Hello!
My name is Phasor and I'm brand new to the hobby, though I remember having an interest in ants way back when I was little. I remember having an Uncle Milton ant farm (though I don't think I ever actually put ants in it) and playing a couple ant themed video games in the '90s. (I have fond yet very vague memories of SimAnt)
Anyway, I've always enjoyed those relaxing aquarium feeding or terrarium build videos, so a couple weeks ago an AntsCanada video popped into my suggestions, and I ended up watching the entire playlist through in just a couple days. I remembered my interest in ants from my childhood, and thought now that I'm older, properly raising a colony was something I might be able to do, and could be interested in. So I started doing a bit more research and finding an ant-keeping discord server and this forum.
So far, I've only found two queens in three days of searching at a local park here in South West Michigan, which I think are Lasius Neoniger and Lasius Brevicornis. Both still had their wings, and I'm trying hard not to check on them constantly so I haven't opened the box in a couple days. Being so new to this hobby and normally anxious in general, getting the queens into their first tubes, and being unsure if they're mated or will survive leaves me as a bundle of anxiety sometimes, constantly asking the discord questions about every little thing. It's late in the year so my ants will probably need to be put into diapause before anything really interesting happens anyway, but I still worry constantly. I'll probably start a couple colony journals for them, if they take off.
I am looking forward to the DIY aspect of ant-keeping. Store bought nests and habitats are nice, but there's something so satisfying about building one of your own and seeing it in use. I used to build and fly FPV drones, so I'm looking forward to getting back into that tinkering mindset, though with plaster and tubes instead of wires and motors. Once I gather the materials and get started on that, I'll be sure to make another thread about my DIY progress. I've got some ideas cooking I'd like to try. Should I make a new thread for each build, or just one for my DIY projects in general?
Anyway, I haven't hung around forums in quite a long time, so I don't know how active I'll be here, but a new hobby is always exciting so I'm sure for a while I'll be posting. Hope things go well for me, and I look forward to interacting with the community here!
Answered
