225 replies to this topic

[Chickalo]

one time i was out in my local woods and i found somebody studying the local aquatic life (most of them died off due to the extensive littering of the elementary school right next to the forest) and she saw me collecting a tetramorium immigrans colony (i released them a few minutes later since i couldn't find the queen), but she was like "collecting ants i see?  red ants or black ants?" cause obviously she though a middle schooler would only know these two and i just stared at her, i was gonna say "I've never seen myrmica in here, but camponotus is pretty common", but instead i just said "red", then she asked if i had a jel farm and i pretended not to notice.  Not embarrassing but weird champ

[Chickalo]

I remember this one from back when I was just starting antkeeping. I was going on a hike with my family and caught a Camponotus nearcticus queen in the parking lot before we started down the trail. At one point in the hike we had to cross a fallen log over a small creek/stream. I made it over the water fine, but as I was dismounting I slipped and fell to the ground. And naturally my first thought was to protect the queen rather than myself. So I ended up landing flat on my back with my arm sticking up in the air holding a test tube while shouting "My queen!" I can only imagine what the old couple crossing the log behind me thought.

sounds like something id do ngl, one time i actually fell into a creek trying to catch a tetra queen on a mossy rock

[M_Ants]

man. Hopefully there will be many more stories like this by the end of this year!

You enjoy laughing at other people's misfortune and wish for it to continue for your entertainment?    Me too.    

[antsandmore]

 

man. Hopefully there will be many more stories like this by the end of this year!

You enjoy laughing at other people's misfortune and wish for it to continue for your entertainment?    Me too.    

 

that too, but I also want to have a post like this so I know that I have tried to catch ants. I also want other people to laugh at a funny story If I ever happen to have one.

[Swirlysnowflake]

Ahaha I just remembered this one. I had just started the ant keeping hobby, and was looking for my first queen ant. I ended up finding a Preno queen at my school (This was when I was in elementary school lol). I was about to catch it but the teacher walked outside and was like, "Leave that ant alone!"

I was like, ok and I stepped away but I was still watching the queen. The teacher said that I couldn't bring the queen into the classroom, and I didn't have any containers outside, so this other person in my class gave me a pencil sharpener to put the queen in, like the ones with the bottom where the pencil scraps fall into.

So I put the queen into the pencil sharpener and went into class. At the end of the day, the teacher saw me with the queen (inside class) and I got a note sent home to my parents lmao

I had to release the queen tho  

[Devi]

Ahaha I just remembered this one. I had just started the ant keeping hobby, and was looking for my first queen ant. I ended up finding a Preno queen at my school (This was when I was in elementary school lol). I was about to catch it but the teacher walked outside and was like, "Leave that ant alone!"

I was like, ok and I stepped away but I was still watching the queen. The teacher said that I couldn't bring the queen into the classroom, and I didn't have any containers outside, so this other person in my class gave me a pencil sharpener to put the queen in, like the ones with the bottom where the pencil scraps fall into.

So I put the queen into the pencil sharpener and went into class. At the end of the day, the teacher saw me with the queen (inside class) and I got a note sent home to my parents lmao

I had to release the queen tho

That's funny.  If I was in your situation, I'd probably do something similar.  

[NickAnter]

Man, foiled by the teacher! I would have stated that I wished to study the ant for scientific purposes, and that I was looking into becoming a myrmecologist. Stuff like that never fails.

[Mettcollsuss]

That actually reminds me of another one. I was in math class when some of my classmates started calling me over because there was an ant. Turns out one of them had a Crematogaster queen just walking across their notebook. I didn't have any tubes on me, so after some panicking I just ended up holding her by her wings for a while. Eventually someone offered me a ballpoint pen with the ink cartridge taken out, which she just barely fit into. I was faced with multiple threats of having to let it go if I didn't stop "distracting the class".

[antsandmore]

That actually reminds me of another one. I was in math class when some of my classmates started calling me over because there was an ant. Turns out one of them had a Crematogaster queen just walking across their notebook. I didn't have any tubes on me, so after some panicking I just ended up holding her by her wings for a while. Eventually someone offered me a ballpoint pen with the ink cartridge taken out, which she just barely fit into. I was faced with multiple threats of having to let it go if I didn't stop "distracting the class".

that is very interesting. wouldn't the pen ink be toxic or anything?

[RushmoreAnts]

Ahaha I just remembered this one. I had just started the ant keeping hobby, and was looking for my first queen ant. I ended up finding a Preno queen at my school (This was when I was in elementary school lol). I was about to catch it but the teacher walked outside and was like, "Leave that ant alone!"

I was like, ok and I stepped away but I was still watching the queen. The teacher said that I couldn't bring the queen into the classroom, and I didn't have any containers outside, so this other person in my class gave me a pencil sharpener to put the queen in, like the ones with the bottom where the pencil scraps fall into.

