80 replies to this topic

[Ernteameise]

Hello everybody.

You might remember that a few weeks back, there was a little discussion on "can you take ants to the vet? Do vets even know about ants?"

 

Well, I am a vet.

Back then, I had to admit that apart from vets who keep ants, nobody in my profession knows anything.

Well, instead of sitting on my hands and wait for change to happen (possibly a very long wait) I decided I would be the change I wish to see (as Ghandi adviced).

 

I have to go to the BVZS (UK Zoo vet) conference in Birmingham in November, to help a dear colleague from our UK branch lab with the advertising stall of our company (diagnostic lab).

So I thought to myself, last year they had a talk on tarantula keeping, why do I not just ask if anybody would be interested in ants? Just for giggles I asked the organizers.

They were THRILLED.

I was invited to write an abstract (which I have submitted, see below) for a 45 minute (!!!) Master Class lecture on Ant Keeping.

 

Let that sink in.

 

So yeah, I am going to give a lecture to zoo / exotic vets and nurses about ant keeping, probably one of the first ant keeping lectures ever given to vets.

 

Now I got a problem.

I want to make this PERFECT.

I want to advocate and I want to raise awareness.

I would really like that exotic vets gain some interest in the topic.

 

So I would like to ask you all for help.

If anybody would share, I would love to share:

- some great macro pictures of different ant species

- some of you have some awesome setups

- some of you are real experts on topics (I would like to ask for advice if possible)

- some pictures of common problems (like mites!)

- in general, I would be grateful about advice and suggestions

 

Everybody who shares stuff will be cited in the talk, all pictures I might share will have the name of the source and I will of course will advertise this forum as a great source of information (if I have permission from the mods).

I will also share the talk with everybody who helped.

If the conference organizers record the talk, I will even ask for permission to link the video (no idea if they agree, though).

I will NOT steal anything nor will any of this be posted on social media.

 

It will ONLY be shared to professionals at a scientific professional conference.

 

May I ask if anybody is willing to help?

As I said, I will cite you in the talk (either by forum name or real name, depending on what you wish for).

 

 

[Ernteameise]

And here is the Abstract I have submitted for the talk (deadline was end of this week, so I went ahead in sending it)

 

ANTS- TINY SOCIETIES CONQUERING OUR LIVING ROOMS

 

 

Ants are a nuisance to many people working in the garden and a pest if they enter one‘s home unbidden. But in recent years, many ants have conquered millions of living rooms all around the globe, not as alien invaders, but as cherished and welcomed pets.

When searching the internet, there are at least 15 well known and professional ant keeping stores in continental Europe and the UK alone (many more in the US, Asia and Australia). On Amazon, there are now even treats sold for ants, just as for dogs and cats.

While the hobby is often advertised for children, there is a large community of adult ant keepers, providing specialist help and advice to not only new ant keepers, but also researchers at universities.

 

I would like to give a short introduction into the ant keeping hobby, and explore the following topics:

1. Commonly kept species (Lasius niger, Messor barbarus, Camponotus spp., Crematogaster spp., Pheidole spp., …)

2. Husbandry (basic requirements for ant keeping, hibernation, setups: „tubs and tubes“, natural, 3D-printed…)

3. Diet (generalists to food specialist: seed eaters, specialist hunters, honeypots, leaf-cutters and fungus growers)

4. Commonly made mistakes and problems that can arise, especially in early development of the colonies

5. Concerns raised concerning ant keeping: Invasive species, increasing internet trade of exotic species, release and abandonment of pet colonies

 

So come along, and marvel at the tiny civilizations which are conquering our living rooms.

[ANTdrew]

This is really exciting! You have full permission to use any of my photos posted on the forum.

[Ernteameise]

This is really exciting! You have full permission to use any of my photos posted on the forum.

Awesome, thank you!

You have some great species and setups and some great pictures.

I will sure ask you and I will also ask you how to reference your pictures.

I am still in the excitement phase, when I am in the planning (and finally in the writing phase) I hope you won't be annoyed.....

[ConcordAntman]

Kudos to you Ernteameise! Feel free to use anything in my gallery. Pleas keep us posted on your progress and on the presentation when it occurs!

[dspdrew]

This sounds really cool. I answered your question here (https://www.formicul...-talk/?p=226547) too.

[TacticalHandleGaming]

That's awesome! Feel free to use any of my photos from my many colonies as well.

Edited by TacticalHandleGaming, May 30 2023 - 10:48 PM.

[Ernteameise]

Thank you all!

I will make sure to get in contact with you when I start writing.

I might also ask a few questions in the ant keeping general thread, so please do not get annoyed (I am a newbie, after all).

Edited by Ernteameise, May 30 2023 - 11:27 PM.

[PurdueEntomology]

I think a general presentation, like I did at the American Museum of Science and Energy, is a great way to introduce ant origins, diversity and unique ecological significance may assist in generating the desired interest and appreciation of ants in general and is a means to guide people into the myrmeculture world.  I could assist you in this if you like just send a private message.  I am an entomologist btw whose graduate work was in ant evolutionary and population genetics. 

