# Pogonomyrmex barbatus (Red harvester ants)



## yen_saw (Jan 8, 2013)

Some pics of my P. barbatus colonies in ant house.






















Dump site for the ants.....makes it easy for me to clean.






A smaller colony with red transparent sheet to keep them in 'dark'.


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## Mime454 (Jan 8, 2013)

That's a really cool set up! Did you make it yourself?


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## yen_saw (Jan 8, 2013)

Mime454 said:


> That's a really cool set up! Did you make it yourself?


Thanks. No i'm not that good Mime. :blush: Bought it cheap though.


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## aNisip (Jan 8, 2013)

Hey yen whered u get this? And I'm assuming I should put mine in something like this?

-Andrew


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## yen_saw (Jan 8, 2013)

AndrewNisip said:


> Hey yen whered u get this? And I'm assuming I should put mine in something like this?
> 
> -Andrew


My friend from Hong Kong, although the ant houses are made in China. The P barbatus do well even in a plastic container so as long as you have something to keep them from escaping that will do, but with water supply too.


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## aNisip (Jan 8, 2013)

Alright then, sounds pretty capable...


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## Montana (Jan 8, 2013)

That's awesome! What do you feed them? And it looks like you have a queen too (larvae and pupae)?


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## Precarious (Jan 9, 2013)

So cool! Makes me want to keep ants.


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## Mime454 (Jan 9, 2013)

Precarious said:


> So cool! Makes me want to keep ants.


I want to keep ants too! Wish there was a forum that sold queens. I've probably spent 50 hours looking for queens in the ground or in flight. Never found anything though,


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## Precarious (Jan 9, 2013)

Mime454 said:


> I want to keep ants too! Wish there was a forum that sold queens. I've probably spent 50 hours looking for queens in the ground or in flight. Never found anything though,


If I could get my hands on cages like these it would be worth it. I see queens every spring. Always come across them at some point.


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## Mime454 (Jan 9, 2013)

Precarious said:


> If I could get my hands on cages like these it would be worth it. I see queens every spring. Always come across them at some point.


I've seen them for sale for $30-50. You can also make them yourself. I made one. You make the tunnels in play dough and then lay them out and pour cement(it's actually a crafty thing that is totally white, you mix it up and it gets really warm, but I can't think of the name of it  ) over it. Then you wait until it dries and scoop out the play dough and you have the tunnels.


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## Montana (Jan 9, 2013)

Mime454 said:


> I've seen them for sale for $30-50. You can also make them yourself. I made one. You make the tunnels in play dough and then lay them out and pour cement(it's actually a crafty thing that is totally white, you mix it up and it gets really warm, but I can't think of the name of it  ) over it. Then you wait until it dries and scoop out the play dough and you have the tunnels.


Sounds like Plaster of Paris?

It'd be awesome to get a hold of a queen and build a colony in the ant-gel habitats that have become somewhat more common. There's a website where you can buy the powder to mix and pour your own gel habitat for the ants.


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## Mime454 (Jan 9, 2013)

Montana said:


> Sounds like Plaster of Paris?
> 
> It'd be awesome to get a hold of a queen and build a colony in the ant-gel habitats that have become somewhat more common. There's a website where you can buy the powder to mix and pour your own gel habitat for the ants.


Yep, that's the name!  

I hear that the ants don't actually like to live in the gel. NASA designed it as an experiment to see if they could live in zero gravity, they can, but it obviously isn't ideal.

Also, I bought some of the powder on eBay(like I said, I've kept a lot of queen less colonies), and it is about 85% opaque, you can barely see through it. Ants don't like it as much as the ant works.


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## agent A (Jan 9, 2013)

Mime454 said:


> I want to keep ants too! Wish there was a forum that sold queens. I've probably spent 50 hours looking for queens in the ground or in flight. Never found anything though,


i found a queen once but she never laid and eventually died


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## Malakyoma (Jan 9, 2013)

I swear if you guys start making me want to keep ants too... My mom would kick me out of the house lol


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## aNisip (Jan 9, 2013)

You should feed harvester ants a mix of seeds and grains and dead or dying insects....they are predominately scavengers...


