53 replies to this topic

[Ants_Dakota]

Mine is never leave your colonies outside for hibernation in states around or above SD, unless they are in a big dirt set up!!!!  

Edited by Ants_Dakota, February 20 2020 - 10:34 AM.

[kgollehon]

Make sure to always provide proper humidity based on species needs and don't worry too much if your colony refuses to move sometimes. 

[Acutus]

Take it slow!!!!! It's very easy to get the " I gotta have ALL the Ants" Fever! Pick a species or two and keep a colony or two and really get to know Antkeeping or before you know it you're overwhelmed!

[FSTP]

Take it slow!!!!! It's very easy to get the " I gotta have ALL the Ants" Fever! Pick a species or two and keep a colony or two and really get to know Antkeeping or before you know it you're overwhelmed!

 

 

great advice. 

[ANTdrew]

Acutus speaks the truth. I also urge new keepers to only gather queens from nuptial flights. Don’t remove established colonies from the wild; it is unethical.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

I urge new ant keepers to not house a colony in a setup that is too small... found that out the hard way

[TennesseeAnts]

Acutus speaks the truth. I also urge new keepers to only gather queens from nuptial flights. Don’t remove established colonies from the wild; it is unethical.

It may be unethical to some people, but ethics are things that you establish your own of. No one can force their code of ehtics upon you.

  I don't have a problem with collecting colonies from the wild, but if you do, make sure you collect in moderation. You want to avoid larger colonies unless you intend (and have the equipment) to collect all of the workers.

[Zeiss]

Patience.

[AntsBC]

 

Acutus speaks the truth. I also urge new keepers to only gather queens from nuptial flights. Don’t remove established colonies from the wild; it is unethical.

It may be unethical to some people, but ethics are things that you establish your own of. No one can force their code of ehtics upon you.

  I don't have a problem with collecting colonies from the wild, but if you do, make sure you collect in moderation. You want to avoid larger colonies unless you intend (and have the equipment) to collect all of the workers.

 

 

Ethics are not something that people establish on their own; they are the core of society and are often put in place by the government.  Without them, no rules or borders can be drawn up.  By stating that, "no one can force their code of ethics upon you", you are essentially stating that murder, stealing, etc shouldn't be crimes/regulated because they are ethical matters.  If the government tries to put you in jail for things they deem as "unethical", just tell them that, "you can't force your own code of ethics upon me."  See what I'm getting at, your argument does not hold much ground.  I'm not saying that all ethical laws the government puts up are just, (you should indeed create your own ethical compass), but ethics should be in place because they help societies function.  

 

Unfortunately, ant keeping is small and doesn't really have a regulated moral code/rules, so you can do however you please.  Just because this is the case doesn't mean that you should do things that are harmful to the environment, even if collecting wild colonies doesn't leave much of a difference.  Often times in life, the harder path is the more beneficial, and ant keeping is no exception.  Raising a queen from scratch will teach you more about ant keeping and will actually bring you more fulfillment then digging up a colony. 

 

Anyways, the main point of my post here was to show that dismissing ANTdrew's argument just because he brought ethics into the picture isn't very fair.  As I said before, ethics are what keeps things functioning, and without them, our world would be a mess.

 

 

That being said, one piece of advice I would give to new ant keepers is to always carry some sort of collecting equipment during the warmer months; you never know when you will find a queen.

Edited by AntsBC, February 20 2020 - 4:55 PM.

[NickAnter]

Always carry test tubes. You should never have to carry ants in ziplock bags... As well as patience, as Zeiss said.

[ANTdrew]

I know we disagree on this issue, and I respect that. Obviously everyone needs to follow their own conscience in this matter. As for me, I’m going to continue denouncing this practice, so that the young readers on here can decide which side of history they want to be on.

[TennesseeAnts]

 

 

Acutus speaks the truth. I also urge new keepers to only gather queens from nuptial flights. Don’t remove established colonies from the wild; it is unethical.

It may be unethical to some people, but ethics are things that you establish your own of. No one can force their code of ehtics upon you.

  I don't have a problem with collecting colonies from the wild, but if you do, make sure you collect in moderation. You want to avoid larger colonies unless you intend (and have the equipment) to collect all of the workers.

 

 

Ethics are not something that people establish on their own; they are the core of society and are often put in place by the government.  Without them, no rules or borders can be drawn up.  By stating that, "no one can force their code of ethics upon you", you are essentially stating that murder, stealing, etc shouldn't be crimes/regulated because they are ethical matters.  If the government tries to put you in jail for things they deem as "unethical", just tell them that, "you can't force your own code of ethics upon me."  See what I'm getting at, your argument does not hold much ground.  I'm not saying that all ethical laws the government puts up are just, (you should indeed create your own ethical compass), but ethics should be in place because they help societies function.  

 

Unfortunately, ant keeping is small and doesn't really have a regulated moral code/rules, so you can do however you please.  Just because this is the case doesn't mean that you should do things that are harmful to the environment, even if collecting wild colonies doesn't leave much of a difference.  Often times in life, the harder path is the more beneficial, and ant keeping is no exception.  Raising a queen from scratch will teach you more about ant keeping and will actually bring you more fulfillment then digging up a colony. 

 

Anyways, the main point of my post here was to show that dismissing ANTdrew's argument just because he brought ethics into the picture isn't very fair.  As I said before, ethics are what keeps things functioning, and without them, our world would be a mess.

 

 

That being said, one piece of advice I would give to new ant keepers is to always carry some sort of collecting equipment during the warmer months; you never know when you will find a queen.

 

Laws are put in place by governments. A person's code of ethics is what helps them decide which laws the person will follow. I did not dismiss his argument, just presented my own.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

why are we getting in an argument over weather or not to collect an established colony? Someone may choose to collect an established colony while someone else may not. It's no use getting in an argument of ethics which are created by an individual's own experiences. If you try to make someone do as you do, you're living THEIR life, so let them do as they please, just end the silly argument because it has nothing to do with caring for ants because you're collecting them at that point

[RushmoreAnts]

Yes, this should have its own thread. And to the point of the thread-

 

"Don't concentrate for exotic species. Learn to love native ones; they're just as interesting, if you take the time to notice."

[ponerinecat]

Research and common sense. Don't blunder in asking for help on little things like what to feed your generalist ants or whether or not to but the overpriced extra large formicarium for a 5 worker Nylanderia colony.

[ANTdrew]

Yes, this should have its own thread. And to the point of the thread-

"Don't concentrate for exotic species. Learn to love native ones; they're just as interesting, if you take the time to notice."

Great quote. That could kick off a whole new debate.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

yes, but not in this forum (that's the main goal right?)

[zantezaint]

Kill them all.

[ForestDragon]

BE. PATIENT. you cannot rush it and it will only kill them faster

[FSTP]

with new founding ants leave them alone, in fact forget you even have them.