, and un-descriptive term. What species of citronella ant? This is what I'm Talking about. Spouting off common names isnt specific, their are a number of Lasius species, many of them parasitic, and Lasius are another difficult to ID species. There is a commonly found Lasius species, usually seen around the time of P. imparis. This species has a parasitic queen, the behavior is amazing. I believe it is Lasius claviger. But the point I am trying to make, is Citronella ants can describe a number of species.

Im not trying to rag on you, but until you find an alate, which requires patience, you really wont understand the requirements of the species. Which can vary from species to species. So its best to simply find a queen, leave it alone, take a few pictures, and attempt to ID and get others opinions on the ID. You will need to understand specifications of the species, typically antenna segments, peitole, mandibles, ect to ID. Just wait for her to lay eggs and like with many species, they dont like being disturbed.

Many of these body parts are used to ID, as well as texture of the exoskeleton, type of "hair" and placement, color... too many factors. You need to start studying ant photos on Ant web, invest in a magnifying glass and get used to looking at smaller ants.

Some species Id recommend getting familiar with are Formica, Lasius, and Camponotus. If your looking for larger ant species you will be hard pressed to find a great variety. Most ants are going to be smaller than these few genus'. IMO, all the interesting ones are smaller.

Good luck! Hope you figure out what you need too, the hobby is rather undeveloped. Opposite of that in Europe!

 

[SandDeku]

There are plenty of methods to keep ants, I do not bother with the method you are speaking of. A much more economical and simple solution is a type of test tube set up. Simply using a shoe box container with a screen (even open faced if you are ballsy enough) and insect-a-slip is more than sufficient to house ants. All you do is toss in the test tube setup w/o cotton in. An alternative is to plug it with a rubber plug that has a hole (similar to the aspirator) to reduce evaporation. When you see a dry tube, just knock out the workers and larvae (there shouldn't be allot) best you can and put in a fresh one. You can then clean the old tube and use it again when needed. I cannot comment on what you want to do, I have never used ytong. And had one very nice plaster nest I made that Ill never be able to replicate, not right now at least. Ytong is a very breathable and good source, they sell slabs there, and if your worried about mold and want a plaster like enclosure go with Aerated concrete/Ytong.

Again, I cannot speak to what ants you have, I am not from new jersey. I do not know of a honey pot ant this far north. I do know most ants have a second stomach for storing liquids. One very interesting ant, that flies as early as feb. that is commonly found in humming bird feeders (drowned from gluttony), known as Prenolepis imparis. They are known to store excess sugars in its second stomach, could this be the "honey" pot ant you speak of? This behavior is common of most ants, so false honey pot ants is a vague, and un-descriptive term. What species of citronella ant? This is what I'm Talking about. Spouting off common names isnt specific, their are a number of Lasius species, many of them parasitic, and Lasius are another difficult to ID species. There is a commonly found Lasius species, usually seen around the time of P. imparis. This species has a parasitic queen, the behavior is amazing. I believe it is Lasius claviger. But the point I am trying to make, is Citronella ants can describe a number of species.

Im not trying to rag on you, but until you find an alate, which requires patience, you really wont understand the requirements of the species. Which can vary from species to species. So its best to simply find a queen, leave it alone, take a few pictures, and attempt to ID and get others opinions on the ID. You will need to understand specifications of the species, typically antenna segments, peitole, mandibles, ect to ID. Just wait for her to lay eggs and like with many species, they dont like being disturbed.

Many of these body parts are used to ID, as well as texture of the exoskeleton, type of "hair" and placement, color... too many factors. You need to start studying ant photos on Ant web, invest in a magnifying glass and get used to looking at smaller ants.

Some species Id recommend getting familiar with are Formica, Lasius, and Camponotus. If your looking for larger ant species you will be hard pressed to find a great variety. Most ants are going to be smaller than these few genus'. IMO, all the interesting ones are smaller.

Good luck! Hope you figure out what you need too, the hobby is rather undeveloped. Opposite of that in Europe!

Thanks for that. Is the aereated concrete something that you add to the mix? or already found in the slabs? I'd buy the slabs but then I couldn't dye them before hand... On what you just said the smaller ones do sound interesting; for example "big head" ants are actually small compared to other ants if I recall reading about them that feature interests me a lot.

I'll research those names you gave me and will invest in a magnifying glass(actually think I have one somewhere-- just have to look for it rofl) the honey pot ants are the ones with swollen butts that you can obviously see their yellow content. They then hang from the wall(i forget why) and act as a reserved food supply. Whenever they use up the content they refill it.

----

Hobbys' under-developed because over here in the states were not allowed to buy/ship/transfer queen ants fron state lines.... Which sucks because I wish they would at least make the permit easier to get for an actuall hobbyst. I don't plan to release. If I can't keep em any longer I will "end" them right there as to avoid any environmental issues.... plus there's the fact I "wouldn't" get rid of them-- unless I "had" to for a very good reason.

 

[nepenthes]

If they started handing out permits to complete novices (again not ragging on you) who have to inquire about how to contain or design a formicarium; sooner or later, regardless of any ones best efforts, ants would escape. I would love to get a permit, but odds are I wont ever see one. You hear reports coming from Europe about Atta sp's getting out and surviving over the summer. You can only imagine the ecological damage. While these instances would be sporadic at best in the US, it would only be a matter of time before another "fire ant" epidemic starts. The laws are just, and rational. Only professionals should be keeping exotic ant species.

This speaks to another topic in the hobby, people getting into this seem to forget the shear sizes Camponotus (for example) colonies can get, and the space required to contain them. They stick around for years, and require allot of food once they reach a certain size. The one keeping the ant colony should not be hesitant to destroy an entire colony and NOT release them back into the wild, if they cannot continue to maintain, or sustain the colony.

