36 replies to this topic

[Lillyrose]

Wow, you live really near me then. I can definitely help you get started if you want. If you try a blacklight trap this summer, you will find more Temnothorax queens than you could ever imagine.

I'm going to go Google blacklight trap :-)

I hate that I'm so excited and there just isn't anything to do lol.

[MinigunL5]

Wow, you live really near me then. I can definitely help you get started if you want. If you try a blacklight trap this summer, you will find more Temnothorax queens than you could ever imagine.

I'm going to go Google blacklight trap :-)
I hate that I'm so excited and there just isn't anything to do lol.

There's lots you could do. One good thing to do would be to talk to ant-keepers here or somewhere like Discord. I'd also research ants native to your area and which ones you want to catch. Also it might not be a bad idea to do some ant related shopping if there are still sales going. Test tubes are a must(just don't buy AntsCanada ones).

[AleeGuy]

*double post*

 

Edited by AleeGuy, December 29 2020 - 7:58 AM.

[AleeGuy]

Wow, you live really near me then. I can definitely help you get started if you want. If you try a blacklight trap this summer, you will find more Temnothorax queens than you could ever imagine.

I'm going to go Google blacklight trap :-)
I hate that I'm so excited and there just isn't anything to do lol.

There's lots you could do. One good thing to do would be to talk to ant-keepers here or somewhere like Discord. I'd also research ants native to your area and which ones you want to catch. Also it might not be a bad idea to do some ant related shopping if there are still sales going. Test tubes are a must(just don't buy AntsCanada ones).

Best place to buy the test tubes from in my opinion is from this website https://www.kartersc...ubes_s/1276.htm

A guide that can help you find where you can buy some other ant keeping equipment that you *might* need in ant keeping hobby https://www.formicul...rchasing-guide/

[Antkeeper01]

 

 

Wow, you live really near me then. I can definitely help you get started if you want. If you try a blacklight trap this summer, you will find more Temnothorax queens than you could ever imagine.

I'm going to go Google blacklight trap :-)
I hate that I'm so excited and there just isn't anything to do lol.

There's lots you could do. One good thing to do would be to talk to ant-keepers here or somewhere like Discord. I'd also research ants native to your area and which ones you want to catch. Also it might not be a bad idea to do some ant related shopping if there are still sales going. Test tubes are a must(just don't buy AntsCanada ones).

 

yeah mine shattered with a tetra colony in it

[Kaelwizard]

 

 

 

Wow, you live really near me then. I can definitely help you get started if you want. If you try a blacklight trap this summer, you will find more Temnothorax queens than you could ever imagine.

I'm going to go Google blacklight trap :-)
I hate that I'm so excited and there just isn't anything to do lol.

There's lots you could do. One good thing to do would be to talk to ant-keepers here or somewhere like Discord. I'd also research ants native to your area and which ones you want to catch. Also it might not be a bad idea to do some ant related shopping if there are still sales going. Test tubes are a must(just don't buy AntsCanada ones).

 

yeah mine shattered with a tetra colony in it

 

Well any glass test tube would. My THA one did. Another THA tube of mine broke because pulling out wet cotton put too much pressure on the glass. Also, AC tubes are expensive, but they aren't really bad. They have feet on them to keep them from rolling too. I don't use them myself, though.

[AleeGuy]

Wow, you live really near me then. I can definitely help you get started if you want. If you try a blacklight trap this summer, you will find more Temnothorax queens than you could ever imagine.

I'm going to go Google blacklight trap :-)
I hate that I'm so excited and there just isn't anything to do lol.

There's lots you could do. One good thing to do would be to talk to ant-keepers here or somewhere like Discord. I'd also research ants native to your area and which ones you want to catch. Also it might not be a bad idea to do some ant related shopping if there are still sales going. Test tubes are a must(just don't buy AntsCanada ones).

yeah mine shattered with a tetra colony in it

Well any glass test tube would. My THA one did. Another THA tube of mine broke because pulling out wet cotton put too much pressure on the glass. Also, AC tubes are expensive, but they aren't really bad. They have feet on them to keep them from rolling too. I don't use them myself, though.

True, any glass would break, just be careful with it. And no, plastic will degrade(especially with continuous humidity inside of it) and eventually whiten and make it a pain in the eyes to see the ants. I don't think most ant keepers here are 5 and will play with the test tube and drop it everytime when they pick it up. And if you accidentally drop even the AC test tube, it will still stress the colony and may injure the queen.

[Antkeeper01]

the ac tubes have so many small scratches it looks like there's condensasion

[ANTdrew]

The OP didn’t ask anything about test tubes.

[Kaelwizard]

The OP didn’t ask anything about test tubes.

MinigunL5 suggested shopping for ant supplies like test tubes (and brought up You Know Who). However, it is getting off topic so sorry about that Lillyrose.

