31 replies to this topic

[ANTMANY]

HI everyone!

 

I have just got a green head ant queen and i was wondering a few things about. 😀

 

1. The green head ant species is a gamergate species so will the workers only mate when the queen has died and how many eggs will the worker lay after it has mated. Will it lay as many as the queen or will it only lay a few?

 

2. I think i am going to put the colony in an ants canada ant tower large deluxe, and i was just wondering if i should use the optional nest reducer or should i leave it out because i still want to see most of their tunnels but i still want them to have a decent amount of room to dig? The workers grow to around 5-7mm so i guess they are a medium sized species.

 

3. If i were to keep them in an ant wall what would be the the best width of that ant wall so i can still see the tunnels but they will have space.

 

4. If any of you have kept them before any advice would be really appreciated! 😀

 

 

Thanks in advance,

[futurebird]

Most of the people who seem to be good at keeping these kinds of ants start them out in a shoe box sized tub of sand with a test tube laying in it, then add more tubes. Hopefully an expert and semi claustral queens will speak up but I doubt you'll need anything like an ant tower for a bit. 

 

At this stage in her life she's looking for the security of a moist, little hole, where she can hide and lay eggs... and the ability to run out and grab food from time to time. 

[SYUTEO]

1. Yes, the workers will only mated when the queen dies but they will only mate with males from a different colony so that technically means a colony can last forever.

 

2. You can leave it in if you want to see their tunnels and chambers. You can still see them dig if you remove it but you need them to dig right up to the sides to see their nest.

 

3. As long as they can turn around (at least 10mm) it should be alright.

 

4. I never kept them before but the founding should be the same as many other semi-claustral ant (a tub filled with sand or dirt with a test tube placed in it and feed her insects every 1-3 days, I'm not sure if they also eat honey but you can try and see for yourself). Some ant keepers only keep them in a test tube filled with substrate and it does work but sometimes the queen will cover up the walls of her test tube and you wouldn't see her. Controlling humidity can be quite difficult in a test tube and it can be dangerous as the queen or her brood can drown in the substrate if it gets too wet.

[Manitobant]

Assuming you are talking about rhytidoponera metallica, I would recommend founding in a test tube with an outworld and then transferring into an ants Australia nest. I wouldn’t use an AC nest for this species, save that for something more common/expendable.

[JCRHJM]

They can't grip smooth surfaces so plaster/ytong nests would be best for them

[Leptomyrmx]

I also have a queen of this species, currently in a small tubs and tubes setup. I'd recommend putting sand in the outworld to help the larvae spin their cocoons. Also, does anyone know how they'd go climbing the tubing in the THA Mini Hearth? I could always glue some sand on the inside if they can't climb it.

[MysticNanitic]

… the tubing in the THA Mini Hearth? I could always glue some sand on the inside if they can't climb it.

No need, the tubing can be pulled out with a pair of needle nose plyers with no ill effects. Pull it straight out and it doesn’t require a lot of force.

[ANTMANY]

1. Yes, the workers will only mated when the queen dies but they will only mate with males from a different colony so that technically means a colony can last forever.

 

2. You can leave it in if you want to see their tunnels and chambers. You can still see them dig if you remove it but you need them to dig right up to the sides to see their nest.

 

3. As long as they can turn around (at least 10mm) it should be alright.

 

4. I never kept them before but the founding should be the same as many other semi-claustral ant (a tub filled with sand or dirt with a test tube placed in it and feed her insects every 1-3 days, I'm not sure if they also eat honey but you can try and see for yourself). Some ant keepers only keep them in a test tube filled with substrate and it does work but sometimes the queen will cover up the walls of her test tube and you wouldn't see her. Controlling humidity can be quite difficult in a test tube and it can be dangerous as the queen or her brood can drown in the substrate if it gets too wet.

Thanks for the advice!

Very helpful

 

Also should i put the food in the test tube or on the sand for her?

 

Cheers,

Edited by ANTMANY, September 24 2021 - 7:27 PM.

[ANTMANY]

Assuming you are talking about rhytidoponera metallica, I would recommend founding in a test tube with an outworld and then transferring into an ants Australia nest. I wouldn’t use an AC nest for this species, save that for something more common/expendable.

Thanks for the response

 

Why wouldn't you keep the species in an  AC ant tower?

Also what Aus ants nest would you recommend?

 

Thanks again,

Edited by ANTMANY, September 24 2021 - 7:26 PM.

[Manitobant]

Assuming you are talking about rhytidoponera metallica, I would recommend founding in a test tube with an outworld and then transferring into an ants Australia nest. I wouldn’t use an AC nest for this species, save that for something more common/expendable.

Thanks for the response
 
Why wouldn't you keep the species in an  AC ant tower?
Also what Aus ants nest would you recommend?
 
