13 replies to this topic

[garrettl]

Hello everyone! I recently caught an ant in my house and put him in a little house. I'm pretty sure he's a  Pseudomyrmex gracilis but I'm not entirely sure. I might try to go look for a queen but i don't think i would have much luck with that, unless I have a queen. From the looks of it I don't think I do. I feed him some honey about twice a day and he's super hyper. He won't stop moving! unless he's eating. I've never had a pet ant but I really want to keep this guy as a pet maybe. Or ill let him go, I'm not sure. he's pretty long and has a plump translucent gastor with black stripes. How do I know if he is getting enough oxygen? And should i feed him more or give him water?

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[RushmoreAnts]

Workers cannot survive alone. She will either need other workers or a queen.

[garrettl]

Oh no! Should I just let him go then?

[RushmoreAnts]

Yes. It would probably be best to release her in the vicinity of where you captured her. She would be most likely to find her way back to the colony from there. Anyways, Psuedomyrmex aren't good ants to start with, in my opinion. I would start with a Camponotus sp., as they're much more hardy. Camponotus floridanus is prevalent in the state of Florida, and shouldn't be too difficult to find.

[B_rad0806]

Why would you keep a single worker? Just release it.

Edited by B_rad0806, April 21 2020 - 2:34 PM.

[JenC]

Worker ants are girls

[Ferox_Formicae]

You should probably release her in the area you found her in in order to allow her to scope out any pheromone trails or use visual clues (as Pseudomyrmex rely largely on sight) to return to the nest. If you're up to it, you could possibly follow her back to the nest and collect it. Colonies of this species are typically small--in the hundreds--and can often be found inside of hollow twigs. As AntsDakota pointed out though, Pseudomyrmex are not the easiest ants to keep and should not be kept by a new keeper such as yourself. I would instead recommend a Camponotus species (probably not floridanus though as they are known to be a fast-growing and aggressive species), Lasius neoniger, or perhaps a Formica species if you can find any. Good luck, and let me know if you have any more questions.

[ponerinecat]

SHE

[RushmoreAnts]

I didn't know Lasius were common in Florida. A subtropical climate just doesn't seem to fit them.

[garrettl]

o dang there are a lot of people on this site. sorry, she. my bad lol. I just found her in my house, i didn't go out looking for her. ill probably release her so she can go find her colony again. Thanks for the pointers

[Ferox_Formicae]

I didn't know Lasius were common in Florida. A subtropical climate just doesn't seem to fit them.

Lasius neoniger is common in certain areas, mostly in more notherly oriented, sandy, open areas.

[RushmoreAnts]

 

I didn't know Lasius were common in Florida. A subtropical climate just doesn't seem to fit them.

Lasius neoniger is common in certain areas, mostly in more notherly oriented, sandy, open areas.

 

Interesting.

 

Also, I think it would be good for you to get to know some Floridan ant keepers. They would know best about local diversity.

 

SuperFrank - Viewing Profile - Ants & Myrmecology Forum

 

Aaron567 - Viewing Profile - Ants & Myrmecology Forum

[garrettl]

I released the ant guys. hopefully she can find her way back to her colony

[Ferox_Formicae]

 

 

I didn't know Lasius were common in Florida. A subtropical climate just doesn't seem to fit them.

Lasius neoniger is common in certain areas, mostly in more notherly oriented, sandy, open areas.

 

Interesting.

 

Also, I think it would be good for you to get to know some Floridan ant keepers. They would know best about local diversity.

 

SuperFrank - Viewing Profile - Ants & Myrmecology Forum

 

Aaron567 - Viewing Profile - Ants & Myrmecology Forum

 

I talk with Aaron quite a bit. I've also studied the species diversity of Florida quite a bit, so I definitely know my stuff.