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## brancsikia339 (Jan 9, 2013)

really cool!!!!!


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## ismart (Jan 9, 2013)

Those antfarms are made of hydrostone. I have a few myself. They absorb water. Very neat stuff. Yen your havester colony looks great!


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## Danny. (Jan 9, 2013)

Yen, we have big red ants like that here. Not sure what Ant species but they're big, mean and pack a bite! I'll collect some, maybe you can ID them.


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

Montana said:


> That's awesome! What do you feed them? And it looks like you have a queen too (larvae and pupae)?


I feed them seeds like crushed wheat, raw sunflower seed, grains, etc. But i also use small insects too.


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

Precarious said:


> If I could get my hands on cages like these it would be worth it. I see queens every spring. Always come across them at some point.


Do you have pic of the queen ant?


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

ismart said:


> Those antfarms are made of hydrostone. I have a few myself. They absorb water. Very neat stuff. Yen your havester colony looks great!


Thanks Paul. You still have the hydrostone ant house?


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

Danny. said:


> Yen, we have big red ants like that here. Not sure what Ant species but they're big, mean and pack a bite! I'll collect some, maybe you can ID them.


There are harvester ants in California too, _Pogonomyrmex californicus_ is probably what you saw.


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## Precarious (Jan 11, 2013)

yen_saw said:


> Do you have pic of the queen ant?


No but I usually see hordes of them at some point. I'm sure they are standard black ants since I see them in the yard.


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

Malakyoma said:


> I swear if you guys start making me want to keep ants too... My mom would kick me out of the house lol


lol.... i thought my wife is going to do the same too.

Well, some pic of setting up a colony of harvester ant in my new ant house.

Here is the new ant house set







COmes with cotton, vinyl tube, barrier liquid, and syringe.






'Mountain' view






Top view






Side view






Applying barrier liquid on the top edge of the ant house to prevent the ants from escaping






Ready... include the side container






Add some water into hydrostone and ready to connect both containers


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

The harvester any colony






The queen is the first to explore the 'underground'











Still exploring the surface











But soon more ants moving underground






One was able to reach the empty container






Another new ant house.... Canyon style











and has stairs going underground too haha


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## hierodula (Jan 11, 2013)

lol creative


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## aNisip (Jan 11, 2013)

Yen this is awesome, but I don't need this for my colony, just a tubber-ware container? And could I use Vaseline instead of that liquid barrier stuff? (What is in that liquid barrier?)

Thanks,

Andrew


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

Precarious said:


> No but I usually see hordes of them at some point. I'm sure they are standard black ants since I see them in the yard.


Yeah queens and male will swamp usually soon after or a day after heavy rain. At least it is black so they are not the annoying fire ants.


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

AndrewNisip said:


> Yen this is awesome, but I don't need this for my colony, just a tubber-ware container? And could I use Vaseline instead of that liquid barrier stuff? (What is in that liquid barrier?)
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Andrew


Yes most of the time i just keep the colony in a transparent container like below






Yeah the smelly liquid (as Paul said it) works like Bug Stop, pretty effective in preventing ants escape.


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## Malakyoma (Jan 11, 2013)

They're ok with not having any tunnels or anything? Just whatever that tube is? I can see the larva in the top left, so they're actually colonizing, just thought they wouldnt do it above ground or needed tunnels.


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

Malakyoma said:


> They're ok with not having any tunnels or anything? Just whatever that tube is? I can see the larva in the top left, so they're actually colonizing, just thought they wouldnt do it above ground or needed tunnels.


Yea if the condition is good (temp, humidity, food source, water, etc) the harvester ants don't need to have tunnels. The key is to keep them dark. The test tube is mainly a water supply but most of the time the colony place egg/larvae/pupa inside the tube, probably for protection and humidity.


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

AndrewNisip said:


> Yen this is awesome, but I don't need this for my colony, just a tubber-ware container? And could I use Vaseline instead of that liquid barrier stuff? (What is in that liquid barrier?)
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Andrew


Sorry i forgot to address your question, yea Vaseline is fine, although a little messy. Also, if the colony outgrew the container floor space, it is recommended to get a larger container or the colony will adjust to it by killing each other or eating up the larvae.