[Serafine]

Nice. I just wrote a long paragraph about the different kinds of mites antkeepers may have to deal with and then the forum software killed it when i accidentally closed the tab. Thanks Formiculture for not having an automatic save feature.

I'm gonna write it again offline later, might take a while though.

Edited by Serafine, May 31 2023 - 5:54 AM.

[AntsCali098]

I suggest using the ant photography thread for pictures. Me and many others have made photography posts there. You have permission to use my photos. Really cool opportunity, I wish you luck!

Edited by AntsCali098, May 31 2023 - 9:15 AM.

[Ernteameise]

I think a general presentation, like I did at the American Museum of Science and Energy, is a great way to introduce ant origins, diversity and unique ecological significance may assist in generating the desired interest and appreciation of ants in general and is a means to guide people into the myrmeculture world.  I could assist you in this if you like just send a private message.  I am an entomologist btw whose graduate work was in ant evolutionary and population genetics. 

Oh that would be awesome!

Since it is a talk to zoo vets and nurses, I will mainly talk about husbandry and problems, but of course I need to include some basics on ecology and origins. I will make sure to get in touch!

[Ernteameise]

Nice. I just wrote a long paragraph about the different kinds of mites antkeepers may have to deal with and then the forum software killed it when i accidentally closed the tab. Thanks Formiculture for not having an automatic save feature.

I'm gonna write it again offline later, might take a while though.

OMG, if you are motivated to write something again, I am very curious about it.

I know how frustrating this is- I remember that my seminar work for school (30 years ago) my computer crashed and I had to re-write everything in just two days. It sucks.

[Ernteameise]

I suggest using the ant photography thread for pictures. Me and many others have made photography posts there. You have permission to use my photos. Really cool opportunity, I wish you luck!

I know, all of you have shared sooo many awesome pictures. I will sure get in touch.

I would also very much like to share some pictures of your beautiful honeypot ants.

[Ernteameise]

I will have a week off work the week after next and I hope I will find some time then to actually come up with a first plan for the talk and have a look at pictures and contact some of you.

Sadly I have a full-on full time job at a diagnostics lab, so beside being excited I had not time yet to sit down and breathe!

But I bet when I have a week off, my fingers will be itching to get started with at least something!

[Serafine]

Altright, so i made a little brainstorming and this is what came out of it.

Since this is a medical conference i think ant health issues are of particular interest. I made a list of all the stuff that came to my mind, it's gonna take a while to write it all down.
If anyone can think of something i forgot, feel free to tell me, i'll add it to the list (and yes, I will change the order for the final product with i.e. care/setup/food-related issues coming first, this is just the order in which the brainstorming went down).


Ant health issues

Mites
- Grain mites
- Trash-eating mites (aka normal standard mites)
- Parasitic mites
-- Blood-sucking mites (treatment options like predatory hypoaspis mites, anti-mite meds for bees, formic acid fogging)
-- Intermediate stages (dormant/transport forms on ants)
-- Food-stealing mites (the big ones that sit on ants and can use their front limbs to beg for food)

Mold/Fungus
- Bacterial mold
- Fungal mold
-- Yellow “formiculture” fungus (the ones that is known to wipe out colonies)
- Parasitic leafcutter fungus (a fungus that infests leafcutter fungus)
- Cordiceps (the ant zombie fungus)

Harmless/useful guests
- Isopods
- Springtails
- Booklice/Dustlice

Bacterial infections
- Colored gasters in Temnothorax
-- Issues with antibiotics (ant symbiotic gut bacteria)

Parasites
- Phorid flies
- Nest parasites (Butterfly/Beetle larvae that eat brood)
- Parasitic flies that infect queens during their flights (abandon all hope for treatment here)

Parasites that use ants as part of their lifecycle
- Dicrocoelium dendriticum, the lancet liver fluke (parasite of sheep)

Care issues
- Disturbance (light, vibrations)
- Lack of hibernation (stunted growth, low activity)
- Pre-hibernation issues when heating temperate Camponotus

Setup issues
- Toxic substrate (playground/colored/bird sand)
- Diatomaceous earth (kills ants)

- Dry nest (crippled new workers)
- Lack of humidity (tropical rainforest ants)
- Deep nest issues with clumsy ants (like Messor)
- U-turn issues (with sun-navigating ants like Messor)
- Lack of heat (meditarranean/(sub)tropical ants)
- Open water areas (with ants like Messor)

Food-related issues
- Food poisoning (pesticides in honey/fruit, treated seeds like grass, caffein)
- Too much ammonia? (shaking ant syndrome, protein-loaded roaches)
- Bad diet/nutritional deficit (only mealworms, milk)
- Food going bad in the setup (S. fugax/ants that bury food, fermenting sugar water/honey)

Other external issues
- Area spraying of pesticides
- Plug-in anti-mosquito devices

Ants
- Feral ant raids (Pharao ants, Fire ants, Black Crazy ants, Bigheaded ants)
-- secure home & setup
- Pet ants breaking out and eating other pet colonies (Lasius niger, Fire ants)
-- secure setups BOTH ways (in and out)

Random anecdote
- Chinese “medical ants” Ponzi scheme scandal that led to a death sentence for one of the people who came up with it (makes for a bit of a spectacle, as a closing point on the lecture)
 

Edited by Serafine, June 9 2023 - 3:58 AM.

