Collected Ants

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I been reading a lot of interesting things about ants when I decided to go outside and try to find some myself. After a few minutes of searching I found a few walking across an area so I placed some bread on the ground and waited for a few to come and then I collected the ants that came and then looked around for a Queen. I had found an ant of a similar color under a rock near where the ants were walking around, Then another popped up in the general area, I have about 8-15 worker ants and two bigger ants that I think are queens, I put them in a tube that is Approximately one foot tall and 3-4 inches think, it is filled with the same dirt that they were in, that I had put water in and compressed it and it fills up about half the tube. Here are some pictures of the ants and the tube. Are there enough ants to eventually start a colony? Do I have a two Queens? Should I do anything to make my attempt at starting a colony more successful?

Here are some pictures, sorry for terrible quality the ants are so small ><

*Neither of the suspected Queens have wings*


Eric

 

[nepenthes]

nice find.

The queens look like Lasius umbratus a parasite of Lasius alienus sp's and the smaller ants look like Tetramorium. 1 way to tell if its the queen is if they are in the exact same location w/ other ants. I doubt you would find many fertile queens. The case with L. umbratus is that it will hide under any thing even if it hasn't found a L. alienus colony. So you will find them all through out winter.

One way you can tell is if you annoy her she will smell like citronella, alot of animals dont like that smell so its a ideal use.

This is Tetramorium sp's (huge conflict on what they are to much delicate study to find out what species)

Hope this helps
If it was warm thats probably why you found them if it gets above 55-60 you can usually find ants or something foraging about.

Don't be torn if you haven't found a queen spring is on its way, and I can help you ID if you let me know you're general location, South western ohio for example. And give that set up alot more ventilation. Mold will run rampt and destroy you're colony.