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## Malakyoma (Jan 11, 2013)

yen_saw said:


> Yea if the condition is good (temp, humidity, food source, water, etc) the harvester ants don't need to have tunnels. The key is to keep them dark. The test tube is mainly a water supply but most of the time the colony place egg/larvae/pupa inside the tube, probably for protection and humidity.


Is it only harvesters that dont need them or can any species of ant survive without tunnels?


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

Malakyoma said:


> Is it only harvesters that dont need them or can any species of ant survive without tunnels?


Most ant species that live underground should do alright in container without underground tunnels/chambers. It is just that the ants don't get to dig and when you keep the container dark it is similar as a big underground chamber. However, arboreal ant species like twig ants and weaver ants don't do well in container, but it is not impossible. When I kept Texas elongated twig ant (Pseudomyrmex gracilis), i have to use vinyl tube as hollow twig and the ants will nest inside it. The only issue to watch out for is ventilation.






Twig ant colony with queen






There is a popular ant shop in Canada.

http://www.mikeybustos.ca/antscanada.asp

Ok don't tell your mom


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## Malakyoma (Jan 11, 2013)

i can picture it now:

"Michael what are you doing with that large very obvious ant farm?"

"Certainly not keeping ants in it mom that would be ridiculous"

I feel like if I were to keep ants I would want to have the nice setup that was in the first post. Something large and flat with tunnels but so that I can see them go about their business.


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## ismart (Jan 11, 2013)

yen_saw said:


> Thanks Paul. You still have the hydrostone ant house?


Yes, i do. Sadly no one is living in them right now. Hint, hint. Keep me in mind when you go collecting this year. I will also keep you in mind.


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## Paradoxica (Jan 11, 2013)

Very cool Yen, how long will a colony live? I assume you have to separate new queens and males and start a new colony every so often?


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

Malakyoma said:


> i can picture it now:
> 
> "Michael what are you doing with that large very obvious ant farm?"
> 
> ...


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

ismart said:


> Yes, i do. Sadly no one is living in them right now. Hint, hint. Keep me in mind when you go collecting this year. I will also keep you in mind.


Ok you are set! ^_^


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

Paradoxica said:


> Very cool Yen, how long will a colony live? I assume you have to separate new queens and males and start a new colony every so often?


The colony will keep going as long as the queen is alive..... and she may live on for 20+ years. So the colony will probably retire the same time as me :wheelchair: 

(Maybe i am not as lucky! - work till i drop)

All the males are dead soon after nuptial flight and i keep each queen individually. The established Pogonomyrmex colony only has a single queen. There is no inbreeding for ant so i won't be able to start a new colony that way.


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## aNisip (Jan 11, 2013)

Thanks Yen, ill most likely use Vaseline since it is what I have most readily available....and also, I enjoy seeing ants dig new tunnels and such, but I also don't want to deal with the constant upkeep like you would have to for a reg ant farm with sand/dirt, but would like it to be large enough for them to be comfortable for a couple years? How should I go about this dilemma? Thanks, and sorry for my many questions...

All the best,

Andrew


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## yen_saw (Jan 11, 2013)

Andrew, the colony can reproduce rather quick. Best is to find a certain container size that fits the colony (not too small or too big), and upgrade the size as the colony grows. Email me if you have more question.


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## RocknessMonster (Jan 11, 2013)

Eep! More power to you for having pet ants!

(rather scared of ants) But the cage is pretty nice looking!


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## AxolotlsAreCoolToo (Jan 12, 2013)

cool must be fun the see the lifle cycles of the colony how long does the colony last?


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## aNisip (Jan 12, 2013)

AxolotlsAreCoolToo said:


> cool must be fun the see the lifle cycles of the colony how long does the colony last?


As long as the queen is alive for...for this species, abt 20 years like Yen said...go back and read some of the posts, Yen talked abt this...


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## Malakyoma (Jan 12, 2013)

yen_saw said:


> Andrew, the colony can reproduce rather quick. Best is to find a certain container size that fits the colony (not too small or too big), and upgrade the size as the colony grows. Email me if you have more question.


But then the rest of us dont get to see the answer


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