So I put the queen into the pencil sharpener and went into class. At the end of the day, the teacher saw me with the queen (inside class) and I got a note sent home to my parents lmao

I had to release the queen tho

Dang. I remember when I was 9 and just starting to take an interest. I yearned to even see a Formica queen, lol. Lasius were so darned elusive. 

[Ants_Dakota]

That actually reminds me of another one. I was in math class when some of my classmates started calling me over because there was an ant. Turns out one of them had a Crematogaster queen just walking across their notebook. I didn't have any tubes on me, so after some panicking I just ended up holding her by her wings for a while. Eventually someone offered me a ballpoint pen with the ink cartridge taken out, which she just barely fit into. I was faced with multiple threats of having to let it go if I didn't stop "distracting the class".

at least your class was interested.

[Ants_Dakota]

my story happens when i was looking for ants early one morning at a park while i was digging for an A. rudis colony. some lady was apparently watching me from her window(creepy) and walked out onto her porch and yelled "what the h--- are you doing!!!" needless to say, i left there pretty fast.

[gs5248]

I don't reallly have any funny ant stories. When I first taking an interest into ant- keeping, in sixth grade, everyone was always interested in what I was doing. After I told them everyone wanted a queen. So the whole class and I went out (that was the most popular I have ever been in my life) to catch some tetramorium queens during recess. All in all we only found five. Pretty pathetic for how many people were looking. One of my friends asked for one of my catches, so I gave it to him. He accidentally killed and gave me the excuse that it escaped. 

[DIACAMMAWORLDCOOL]

When I tell someone I'm looking for ants they become too helpful. Too much questions and they pour out their knowledge. Too uncomfortable.(shudder)

[Chickalo]

Ahaha I just remembered this one. I had just started the ant keeping hobby, and was looking for my first queen ant. I ended up finding a Preno queen at my school (This was when I was in elementary school lol). I was about to catch it but the teacher walked outside and was like, "Leave that ant alone!"

I was like, ok and I stepped away but I was still watching the queen. The teacher said that I couldn't bring the queen into the classroom, and I didn't have any containers outside, so this other person in my class gave me a pencil sharpener to put the queen in, like the ones with the bottom where the pencil scraps fall into.

So I put the queen into the pencil sharpener and went into class. At the end of the day, the teacher saw me with the queen (inside class) and I got a note sent home to my parents lmao

I had to release the queen tho

that happened to me but abit different, when i was getting into ant keeping, and when my family went over to see my cousins in the neighbouring town, there was a P. imparis queen, so i went inside to grab something to put her in, and when i came out she was smoshed by my aunts shoe

[MinigunL5]

I remember this one from back when I was just starting antkeeping. I was going on a hike with my family and caught a Camponotus nearcticus queen in the parking lot before we started down the trail. At one point in the hike we had to cross a fallen log over a small creek/stream. I made it over the water fine, but as I was dismounting I slipped and fell to the ground. And naturally my first thought was to protect the queen rather than myself. So I ended up landing flat on my back with my arm sticking up in the air holding a test tube while shouting "My queen!" I can only imagine what the old couple crossing the log behind me thought.

I actually laughed when I read that XD

[MinigunL5]

Once I was trying to catch some queens during Lasius flights and some guy across the street asked if I lost something and I just said no and then I think he asked if I needed help and I said I'm fine. Not an interesting story but one of the only ones  have. Another time I was catching a ton of Solenopsis molesta and I passed by a house where a dad and his young kids were playing in the front yard. The dad asked me what I was doing and I think I said catching ants. Then he told me he saw some walking a a line down the sidewalk and we chatted a little and I showed him and his son the S. molesta queens I caught.

[Chickalo]

Once I was trying to catch some queens during Lasius flights and some guy across the street asked if I lost something and I just said no and then I think he asked if I needed help and I said I'm fine. Not an interesting story but one of the only ones  have. Another time I was catching a ton of Solenopsis molesta and I passed by a house where a dad and his young kids were playing in the front yard. The dad asked me what I was doing and I think I said catching ants. Then he told me he saw some walking a a line down the sidewalk and we chatted a little and I showed him and his son the S. molesta queens I caught.

what a nice guy

[Swirlysnowflake]

When I tell someone I'm looking for ants they become too helpful. Too much questions and they pour out their knowledge. Too uncomfortable.(shudder)

Oh my god yes, there's this one girl at my school, and once I told her I was looking for ants she expected me to spend my whole lunch period with her watching worker ants walk around. I tried to tell her I was looking for queen ants, but she still wanted to spend the whole of lunch looking with me and started talking about the black ants she found at her house and I'm just like

 

Please go away (But I didn't really say that lul)

[NickAnter]

Oh, one time, I was backlighting in my front yard, and a guy walked by, and said, "What are you doing?" I said, "Using a black light to see what insects are flying." Then, "Oh cool, a science project! that's cool."