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What’s something you wish you new when you first started antkeeping

Started By KadinB , Aug 12 2021 4:52 PM

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21 replies to this topic

#1 Offline KadinB - Posted August 12 2021 - 4:52 PM

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I wish I knew about formiculture and ant keeping discord servers. Before I was an ants Canada kid and that’s all I knew. When I found ender ants discord server from his YouTube someone told me to join ake so I did and I learned a lot about ants and now don’t buy AC equipment which is super expensive.


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#2 Offline zA-Z0-9 - Posted August 12 2021 - 5:10 PM

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i wish i knew queens died so much and that buying trapjaw queens was illegal  before i got one (which i now get smoked for by antkeepers all the time


Edited by zA-Z0-9, August 12 2021 - 5:10 PM.

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I LOVE ANTS!!!!

#3 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted August 12 2021 - 5:29 PM

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i wish i knew queens died so much and that buying trapjaw queens was illegal before i got one (which i now get smoked for by antkeepers all the time

I know at least one person who bought Messor without knowing it was illegal, so you aren’t the only one who has made that mistake.

As for me, I wish I knew everything I did now lol. If I did then maybe I would have had a huge colony by now.
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#4 Offline TestSubjectOne - Posted August 12 2021 - 5:32 PM

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I wish I'd known the danger of leaving ants in the sun. Enclosed containers like formicaria and test tubes can heat to dangerous temperatures if left in direct sunlight for an extended period of time regardless of the ambient temperature. I lost my first colony this way and have been careful ever since, but I would've preferred to learn it in a less painful way.


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TestSubjectOne's Experiences in Antkeeping General Journal

 

Currently Keeping:

- Veromessor pergandei (1 queen, 600 workers)

- Novomessor cockerelli (1 queen, 200 workers)

- Myrmecocystus mexicanus (1 queen, 100 workers)

- Brachymyrmex patagonicus (3 queens?, 2,000 workers? & alates)

- Crematogaster sp. (1 queen, 600 workers)

- Liometopum occidentale (1 queen, 800 workers)

- Camponotus absqualator (1 queen, 130 workers)

#5 Offline ANTdrew - Posted August 12 2021 - 6:14 PM

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-I wish I’d known all I do now about containing Crematogaster, such as the fact that curing silicone will not harm ants.
-I wish I’d known how easy it is to make your own formicariums.
-I wish I’d known how easy it is to find your own queens.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#6 Offline zA-Z0-9 - Posted August 12 2021 - 6:44 PM

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-I wish I’d known all I do now about containing Crematogaster, such as the fact that curing silicone will not harm ants.
-I wish I’d known how easy it is to make your own formicariums.
-I wish I’d known how easy it is to find your own queens.

yeah no crap i literally found 200 queens this year


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I LOVE ANTS!!!!

#7 Offline SYUTEO - Posted August 12 2021 - 7:04 PM

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I wish I knew I'm not supposed to check my queen everyday.

 

I wish I knew I'm not supposed to feed my queen during the founding stage.

 

I wish I knew Tetramorium queens are semi-claustral (All Tetramorium that live in Malaysia are semi-claustral)

 

I wish I knew about Formiculture much earlier. (Before I started using Formiculture, I used the ACAF (I still use it but not as much).).


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Began antkeeping in 2018  :)

 

All ant journal: https://www.formicul...os-ant-journal/

#8 Offline KadinB - Posted August 12 2021 - 7:07 PM

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i wish i knew queens died so much and that buying trapjaw queens was illegal before i got one (which i now get smoked for by antkeepers all the time

been there I got invicta illegally by accident. In my own state though. The usda came and took her and gave me a warning.


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#9 Offline Max_Connor - Posted August 12 2021 - 9:37 PM

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This thread looks like confessions of criminals who traded illegally...


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#10 Offline Domagoj - Posted August 12 2021 - 10:01 PM

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I wish I knew how easy it is to cause a flood in test tubes.

Edited by Domagoj, August 12 2021 - 10:01 PM.

