Ants

[PeterF]

We watched a short video clip in Behavior class the other day in which a researcher had made a soil less ant habitat. It was all clear (Plexiglas maybe) connected chambers and tubes that the ants ran around and used the various chambers as rooms.

I do not know if it needs to be kept in the dark normally. But the thing was pretty awesome.

Anyway. I know someone here has experience with ant keeping. And I would like them to share websites and book suggestions for learning about it. Also how to get good species for keeping (buying queens, etc).

Also, I have been looking for an arthropod to keep in these:

http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Safari-Bug-Podz-Habitat/dp/B000BKHYIK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1296742367&sr=8-1

and of course. L1 mantids running around hunting FFs sounds cute. But I don't really expect that to work, plus the molting issue. But ants could maybe use it. I suppose the key is to have a species that will use the open areas comfortably and not stress over the lack of soil.

 

[packer43064]

Maybe these for the product you listed. Just not sure if they could climb glass.

Oseudoscorpions

 

[packer43064]

If you find a supplier tell me. I believe some kind of ants are plant pests so shipping them would be illegal. Not all of course.

 

[Entomo-logic]

Your best bet with ants is to stick with species in your area. Ants can become probems if they are not local so they are one of the most watched organisms by USDA. But ants would be cool in the little tunnel system If you are down south Pogonomyrmex sp. are relatively easy to do and Myrmecocystus are cool if you can get them going (its cool to see the repletes!

 

[Hypoponera]

Hello,

Not sure I'm the person you had in mind, but I have been keeping ants for years. So let me give you 2 cents worth:

That is a pretty cool set-up that they have at Amazon! You could try it with a large ant like Camponotus sp or Pogonomyrmex sp. But I would be hesitant to try it with any smaller species for fear of escape. Order one of those set-ups and take a hard look at it for ANY gaps or other openings. If it is solid, give a large species a shot and see how it does. You will need to convert one of the "pods" into a rock filled water area. Don't be surprised by the fact that the ants will happily climb up the smooth sides to escape out the top.

Yes, ant colonies do better in the dark. They do not like the contents of the colony to be exposed to light. Tends to stress them out. But you can cover the set-up. Or, you could paint the exterior of the set-up with "clear red" acrylic model paint from Tamiya. This paint will only allow red light to pass through. The ants do not detect the red light and act normally. So you will be able to see in and not have to cover the nest. But your visibility will not be great either.

The best ant keeping web site is the Ant Farm:

http://antfarm.yuku.com/

Afraid there are no books on keeping ants. But I would recommend "The Ants" if you can afford it! While a bit out of date regarding taxonomy, the rest is great. It is THE book to start with.

http://www.amazon.com/Ants-Bert-Holldobler/dp/0674040759/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296793888&sr=1-1

A cheaper book, but also good, by the same authors:

http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Ants-Story-Scientific-Exploration/dp/0674485262/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1296793888&sr=1-2

It isn't anywhere near as detailed, but is much easier to read if you are just getting into ant keeping.

Where do you live? I agree with Entomo-logic that you should stick with the local ant species in your area. Unless you live in a large city and have no way to get out of town, you should be able to find some cool ant species in your area. I live in a desert and we have 360+ species. You just may have to drive a bit to find a particular species.

As a warning, don't openly ask anyone at the Ant Farm about sending you any queens. Shipping queens over state lines is a big NO-NO!! Nor do I know of any place/site that sells queens in the USA. There are a couple sites in Germany that sell whole colonies, but they will NOT ship to the USA or Canada.

 

[cinci]

yeah i'm on that antfarm.yuku forum recently found a mature colony of house ants in my room, and captured them, keeping them in a series of mason jars with dirt connected with aquarium airline tubing great stuff cause its strewn around my computer i can always look down and see ants walking around, also antscanada has some awesome nest setups, bit expensive though i'd just as soon DIY as for starting your own colony nuptial flights should be starting around now(spring to fall), so get some containers and look around for recently mated queens grab as many as you can as they search for a nesting place

if you've ever heard of red imported fire ants you'll know why ant queens arent shipped

*UPDATE*

just made an ID request i thought it quite funny so i'll share

http://antfarm.yuku.com/topic/11966 (found in "water pipe") heh