Edited by Kaelwizard, December 29 2020 - 3:24 PM.

[Scherme]

I once bit off more than I could chew. I can relate to how your feeling. Sometimes I feel asking questions and doing research isn't quite enough, I have learned a lot from doing. That is not to say it is not extremely important to ask questions and do research.

 

There are people all over the place trying to keep ants and killing them (including me) so just learn from it. 

 

Acorn ants are so cool. I would love to hunt for some one day. I think right now I am at capacity for what effort I am willing to put in.

 

Please start a journal if you would, I love reading journals about the species that interest me. (mine are wildly outdated, but I will probably get back to them when anting season starts back up)

[AleeGuy]

 

The OP didn’t ask anything about test tubes.

MinigunL5 suggested shopping for ant supplies like test tubes (and brought up You Know Who). However, it is getting off topic so sorry about that Lillyrose.

 

Oh, I just gave my opinion on why ac test tubes aren't good so he/she would know the cons that it'll have, wasn't trying to be toxic, offensive or anything like that .  Sorry lul(

[Kaelwizard]

 

 

The OP didn’t ask anything about test tubes.

MinigunL5 suggested shopping for ant supplies like test tubes (and brought up You Know Who). However, it is getting off topic so sorry about that Lillyrose.

 

Oh, I just gave my opinion on why ac test tubes aren't good so he/she would know the cons that it'll have, wasn't trying to be toxic, offensive or anything like that .  Sorry lul(

 

I didn't mention what you said and I actually agree with what you had said.

[Lillyrose]

Is there a way to get notifications when I get replies?

 

So since I written last I've gotten some plaster and have been trying to recreate an acorn kinda thing for my ants. They're throwing me off badly though. I've been keeping them in a small colledge dorm sized fridge. It stays pretty much 48 degrees Fahrenheit all the time. Yesterday I checked on them to make sure the water was still good and they were all running around.. I was a bit surprised. I moved them up higher toward the freezer, but they still just running all over the place. 

 

I ended up wrapping them in a couple of towels and putting them out in the shed. I really didn't want to do that because during the day it's like 45, but at night it's down to 20s.... and that could kill them. But they're in the shed, so out of the wind, and in the towels, so hopefully that keeps them from getting too cold. 

 

Yesterday, while musing, I was looking through more acorns and I found another colony! This time I saw eggs! I am so excited! Sadly though I'm not graceful and I wasn't thinking there would be ants in there, so I split their acorn in two! I made a test tube with water and slid the two halves in. I hope they're protected enough. The halves are open to the world, but I'm hoping that the tube, and then I wrapped them in a towel, so I'm hoping between the two parts that will be enough to keep them protected. 

 

I'm fighting the urge to bring in one of them and put them in a formicarium. They need their sleep and I need to be patient...but it's so hard! 

 

I got about 20 glass tubes. I saw the ones on Ant Canada, but they're plastic and I felt that would make it hard to see.... especially with such tiny ants. I have lots left over so that I can try to get some queens when they fly. Next month or so they'll come out and I'll start watching for the winter ants to do their flight. 

 

I have no idea how people get such good and clear pictures! I'm so jealous! 

 

That brings me up to two different acorns with ants. I have no idea what exactly is in each. If they're satellite nests they might not have queens. If they're slave raiding ants then I'll have to let them go since I don't know how to help them... I think THINK they are acorn ants Temnothorax curvispinosus... but they're very dark and while the acorn ant pictures are brown or honey colored. So I'm not sure. 

 

I also purchased my Tetramorium queen with her first brood. 

(Sorry, I'm still learning their names) 

 

I plan to do each of them a journal once I have a better idea of what I'm doing so I can do pictures and stuff. 

 

I really hope I didn't kill anyone. 

 

[Lillyrose]

So I have a new plan. After looking through my acorns I have three colonies ... I thought they were acorn ants but now I'm under the impression they are odorous ants.

Since 2 of the acorns are damaged and it is winter I wouldn't feel right releasing them now. They need their protection. So I'm going to keep them through hibernation and then pick one to keep. The other two ill return to the place I got them after a good winter nap, some sugars, and maybe some new acorns to choose from.

[ANTdrew]

You know you can combine them all into one? Tapinoma are highly polygynous.

[Chickalo]

awesome! remember, don't go too crazy and move your ants into a new formicarium with a few workers, as they will not do to good. i find that to be a rookie mistake. give them time, and be patient. then you will succeed. 

doing this is always a very bad idea, they love c l o m p i n g together like *insert really good analogy here*, leaving their trash in the other spaces to mold cause they think spring tails are gonna come and munchy munchy but none come since its in captivity, and they die due to mold (or other causes but this is most likely if you see mold [unless they are fungi growers like atta or trachy {oh boy i wish i had fungi growers}, in which case leave them cause its their only food source])