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#11 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted August 13 2021 - 6:54 AM

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i wish i knew that ac products were crap i also wish i knew that it was illegal to buy ants from out of state without a permit,( i bought a L. neoniger queen from canada ant colony it never arrived)


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1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube....kUjx-dPFMyVqOLw

 

 Join Our Fledgling Discord Server https://discord.com/...089056687423489

#12 Offline zA-Z0-9 - Posted August 13 2021 - 7:26 AM

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This thread looks like confessions of criminals who traded illegally...

we are criminals who traded illegally at atleast one point in our lives


Edited by zA-Z0-9, August 13 2021 - 7:27 AM.

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I LOVE ANTS!!!!

#13 Offline ExponentMars - Posted August 13 2021 - 12:38 PM

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I wish I knew about formiculture and ant keeping discord servers. Before I was an ants Canada kid and that’s all I knew. When I found ender ants discord server from his YouTube someone told me to join ake so I did and I learned a lot about ants and now don’t buy AC equipment which is super expensive.


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bruh lol that's exactly what I wish I knew before I started! I got into the hobby after bingeing antscanada videos lol 


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Ants, gaming
Currently Keeping: 
Crematogaster sp., Camponotus Ca02, Tetramorium Immigrans
Wishlist: 
Acromyrmex, novos, Pogonomyrmex, Formica, and Lasius

#14 Offline AntBoi3030 - Posted August 13 2021 - 2:18 PM

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I wish I new not to ask for a freaking ants Canada setup for Christmas. Now my relatives ask me if I have ants in that massive nest yet.
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Check out my new YouTube Video!

 https://youtu.be/uut...0Ky8KdHM4FQ_nvo

#15 Offline KadinB - Posted August 13 2021 - 2:48 PM

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This thread looks like confessions of criminals who traded illegally...

I'm clean haha usda already dealt with me.


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#16 Offline zA-Z0-9 - Posted August 13 2021 - 2:48 PM

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I wish I new not to ask for a freaking ants Canada setup for Christmas. Now my relatives ask me if I have ants in that massive nest yet.

yeah my dad madew me an ant farm that's litterally 4ft by 2ft and i don't think ill ever be able to fill it


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I LOVE ANTS!!!!

#17 Offline Max_Connor - Posted August 13 2021 - 6:23 PM

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I wish I new not to ask for a freaking ants Canada setup for Christmas. Now my relatives ask me if I have ants in that massive nest yet.

 

I'm not in a region where I can afford AC products, but why is everyone saying they are bad for ants? Purely acrylic formicariums?


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#18 Offline SYUTEO - Posted August 13 2021 - 6:42 PM

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I wish I new not to ask for a freaking ants Canada setup for Christmas. Now my relatives ask me if I have ants in that massive nest yet.

 

I'm not in a region where I can afford AC products, but why is everyone saying they are bad for ants? Purely acrylic formicariums?

 

I don't buy AC products but I do have some theories why everyone doesn't like them. 1. They're expensive  2. They're flimsy  3. They're not worth buying.

 

These are just theories ok? These may not be entirely true.


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Began antkeeping in 2018  :)

 

All ant journal: https://www.formicul...os-ant-journal/

#19 Offline KadinB - Posted August 13 2021 - 6:44 PM

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I wish I new not to ask for a freaking ants Canada setup for Christmas. Now my relatives ask me if I have ants in that massive nest yet.

That is so true. I got a AC hybrid nest and my mom thinks I wasted her money but I haven't been able to get a colony that big yet.

Edited by KadinB, August 14 2021 - 8:14 AM.

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#20 Offline futurebird - Posted August 14 2021 - 8:20 AM

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It's good to be paranoid about wild caught ant food. Freezing isn't enough. I can't CERTIFY that the frozen spiders gave my Camponotus mites... but it's perfectly reasonable to think some eggs survived. 

 

I will now be a "freeze and boil" girl bit of a shame since I think variety is very important for ants. 

 

Freeze AND boil wild caught food. Probably the cultures stuff too if I'm honest. 

 

https://www.formicul...es/#entry197440


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Starting this July I'm posting videos of my ants every week on youTube.

I like to make relaxing videos that capture the joy of watching ants.

If that sounds like your kind of thing... follow me >here<. 

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