27 replies to this topic

[Acutus]

I promise I'm not trolling or trying to stir the pot. I would just like to hear the reasons people may or may not do this.

 

In my case I have a captured colony that I found in an old tree cookie. however in the course of my job in taking care of a camp property I almost all the time am removing debris or moving things and seeing/disturbing colonies. Termites too! It's just now I know more bout ants.

I figured it was better in this instance to capture the colony and use it for education than to destroy it.

 

To demonstrate how often this happens, just yesterday I went to pick up a 1" x 4" x 24" board that was laying next to the camp driveway and found a Camponotus castaneus colony I put the board back but it really can't stay there and I went to move a damn traffic cone and found another Camponotus chromaiodes colony. Again eventually I have to move the cone (I don't want another chromaiodes colony anyhow) this doesn't count all the smaller ants that I have no idea what they are and termites too!

 

I personally wouldn't go looking for a colony just to remove it.

 

Surely in instances like these it's better to collect it than destroy it? Just some thoughts. Lets keep it civil

[TennesseeAnts]

I say as long as you are prepared to collect the majority of the colony, and you don't over collect, you are fine. I would keep the castaneus colony though.

[Somethinghmm]

In my opinion, it's fine to collect a few small colonies. I'm against collecting mature colonies though.

[Ferox_Formicae]

I'm thinking of capturing a large colony of Camponotus chromaiodes. I've been after this colony for over a year now, no joke! At this point, I'm prepared to just grab the whole leg and take it home with me. Maybe put it in the freezer for a bit to chill the ants before I collect them. Is this a good idea?

[TennesseeAnts]

The refrigerator is a good idea.

[Manitobant]

when I capture wild colonies I usually stick to some personal ethics. Here are the types of colonies that I do go after:

Small first year colonies (few workers and not a lot of digging required)

Colonies under rocks (only if the queen is under the rock as well and not inside the nest. I don’t dig these colonies.)

Myrmica colonies (very shallow diggers that are polygynous and easy to capture)

Colonies in logs or stumps (you can easily break it open to find the queen or take the log/stump home and put it in a bin to continue its use as the colony nest)

Budding colonies (the queen and her workers just walk by for easy capture)

Edited by Manitobant, April 25 2019 - 5:55 PM.

[Ferox_Formicae]

when I capture wild colonies I usually stick to some personal ethics. Here are the types of colonies that I do go after:

Small first year colonies (few workers and not a lot of digging required)

Colonies under rocks (only if the queen is under the rock as well and not inside the nest. I don’t dig these colonies.)

Myrmica colonies (very shallow diggers that are polygynous and easy to capture)

Colonies in logs or stumps (you can easily break it open to find the queen or take the log/stump home and put it in a bin to continue its use as the colony nest)

Budding colonies (the queen and her workers just walk by for easy capture)

I would also add colonies in hollow twigs or nuts to this list as those colonies are supper easy to collect. And the Camponotus chromaiodes colony would count under the log section as they are nested inside of a log last time I checked, unless they moved out between now and last Sunday...

[Acutus]

 

when I capture wild colonies I usually stick to some personal ethics. Here are the types of colonies that I do go after:

Small first year colonies (few workers and not a lot of digging required)

Colonies under rocks (only if the queen is under the rock as well and not inside the nest. I don’t dig these colonies.)

Myrmica colonies (very shallow diggers that are polygynous and easy to capture)

Colonies in logs or stumps (you can easily break it open to find the queen or take the log/stump home and put it in a bin to continue its use as the colony nest)

Budding colonies (the queen and her workers just walk by for easy capture)

I would also add colonies in hollow twigs or nuts to this list as those colonies are supper easy to collect. And the Camponotus chromaiodes colony would count under the log section as they are nested inside of a log last time I checked, unless they moved out between now and last Sunday...

 

 

the colony I got was totally in a 12" x 15" x 3" section of a big tree cookie that had been on the ground for about 12 years.

[Leo]

Well some species are impossible to get from nuptial flights (leptogenys), and finding a nest that is in a spot where you can catch 98% of the colony is hard. Mostly you know where the colony is nesting but you can't catch it because:

a) Can't be reached

In a spot where it is hard to collect the entire colony (you'll probably miss the queen and some workers)

c) Its in a hole underground

d) You don't have the right equipment

In those cases, I leave them alone.

Recently I found a leptogenys colony living in a small log, and I had a large garbage bag, so I just placed the entire log into the bag. I tend not to collect ground nesting species, because it will often end in failure and a ruined nest. Log nesting species are ok to collect as long as you know that you can capture the entire colony and not ruin the whole log in the process. Twig nesting species are fine by me, and mature weavers are a big no no.

[ANTdrew]

My own personal stance is to not collect wild colonies unless it is a rescue situation like you described. For me, the fun of ant keeping is finding new queens and witnessing the whole cycle of the ant colony from the very beginning. This is more sustainable, too, because colonies send out way more queens than will ever survive. Just my two cents.

[TennesseeAnts]

Collecting founding queens is fine too.

[Guy_Fieri]

I'll only take colonies that have about 20 or less workers, but I'm not against collecting wild colonies as long as you don't do it too often.

[kingz2015]

In my opinion, it's fine to collect a few small colonies. I'm against collecting mature colonies though.

I agree. I don't collect colonies with more than 20 workers

Edited by kingz2015, May 7 2019 - 5:49 PM.

[TennesseeAnts]

In my opinion, it's fine to collect a few small colonies. I'm against collecting mature colonies though.

I agree. I don't collect colonies with more than 20 workers

I usually don't either. But if it is my dream species, like Trachymyrmex, I can't help myself.
Anyone know where Stigmatomma pallipes colonies nest? I need some larvae for my queen.

[ponerinecat]

look under flat (ish?) rocks, maybe near other ants.

[Mdrogun]

I usually refrain from collecting wild colonies of native ants. Introduced species are at least killed by me, sometimes collected. There are times where I will make exceptions. Occasionally i will drive somewhere hoping to catch nuptial flights of a species, or something like that, and if I run into a small colony of what I was looking for I'll take them.

[TennesseeAnts]

I usually refrain from collecting wild colonies of native ants. Introduced species are at least killed by me, sometimes collected. There are times where I will make exceptions. Occasionally i will drive somewhere hoping to catch nuptial flights of a species, or something like that, and if I run into a small colony of what I was looking for I'll take them.

I was hoping for Nylanderia flights yesterday, but found a medium sized colony instead.

[Acutus]

Like I said most of the colonies I have at least tried to collect were gonna get destroyed regardless. 

[ponerinecat]

Like I said most of the colonies I have at least tried to collect were gonna get destroyed regardless. 

Then that's fine

[NickAnter]

I think it is fine, but I personally don't do it, as I think the most fun part is getting nanitics, and watching the colony grow from single queen, to large colony.