22 replies to this topic

[Mariaface]

Hi there!

 

I've been living in NJ the entirety of my exposure to the ant hobby and I am almost never just casually outdoors unless it's part my commute, so I haven't been lucky enough to find my own queens. 2020 marks another year of me wasting the ant flight season!   Every once in a while I remember summer 2016 me who was walking home in the middle of what must've been a camponotus flight and just.. kept walking. Ugh.

 

I wanted to start up this thread since I can't find one, or a recent one. But maybe there are other people in NJ interested in our flights, species, etc who'd like a place to pop in and announce seen/expected flights, share any queens they've found, blah blah. And maybe between this thread, stalking the rest of the forum, and getting pinged in a server, I'll be able to make use of next spring/summer and really dive into the hobby with both feet!

 

 

 

Hopefully it's not just me in my state! 

[Ants_Dakota]

There was just someone asking about other new jersey ant keepers. Let me see if i can find him or her.

[Ants_Dakota]

here is one. https://www.formicul...user/4140-boog/

not sure how often they are on, but...

[ANTdrew]

I’m going to message Boog, too. He has great ideas.

[Mariaface]

here is one. https://www.formicul...user/4140-boog/

not sure how often they are on, but...

 

Thank you! Maybe they'll see this.. In the meantime, I should check out their YT channel

I’m going to message Boog, too. He has great ideas.

 

Nice!  

[Boog]

Hi! I'm fairly new to keeping ants myself, if three years with my initial colony is considered so, but I've been a lifelong fan and did some childhood attempts with soil in jars that was fun to observe workers in. So we all start somewhere with the hobby and I suggest patience and research as the two fundamentals to strive for. I bought my first queen after I couldn't find any too and I have eventually found several queens in my backyard this year. I've got access to a swimming pool, which attracts all kinds of bugs, and I've been fortunate enough to save some ants from the pool and a very few were fertile and have laid eggs. I've currently got 3 unidentified incipient colonies I'm rearing and another two queens with no eggs out of the two dozen or so I saved. I just found one queen today, as I was out by the pool for maintenance and noticed her crawling on my arm as I was walking back indoors so that was the easiest catch so far. Most activity I've noticed in my area, I'm in Monmouth County, was last month when I found hundreds of dead Tapinoma ants from a nuptial flight in the pool's skimmer and also more ants generally in the water. Just be mindful of your nearest outdoor area and be observant near any moist areas and keep some test tube setups handy.

 

I've been fairly lucky these last few months as I've been able to get steady freelance work that has kept me busy enough to keep me away from updating my FC journal but I hope to do so soon as I have many pics to share and should ID my queens for possible sales. I've also got tons of footage I captured this ant season that I will need time to go through it all and edit some videos so I hope to build up my YT channel later this year during the ants' diapause.

 

NJ ANTKEEPERS should chime in and we can get grooving out here!    

[Mariaface]

 

 

That's awesome! I'm pretty much never outside so I've been trying to put the effort in the last few days while it's still warm.. Maybe some lasius will bless me with their presence, but most likely I'll have gone 2020 without any new ants 

[Ants_Dakota]

 

 

 

That's awesome! I'm pretty much never outside so I've been trying to put the effort in the last few days while it's still warm.. Maybe some lasius will bless me with their presence, but most likely I'll have gone 2020 without any new ants 

 

ask around. I am sure there is a NJ ant keeper that is willing to sell ants. i wish that there were more antkeepers here in South Dakota to buy ants!!!

[ANTdrew]

Hi! I'm fairly new to keeping ants myself, if three years with my initial colony is considered so, but I've been a lifelong fan and did some childhood attempts with soil in jars that was fun to observe workers in. So we all start somewhere with the hobby and I suggest patience and research as the two fundamentals to strive for. I bought my first queen after I couldn't find any too and I have eventually found several queens in my backyard this year. I've got access to a swimming pool, which attracts all kinds of bugs, and I've been fortunate enough to save some ants from the pool and a very few were fertile and have laid eggs. I've currently got 3 unidentified incipient colonies I'm rearing and another two queens with no eggs out of the two dozen or so I saved. I just found one queen today, as I was out by the pool for maintenance and noticed her crawling on my arm as I was walking back indoors so that was the easiest catch so far. Most activity I've noticed in my area, I'm in Monmouth County, was last month when I found hundreds of dead Tapinoma ants from a nuptial flight in the pool's skimmer and also more ants generally in the water. Just be mindful of your nearest outdoor area and be observant near any moist areas and keep some test tube setups handy.

I've been fairly lucky these last few months as I've been able to get steady freelance work that has kept me busy enough to keep me away from updating my FC journal but I hope to do so soon as I have many pics to share and should ID my queens for possible sales. I've also got tons of footage I captured this ant season that I will need time to go through it all and edit some videos so I hope to build up my YT channel later this year during the ants' diapause.

NJ ANTKEEPERS should chime in and we can get grooving out here!

Boog is back! 🎶It’s the return of the Mack!🎶

[TechAnt]

Users in NJ I found on the Member Map you could reach out to:

MrILoveTheAnts (last active yesterday)  Mikechen123  (last active in 2018)  Kevin (Last active in June 22) 

iXvXi (Last active in June 6)

evanthomas89 (last active in 2019)

[ANTdrew]

MILTA is the most knowledgable person on the forum. I wish he would post more.

[Mariaface]

Users in NJ I found on the Member Map you could reach out to:

MrILoveTheAnts (last active yesterday)  Mikechen123  (last active in 2018)  Kevin (Last active in June 22) 

iXvXi (Last active in June 6)

evanthomas89 (last active in 2019)

 

Thank you! Didn't even realize it'd be a real map...

Edited by Mariaface, September 14 2020 - 6:08 PM.

[Martialis]

MILTA still around?

[ANTdrew]

MILTA comes on all the time, but doesn’t post anything.

[18mackeyb]

Does anyone have any queen ants for sale?

[Ants_Dakota]

Does anyone have any queen ants for sale?

I'm afraid that everyone is looking for ants for sale in NJ, and no one has any. If you want to move to South Dakota, I can get you some.

[Mariaface]

Does anyone have any queen ants for sale?

I wish!! Let me know if you find someone (and, you know, you've taken first pick of whatever they offer lol)

 

 

 

Does anyone have any queen ants for sale?

I'm afraid that everyone is looking for ants for sale in NJ, and no one has any. If you want to move to South Dakota, I can get you some.

 

 

tbh there are so many people selling in NY that it makes me want to move...  But I probably just need to take a breath lol 

[Devi]

 

Does anyone have any queen ants for sale?

I wish!! Let me know if you find someone (and, you know, you've taken first pick of whatever they offer lol)

 

 

 

Does anyone have any queen ants for sale?

I'm afraid that everyone is looking for ants for sale in NJ, and no one has any. If you want to move to South Dakota, I can get you some.

 

 

tbh there are so many people selling in NY that it makes me want to move...  But I probably just need to take a breath lol 

 

I feel you.  It feels like there aren't ANY sellers or even many anters in CO.  Very frustrating sometimes, but like you said, just take a breath.

[ANTdrew]

There are a couple GAN farmers listed for NJ. Did you contact them?

[Mariaface]

There are a couple GAN farmers listed for NJ. Did you contact them?

I've put myself into the query part a few times but never heard back, and most of the sellers listed under NJ either have nothing or it's 1 or 2 colonies of something I don't necessarily want but I'll keep checking GAN in case new ones pop up!