Im not aiming this at you, but just trying to get it out there, that while it is fun and interesting, there are responsibilities one takes on when successfully raising an ant colony! I guess I just want others to understand and realize this too!

 

[SandDeku]

If they started handing out permits to complete novices (again not ragging on you) who have to inquire about how to contain or design a formicarium; sooner or later, regardless of any ones best efforts, ants would escape. I would love to get a permit, but odds are I wont ever see one. You hear reports coming from Europe about Atta sp's getting out and surviving over the summer. You can only imagine the ecological damage. While these instances would be sporadic at best in the US, it would only be a matter of time before another "fire ant" epidemic starts. The laws are just, and rational. Only professionals should be keeping exotic ant species.

This speaks to another topic in the hobby, people getting into this seem to forget the shear sizes Camponotus (for example) colonies can get, and the space required to contain them. They stick around for years, and require allot of food once they reach a certain size. The one keeping the ant colony should not be hesitant to destroy an entire colony and NOT release them back into the wild, if they cannot continue to maintain, or sustain the colony.

Im not aiming this at you, but just trying to get it out there, that while it is fun and interesting, there are responsibilities one takes on when successfully raising an ant colony! I guess I just want others to understand and realize this too!

Thanks for being nice about it. As for the permits I understand--- I mean couldn't they make you take a test or something? They should make a 100% fool-proof habitat for keepers to keep. I personally would love the true honey-pot ants. The ones you see in videos with loaded guts hanging from the ceiling.


As for camponotus. How big of an enclosure would they need and how much food would they need?

Do you have any estimates for the camponotus of the northern us regions?

Also isn't it true you can "control" their numbers by reducing the food amount you give to them so that the queen slows down on egg laying? I'm going to make the terrarium have a one way to completely clean it out. I'd let the ants move into another container(by force) and would throw boiling water over them. As cruel as it sounds-- it would be my duty should I not be able to keep them anymore. I don't release anything into the wild. I had once a toad I could not keep any longer so I found it a new home. For ants obv. you can't do that; but you can exterminate them. . . While yes-- it's sad. But if it's a must then it's a must.

This is why I'm asking soo many questions though. Because I want to know every single little fact about them and their keep so I -never- have so much as ONE escapee. I'm thinking of building a "mote" around their tank. Like out of glass. And would make it ATLEAST 3inches deep x 3inch wide and as for the length just add 4inches of length to each side of the tank. It would be on the outer area. So if it managed to crawl out of an escape proof enclosure it'd still have to deal with a mote of either water or some substance that isn't toxic to humans but would kill them. I'm thinking possibly sticky paper or something.

I am designing the tank so it's sorta like a prison but in a way it's paradise for them or a haven. It'd be a prison as in-- you can't escape but paradise because of safety and food consistency.

---------- Post added 04-29-2013 at 10:57 PM ----------

Also I saw another thread on some other forum on things to keep a watch for. I think I'm really going to up the quality of materials to hydrostone super-x or Tuf-stone from plaster.com both are suitable. I also read a tip somewhere in another forum that I can use an air-pump in plugged in from the outside; so a hole that would lead to the outworld extension on a normal set up would actually be the plug-in hole for the air-pump. Sooo I'm wondering what strength I should use for the air-pump and what would bother the ants and what wouldn't. At the same time I just want it to keep a decent flow of air in the inside of the nest(or a great deal of it) enough not to make them feel exposed or something; yet able to prevent mold. This method combined with the hydrostone super x or tuf-stone would likely be good. I'm also thinking of implementing a water reservoir for the nest so that it never fully dries out. I think it's that they make a tunnel on the nest that goes from the outside(top of the nest) to the way bottom, up to the opposite bottom corner of the nest. This would be filled with water and it would then be plugged with a cork from top to prevent ants from being silly and falling in there. Of course I may implement it some other way. But I want to make sure I can keep an eye on it so it never grows mold. I've also heard that there is something called "liquid rubber" which you can paint pretty much over anything and it'll never mold, rust, or whatever. It only comes in one color- black and it's expensive as the dickens! I'm wondering if there is something like that. But then one would have to question the fact "would it make the tank too dry?"


Also you ARE right while it DOES take a long long time for the camponotus nest to grow to significant numbers.... They still do grow large in numbers. So because I do not want to add attachments(paranoid) asides the air flow attachment I want to make the tank big from the get-go to provide good foraging as well as more than enough nesting space. Now the question is-- do they ever dwindle in size? Would it be bad to pick their numbers down manually? Like not stop feeding them but once I noticed their numbers are wayy too high for the enclosure would it be bad to just get an aspirator suck up as many workers as possible and end euthanize them right there?

As for what you said on a previous post: Yes I'm going to invest on an aspirator with a HEPA breathing piece so I don't breathe their acids or nasties in. or any other element. x__x;;


As for keeping their tunnels closed off so they open them when they feel like they need to. how would I go about it if I want to stick it on an aquarium and I don't want moist dirt to clog my vision from the future tunnels? I'm wondering if I can fill it up with PEA-sized gravel (not yet sand) and let them pick the gravel up? or will it be too big/strong for them to carry it outside? Any other materials they can remove manually when they need to expand that won't soil the glass? I.e. dirt/sand? I want the glass to always be kept crystal clear (as much as possible)

also I read they tend to live with many critters in their nests. Would pill bugs be bad to put in their enclosure? Or is there any other insect that they may not think of as food unless necessary but would help them keep their enclosures clean?

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And um also. Should I want to I.D. a couple of pictures should I mention county where I'm from too? And also --- where I Found them, how I found them, what was near them, in what environment I found them, and so forth?