15 replies to this topic

[Oddyseous]

Hey guys, I know i'm new, but I really thought this would be a great thread. Just because as we all know, when we go running to tell a friend, family member or random online person about our amazing ants, in most cases they aren't impressed. So I thought i'd ask everyone being the new guy here, what got everyone here interested in ants?

 

For me? Just the fact they are social insects, which as we all know is rare, is what made me interested. So one day I decided to do some research on them, and my WOW! My mind was blown, I had no idea how amazing these insects really were! From slavery and pirating/raiding, to industrial fungal farms, to just about anything else you can think of, there is a species of ant that does it! Other than humans, what else out there is this intelligent? For such small brains ants sure have a hell of a complicated life! Anyway, that's really what did it for me, it's like staring into an alien world, just a miniature one, every time I watch ants. 

 

So, what did it for you?

[Silq]

I was always interested in ants as a kid. I enjoyed seeing them overcome any bug by the sheer numbers and each having a known role in their colony. When I was in the military, the vice group commander, Colonel Something gave his commencement speech and it was about ants. He related how ants were like life or military, I forget but I kind of made that connection as well. I believe the jist of it was about Utilitarianism, for the greater good. I have had many pets throughout my years and I wanted piranhas again but they are illegal in the state I moved and I have no space in my apartment. Ants work out since they take up little space and are something I can monitor. What actually made me jump into the hobby? Probably AntsCanada youtube videos. After seeing his Selva de Fuego setup, it reminded me of my days of keeping piranhas. I want to build something like that someday when I have the time and space and the right type of ants. Probably not here in California since I think most of the ants here are more towards desert type but I am new in the hobby so I don't fully know.

Edited by Silq, July 25 2019 - 1:40 PM.

[TennesseeAnts]

What makes you think we are interested in ants? I have always been fascinated by Hymenoptera, and just four years ago started keeping ants and wasps. I have had much more success with ants though (probably because they are my main focus).

[Manitobant]

I know this is probably the reason a lot of us entered the hobby, but antscanada videos. One day I was simply browsing YouTube and found the video of the fire ants eating the mother cockroach and got instantly hooked to his channel. I also happen to love aggressive pets, so that was also a factor.

[PacificNorthWestern]

AntsCanada, found a queen at school by complete accident and put her in my water bottle i found it fascinating raising the queen into a colony and decided to try to keep more. and here i am today.

[camponotuskeeper]

Antscanada definitely, then caught a couple tetramorium immigrans queens and thought I would try it

[ANTdrew]

I first got totally fascinated by native bees and how I could help them with my native plant garden. From there it was a short leap to becoming fascinated with their wingless cousins. Reading books like EO Wilson’s Journey to the Ants really set the hook. There’s a section in the back of that book about keeping ants - that’s what first planted the seed to keep them in my home. For better or worse!

[Acutus]

I've always been facinated by Ants. don't really know why but as a kid I always tried to keep them in jars full of Sandy Soil I even got a couple of Uncle Miltons Ant Farms but I always got frustrated cause they never lasted long.

A friend came across Ants Canada and he got into and started explaining it to me and I was like " Wait! There are actually ways to get Queens?" Once I found that out I was off and running, I am already a beekeeper, watched tons of Ants Canada vids and other peoples too!

Ordered some Ants Canada Setups and hoped one day I'd find a Queen. Was moving an old tree section at work and it broke and I saw a Queen! Gathered her and the rest of the colony and that was my first real colony. (This was April this year LOL)

NOW? It's hard to stop!!

Best thing though to be honest, I found this forum! I tried getting info on the Ant Canada Froum and just never got responses or anything. Somebody there mentioned Formiculture and BAM here I am! the people here and their enthusiasm and willingness to help really keeps the passion going!!

[ConcordAntman]

I’ve been interested in insects since I was a kid. I remember keeping a Jumping Spider in a small aquarium, then a Praying Mantis, but the cooperative living of social insects fascinated me. With no interest in being stung, ants seemed the obvious choice. Since before amateur anting was popular, I was trying to found colonies with little success. Through the early 80’s I had several Uncle Milton’s but had trouble finding queens. After moving back East in the early 90’s, my wife gave me Bert Hölldobler & E. O. Wilson’s The Ants. I read it sporadically and again tried for a few years to found colonies. Camponotus pennsylvanicus is ubiquitous in this area. A nuptial flight coincided with some vacation time and I founded my first colony but it failed due to my lack of understanding of good formicarium practices. Fast forward to 2017, I retired and cultivated dormant hobbies. Much to my surprise, I found antkeeping had become a cottage industry with niche suppliers for all your ant care needs and several worldwide forums. Who knew! With help from AntsCanada, Tar Heel Ants, Hölldobler & Wilson, as well as support from this forum (Thank you to Drew and the Massachusetts anting community) I’ve had C. pennsylvanicus colonies over a year and recently acquired a two year old C. americanus colony. I still find them fascinating.

[PogoQueen]

There were huge mounds of these giant red ants all around my house. I was very curious about them and wanted to know more. I identified them as p. Californicus and found some queens a little while later. Watching the babies grow from egg to nanitic was amazing to me. I was hooked for life and have kept various ant species ever since!

[Monarch]

I've always been interested in ants as a kids.  Heck i bought those classic ant farms from a hobby lobby and caught a queen but she died in a few days.  My guess was because of lack of water (hence todays cotton ball test tubes).  Ultimately, 28 now,  youtube randomly recommended an "AntsCanada," video on how to start an ant farm.  I was hooked!

[Broncos]

Ever since I was 3 I have loved insects I was quite dramatic when it came to someone stepping on one. I used to be a spider keeper but when I saw a time lapse of harvester ants digging into some dirt and them taking down an insect, I just loved it. I let my spiders go and I baught a p. Californicus (It died.) but then I got a Formica Francoeuri then another p. Californicus with a c. Semistestacius and that’s where I am now. 😁

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

I got interested because my father hated them so I convinced him and got my first Camponotous colony lol

[OhNoNotAgain]

Honestly it was so many decades ago I can't remember. At least it was the Midwest so there were fun ants around instead of the Argentine bleh around where I live now. I had some ant farms as a kid, including a cool little formicarium that came as a kids' magazine "insert" (apparently how they sell Japanese kids' magazines ... bundling a toy ... or so I'm gonna guess). In fact I had some queens way back in the day, but as it was pre-internet, my care of them was crap and the colonies did not last long. Wish I'd known then what is common knowledge now.

Edited by OhNoNotAgain, October 23 2019 - 11:19 AM.

[Kalidas]

What a good topic

So I have always been into insects ants were one of my faves. I remember being 5 and finding large colonies of these massive red ants, I think they were solenopsis. And I would dig the nests up, by hand lol. When I got older I would look for queens. I would often times come home with red hands that had been severely Stung but I didn't care. Never found a queen but found tons of elates.

Well I got older and kinda forgot about insects. I switched majors in college from entomology to child development. Saw an AntsCanada vid and memories of my childhood came back and well here I am.

Edited by Kalidas, October 23 2019 - 11:59 AM.

[OhNoNotAgain]

Yow, AntsCanada seems like a gateway to the anting world. Granted his stuff brings back memories of some of my younger days when I wanted (but lacked the funds) to create a vivarium.

 

I will say what brought me back to ants most recently was actually getting rolling with rolies. That is to say, isopods. Hahaha.