13 replies to this topic

[MNuptial]

Hello, 

 

I am a young boy looking to get into ants. I live in Virginia and I want to start a colony and need some help. I have done a lot of research and want to buy a Ant tower and a hybrid nest. I started looking to buy Ants and realized it is hard to have them sent in the mail. Can you please help me understand what options I have? 

 

Thanks, M

[Nogbert]

read this first!:

https://www.formicul...-for-beginners/

 

It will likely answer many questions you have. There are many other options other than Ants Canada products, and many people here will likely steer you away from AC stuff. You can make a completely suitable setup for next to nothing if you aren't dead set on owning Ants Canada brand stuff. I think AC stuff seems ok, but after browsing the market and seeing other options available it does seem to be rather high priced; a factor that in my opinion is unfair to his target audience (younger kids). To me it feels like he is taking advantage of people who might not know any better. Just my two cents. Enjoy the hobby! 

[ANTdrew]

Welcome! I sell ants in Virginia, but I bet you can find your own queens with some luck and effort. Where are you located?

[MNuptial]

Hello, I see you are in Alexandria. I am closer to Woodbridge, how do I find Queens? 

[TechAnt]

Before I type everything, I STRONGLY advise you check out the ant keeping guide for beginners, as Nogbert recommended above: https://www.formicul...-for-beginners/

Queens can be found in many places, try flipping over small rocks, looking in forests, patches of wet dirt. Also a tip is, after it rains, your chances of finding a queen greatly increases.

Also, I recommend TarHeel Ants as a seller. They provide high quality well done formicariums though you may need to save up for their stuff. Here is the TarHeel Ants website: https://tarheelants.com/

Something unrelated to formicariums, but I just wanted to reccomend. I suggest you go onto Amazon and look at “ByFormica Liquid Feeders” if you plan on keeping small/medium ants. This will prevent them from drowning in their food.

AC Hybrid Nests are for sure not the best thing you could get, for sp. like Camponotus who may have formic acid they may accidentally kill themselves due to the designs of the formicariums as one of many examples. Plastic is not that comfortable for most ants either and things more natural like Ytong, Grout, dirt (obviously), etc.

Another reccomendation is dspdrew’s (A pro ant keeper and the administrator of the site) Dirt-Box set up and his Starter Formicarium. Both of which he sells on his page, here: https://www.formicul...eping-products/

[Zeiss]

Welcome to the forum!

 

If you're wanting to buy ants through the forum, you have to at least put your state in your profile information as per forum rules.

 

As for legal matters, it is illegal to have shipped ants across state lines, so you have to buy from within your own state.

 

Best time to look for ants is after it rains and the temperature is above 70F at night.

[Antkid12]

Welcome! Check out the Virginia queen watch here if you haven't already: https://www.formicul...-20#entry155695

[KitsAntVa]

I also sell ants but do not have many available as antdrew he’s a more reliable source but come check it out anyway! And also carpenter ant pavement ants and big headed ants are Greta for beginners! Here’s a link to my shop and ants Drew’s! Also you do not have to get ants shipped as it is illegal but you can buy one fo m in state and get it shipped!

Antdrew-https://www.formicul...irginia queens

Mine-https://www.formicul...hesterfield-va/

Edited by KitsAntVa, July 21 2020 - 12:59 PM.

[KitsAntVa]

Typo nation.

[Zeiss]

Typo nation.

You can edit your post, you don't need to make a whole new post just for a typo.

[ponerinecat]

It's extraordinarily easy to ship ants, not sure where you heard otherwise. Certainly takes away the hassle of direct pickup.

[ANTdrew]

I can deliver ants to Woodbridge, no sweat.
We’ve had lots of rain recently, so you could have good luck finding Monomorium minimum or Formica species queens out during the day.
A black-light shining on a white sheet could attract night flying queens like Solenopsis molesta or Pheidole.
As summer ends, you should be on the look out for Crematogaster cerasi queens on hot, humid afternoons. I usually find them on Labor Day.
Keep a vial or two with you at all times. Learn to get a sense for what the usual ants in your area look like; if you spot anything out of the ordinary, stop to investigate. Your “queen sense” will only sharpen over time.
Luck favors the vigilant. The more time you put in searching, the more likely you are to find queens.

Edited by ANTdrew, July 22 2020 - 7:15 AM.

[AleeGuy]

I can deliver ants to Woodbridge, no sweat.
We’ve had lots of rain recently, so you could have good luck finding Monomorium minimum or Formica species queens out during the day.
A black-light shining on a white sheet could attract night flying queens like Solenopsis molesta or Pheidole.
As summer ends, you should be on the look out for Crematogaster cerasi queens on hot, humid afternoons. I usually find them on Labor Day.
Keep a vial or two with you at all times. Learn to get a sense for what the usual ants in your area look like; if you spot anything out of the ordinary, stop to investigate. Your “queen sense” will only sharpen over time.
Luck favors the vigilant. The more time you put in searching, the more likely you are to find queens.

In which parks do you look for Crematogaster cerasi queens? I live in Woodbridge too

[ANTdrew]

I’ve had the best luck finding them at the Washington Sailing Marina’s picnic area. They fly on super hot, humid days around Labor Day. I’d recommend looking in forest edge habitats that have an abundance of native vines and dead tree snags. Timing is key because I really only see big flights once a year.