Thanks again,

I wouldn’t use an AC ant tower as AC nests are generally low quality and there are much better options on the market, especially for something like rhytidoponera. As for aus ants nests, I would get a ytong one, as those seem to be better for things like ponerines, ectatommines and the like.

[SYUTEO]

 

1. Yes, the workers will only mated when the queen dies but they will only mate with males from a different colony so that technically means a colony can last forever.

 

2. You can leave it in if you want to see their tunnels and chambers. You can still see them dig if you remove it but you need them to dig right up to the sides to see their nest.

 

3. As long as they can turn around (at least 10mm) it should be alright.

 

4. I never kept them before but the founding should be the same as many other semi-claustral ant (a tub filled with sand or dirt with a test tube placed in it and feed her insects every 1-3 days, I'm not sure if they also eat honey but you can try and see for yourself). Some ant keepers only keep them in a test tube filled with substrate and it does work but sometimes the queen will cover up the walls of her test tube and you wouldn't see her. Controlling humidity can be quite difficult in a test tube and it can be dangerous as the queen or her brood can drown in the substrate if it gets too wet.

Thanks for the advice!

Very helpful

 

Also should i put the food in the test tube or on the sand for her?

 

Cheers,

 

Either, but it is better to place food on a tray before feeding her because any food that got stuck in the sand can lead to mold. Anyway, there's no point adding an outworld if you're just going to place food in the test tube.

[ANTMANY]

Ok thanks

 

Should i also cover up the out world and test tube or just cover up the test tube.

Also what types of bugs and food should i feed her?

 

Thanks in advance,

[SYUTEO]

Ok thanks

 

Should i also cover up the out world and test tube or just cover up the test tube.

Also what types of bugs and food should i feed her?

 

Thanks in advance,

Only covering the test tube is fine. You can feed her mealworms, crickets and other feeder insects you can find.

[Kaelwizard]

She will probably need some source of sugar so experiment to see what she will accept.

[ANTMANY]

She will probably need some source of sugar so experiment to see what she will accept.

Ok, thanks

 

I have given her honey and i will see what she will do with it.

 

Do you know of any other sugary things i could feed her?

 

Cheers,

 

Ok thanks

 

Should i also cover up the out world and test tube or just cover up the test tube.

Also what types of bugs and food should i feed her?

 

Thanks in advance,

Only covering the test tube is fine. You can feed her mealworms, crickets and other feeder insects you can find.

 

OK, thanks

 

Would i have to break up the insects or should i feed it to her whole?

 

Thanks,

[ANTMANY]

 

 

Assuming you are talking about rhytidoponera metallica, I would recommend founding in a test tube with an outworld and then transferring into an ants Australia nest. I wouldn’t use an AC nest for this species, save that for something more common/expendable.

Thanks for the response
 
Why wouldn't you keep the species in an  AC ant tower?
Also what Aus ants nest would you recommend?
 
Thanks again,

I wouldn’t use an AC ant tower as AC nests are generally low quality and there are much better options on the market, especially for something like rhytidoponera. As for aus ants nests, I would get a ytong one, as those seem to be better for things like ponerines, ectatommines and the like.

 

Alright

 

Thanks for the advice.

[SYUTEO]

 

She will probably need some source of sugar so experiment to see what she will accept.

Ok, thanks

 

I have given her honey and i will see what she will do with it.

 

Do you know of any other sugary things i could feed her?

 

Cheers,

 

Ok thanks

 

Should i also cover up the out world and test tube or just cover up the test tube.

Also what types of bugs and food should i feed her?

 

Thanks in advance,

Only covering the test tube is fine. You can feed her mealworms, crickets and other feeder insects you can find.

 

OK, thanks

 

Would i have to break up the insects or should i feed it to her whole?

 

Thanks,

 

Break the insects up first.

[ANTMANY]

 

 

She will probably need some source of sugar so experiment to see what she will accept.

Ok, thanks

 

I have given her honey and i will see what she will do with it.

 

Do you know of any other sugary things i could feed her?

 

Cheers,

 

Ok thanks

 

Should i also cover up the out world and test tube or just cover up the test tube.

Also what types of bugs and food should i feed her?

 

Thanks in advance,

Only covering the test tube is fine. You can feed her mealworms, crickets and other feeder insects you can find.

 

OK, thanks

 

Would i have to break up the insects or should i feed it to her whole?

 

Thanks,

 

Break the insects up first.

 

Would worms be a good option?

[Kaelwizard]

If you mean earthworms, I’m not sure. Many people find that their ants like mealworms. For sugary foods, generally liquids are used. You can make sugar water or use hummingbird nectar. I recommend watering down honey. I often use a honey water mixture of 1 part honey to 3 parts water.

[ANTMANY]

Ok thanks

would you happen to know what the life span of the queen and workers are for this species or for medium to small sized ants. Also when a worker mates with a male because they are gamer gates will the life span of the worker be increased to the same life span as the og queen? (also when i said worms i meant garden worms) 😀