24 replies to this topic

[AntsExodus]

Hey guys! So I have been wanting to breed my ants for a very long time. I want to know if any of you have ever bred any ants and if you did it would be nice to leave a post on here saying what species you bred and how. I am going to breed my 2 Camponotus Chromaidoes soon once they become sexually mature. I am thinking of breeding a lot of ant colonies that I will hopefully catch later in the summer. If you guys have any tips on how to breed please leave a post on here!

[FSTP]

If by wanting to breed your ants you mean get them to captively perform a nuptial flight,  that is likely never going to happen, sorry. 

Edited by FSTP, April 6 2020 - 7:17 AM.

[AntsExodus]

It has been proven to happen multiple times. There is even a YouTuber who did it first try

https://www.youtube....VrYypOE0&t=460s

[NickAnter]

It is possible, but just very hard and unlikely to succeed.  And, it will take years for the Camponotus chromaoides to produce alates.

[Ferox_Formicae]

It is possible to breed ants in captivity, but only if it is a species that is known to mate on the ground. Such species include Aphaenogaster spp., Brachymyrmex patagonicus, and a few Attine species such as Trachymyrmex septentrionalis, which I will begin breeding in captivity as soon as my colonies produce alate later this summer.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

and black crazy ants can mate in captivity

[FSTP]

It has been proven to happen multiple times. There is even a YouTuber who did it first try

https://www.youtube....VrYypOE0&t=460s

 

 

I didn't say it couldn't happen. There are certain species that lend themselves to captive reproduction, as Ferox mentioned. However it is highly unlikely that one would be able to achieve this with a species of  Camponotus. 

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

If he had two colonies he could introduce alates to each other, but that could prove to be a taxing affair... 

[RushmoreAnts]

Mdrogun observed mating in the nest in his Solenopsis molesta colony.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Mdrogun observed mating in the nest in his Solenopsis molesta colony.

we're talking about Camponotus right now, but Solenopsis are...unique to say the least

[RushmoreAnts]

What does Paratrechina longicornis have to do with Camponotus........ just saying.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

It got off topic I believe

[RushmoreAnts]

Yeah. True enough.

[dspdrew]

I have had Lasius breed in captivity once inadvertently. I collected the alates from the wild though, just after it rained and then they were brought into my warm apartment, so I don't know for sure I would be able to replicate all of those conditions again myself.

 

Also, like some have mentioned, it takes years for most species to even start producing alates, and sometimes they might only produce alates of one sex, so you would then have to collect alates of the opposite sex from the wild. I do know someone who does this with Pogonomyrmex and successfully mates them. He actually creates all the conditions himself and since they mate on the ground it seems to work for him. I have tried it myself though, and have not been successful.

[RushmoreAnts]

In the middle of a Lasius nuptial flight, if you put queen and male alates in a container together, they will mate. I found that out because I was too lazy to separate the queens and males I caught, and left them in together. 

[Temperateants]

 Amazing,

[ForestDragon]

yeah you would need a tall dome to breed camponotus, and it would be a very expensive project

[RushmoreAnts]

Unless there was a local greenhouse that would let you use it for a couple hours............

[Temperateants]

That would be amazing, Controlled husbandry of ants opens up so many possibilities. What if you fed a colony some kind of hormone to make the resulting female alates "super fertile" and then you can mate them in a controlled manner.

[RushmoreAnts]

It really isn't as simple as that. It is much more difficult to control the variables of ant reproduction.