Camponotus

[entomologic]

@Ponerinecat @entomologic is antscanda the only option for this enclosures or are there others that I could buy from. I was planning to get two of these for my lasuis.

https://www.antscanada.com/shop/new-hybrid-nest-mini/

And another question does each ant queen need their own outworld.
One more question what other species of ant might I encounter in new York or what resource could I use to find out my native species

Definitely would keep each queen and their colony separate, supposedly colonies will fight if they can reach each other.

Antscanada is fine, I have a couple of their enclosures but find them too humid and expensive most of the time. You typically fill them with perlite that is kept damp which can be messy too. I personally like the cheaper acrylic options nowadays. I'm using a couple of these for newer colonies (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2251832758946964.html):

Definitely wouldn't use it for smaller species but good so far for camponotus. Also, hard to tell from the picture but it has dividers that partition the chambers so you can gradually expand it as the colony grows. I used to make my own enclosures but that is a ton of time and expense (and opportunity to screw things up).

Antswiki is a pretty good resource for ant identification, they have several pages on how to classify them that can be followed if you have the time. There was a study of NYC ants from 2010: https://antwiki.org/wiki/Ants_of_New_York_City so that might be a good place to start to narrow things down (assuming there is likely overlap between NYC species and the greater NY region).

 

[Jonathan6303]

Definitely would keep each queen and their colony separate, supposedly colonies will fight if they can reach each other.

Antscanada is fine, I have a couple of their enclosures but find them too humid and expensive most of the time. You typically fill them with perlite that is kept damp which can be messy too. I personally like the cheaper acrylic options nowadays. I'm using a couple of these for newer colonies (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2251832758946964.html):
View attachment 422082
Definitely wouldn't use it for smaller species but good so far for camponotus. Also, hard to tell from the picture but it has dividers that partition the chambers so you can gradually expand it as the colony grows. I used to make my own enclosures but that is a ton of time and expense (and opportunity to screw things up).

Antswiki is a pretty good resource for ant identification, they have several pages on how to classify them that can be followed if you have the time. There was a study of NYC ants from 2010: https://antwiki.org/wiki/Ants_of_New_York_City so that might be a good place to start to narrow things down (assuming there is likely overlap between NYC species and the greater NY region).

I’ll try these out. Thanks. There’s a couple of sp. I’m gonna try to find this year
1. Prenolepis imparis might have to try next year seems they like cooler weather
2. A few camponotus. I spotted a black and red camponotus sp. in my backyard. Looked like a Camponotus novaeboracensis.
3. Cool to find Stigmatomma.
I’m still trying to figure out nuptial flights and how to get the right time. I’m gonna try having a bright light in a ten gallon tank out at night. Perhaps I’ll find some queens.

 

[goonius]

We’ve been keeping ants for a few years, I’ve not tried any of the enclosures from AntsCanada but we have had really good results with the modular ones from AntShack which you can get from Ant Keeping Depot in Australia, especially for smaller species like Lasius. I like the inexpensive starter kits and the options make them endlessly expandable. Ants seem to do well in them and it’s easy to humidify the nest. (Also, these are great for founding colonies — a bit of an upgrade from the outer cotton plug that makes feeding easier once workers arrive: https://www.antkeepingdepot.com/products/ant-catcher-studio-test-tube-feeder )

Also, wanted to add that if a queen is fully claustral, like a Camponatus and many Lasius, you don’t need to add food until she has the first nanitic. This will help keep the test tube free of mold also.