[Serafine]

Oh, and btw, you can use any pictures from any of my journals. (unfortunately i don't have any pictures with mites or any of the issues listed above)

Edited by Serafine, June 1 2023 - 11:08 AM.

[Ernteameise]

Altright, so i made a little brainstorming and this is what came out of it.

Since this is a medical conference i think ant health issues are of particular interest. I made a list of all the stuff that came to my mind, it's gonna take a while to write it all down.
If anyone can think of something i forgot, feel free to tell me, i'll add it to the list (and yes, I will change the order for the final product with i.e. care/setup/food-related issues coming first, this is just the order in which the brainstorming went down).


Ant health issues

Mites
- Grain mites
- Trash-eating mites (aka normal standard mites)
- Parasitic mites
-- Blood-sucking mites (treatment options like predatory hypoaspis mites, anti-mite meds for bees, formic acid fogging)
-- Intermediate stages (dormant/transport forms on ants)
-- Food-stealing mites (the big ones that sit on ants and can use their front limbs to beg for food)

Mold/Fungus
- Bacterial mold
- Fungal mold
-- Yellow “formiculture” fungus (the ones that is known to wipe out colonies)
- Parasitic leafcutter fungus (a fungus that infests leafcutter fungus)
- Cordiceps (the ant zombie fungus)

Harmless/useful guests
- Isopods
- Springtails
- Booklice/Dustlice

Bacterial infections
- Colored gasters in Temnothorax
-- Issues with antibiotics (ant symbiotic gut bacteria)

Parasites
- Phorid flies
- Nest parasites (Butterfly/Beetle larvae that eat brood)
- Parasitic flies that infect queens during their flights (abandon all hope for treatment here)

Parasites that use ants as part of their lifecycle
- Tapeworms/Roundworms in cows

Care issues
- Disturbance (light, vibrations)
- Lack of hibernation (stunted growth, low activity)
- Pre-hibernation issues when heating temperate Camponotus

Setup issues
- Toxic substrate (playground/colored/bird sand)
- Diatomaceous earth (kills ants)

- Dry nest (crippled new workers)
- Lack of humidity (tropical rainforest ants)
- Deep nest issues with clumsy ants (like Messor)
- U-turn issues (with sun-navigating ants like Messor)
- Lack of heat (meditarranean/(sub)tropical ants)
- Open water areas (with ants like Messor)

Food-related issues
- Food poisoning (pesticides in honey/fruit, treated seeds like grass, caffein)
- Too much ammonia? (shaking ant syndrome, protein-loaded roaches)
- Bad diet/nutritional deficit (only mealworms, milk)
- Food going bad in the setup (S. fugax/ants that bury food, fermenting sugar water/honey)

Other external issues
- Area spraying of pesticides
- Plug-in anti-mosquito devices

Ants
- Feral ant raids (Pharao ants, Fire ants, Black Crazy ants, Bigheaded ants)
-- secure home & setup
- Pet ants breaking out and eating other pet colonies (Lasius niger, Fire ants)
-- secure setups BOTH ways (in and out)

Random anecdote
- Chinese “medical ants” Ponzi scheme scandal that led to a death sentence for one of the people who came up with it (makes for a bit of a spectacle, as a closing point on the lecture)
 

Oh wow, this is amazing!!!!!

Thank you for this!

This will be really helpful.

 

I hope in 2 weeks time, when I have a week off work, I will finally have some time for getting stuck in with my brainstorming and will show here what I came up with.

 

I can only repeat, I am so happy I found this forum and everyone is so enthusiastic about this hobby and so supportive and I am not seen as the crazy one.

 

I admit at my office at the lab, people are actually laughing.

When I said I had asked the organizer of the conference if I could give a talk, I did not hear the end of it, it was endless teasing.

So when I came back to work and saw the email of the organizer and one of the colleagues asked **snigger, snigger* "What is your ant talk doing?"

I was like "I am not going to give a mere talk. I am going to give a full on lecture"

I just LOVED the faces. And the sniggering stopped.

Yeah, apparently, the joke was now on them.

[Ernteameise]

In other news- the leader of the exotics vet team at work has told some German exotics vets about me doing this lecture, now the GERMAN vets have asked me if I would like to give the talk AGAIN, but next year at a German vet conference.

So yay! - There is interest and obviously at least some people are aware of the popularity!

[AntsCali098]

My old monomorium ergtognya colony got absolutely destroyed by mites a year back. Feel free to use these pictures.

Edited by AntsCali098, June 1 2023 - 4:27 PM.