22 replies to this topic

[JustabirdfromFlorida]

After my mom saw i can take care of an ant colony, my tetramorium, she is willing to let me get a species i like, i can't choose which though, please help me 

• Camponotus pennsylvanicus
• Formica subseriea
• Pogonomyrmex badius
• Lasius neoniger
• Prenolepis imparis
  
  please help me choose

[The_Gaming-gate]

Don’t get Prenolepis, I’ve heard they are a pain to keep due to how sensitive to stress they can be.
Camponotus is a good ant, but since you’re buying the colony, I would get them with workers so you don’t have to wait two months.

[bmb1bee]

Pogonomyrmex are pretty easy for beginners, given that you can supply heat and seeds. They are also more hardy and grow more quickly than Formica and Camponotus.

Edited by bmb1bee, July 23 2024 - 6:36 AM.

[GOCAMPONOTUS]

I love camponotus but if you want a faster growing species I would go for Pogonomyrmex

[cooIboyJ]

Lasius neoniger are easy to care for but they are on the smaller side so if you want a bigger ant then go with Camponotus or pogonomyrmex but if you are fine with lasius neoniger size then they will be a great ant to keep.

Edited by cooIboyJ, July 23 2024 - 7:21 AM.

[Full_Frontal_Yeti]

Everyone's answer to your question is most commonly going to be the ants they would keep for the reasons they keep ants.

But what you desire/what you expect to experience, is kind of the fulcrum point of this choice.

Why keep ants, is the answer to what ants to keep.

 

Like if you are me the two highest "must haves" on my list were, easy to keep(high sucess rate) and low maintenance(low effort). I just wanted something kind of like a terrarium but a little more interactive/interesting to watch than just plants. But nothing like a real pet or challenging demands on my time.

So Pogonomyrmex was an obvious chocie for me as they are very easy all around. And some of them that live in desert environments won't demand a diapause down time, but use diapause to rest when living conditions (food/temperature/water) are poor enough. As opposed to Camponotus that have their own internal clock and will need an annual diapause period.

 

For others they may want to keep the biggest ants, or the smallest ants, or try to succeed where most fail, and so on and so on. That's the answer to what ants to keep. The biggest ones they can get for that person, the smallest ones they can get for another, the ones we know have a high fail rate in captivity are best for that 3rd example person's interests.

 

 

 

If you could ask:

I like/want to keep ants that _____, and ___, and are ____. Which ones would you recommend?
 

That would direct answers to be about what you might like most, instead of people saying what they liked/wanted most.

just say'n, might help you get a better for you answer here.

 

 

Of course Pogonomyrmex Badius is my recommend. A larger ant they are easy to watch, easy to care for/keep(poor climbers) and have polymorphic workers which most Pogonomyrmex don't.

Edited by Full_Frontal_Yeti, July 23 2024 - 7:35 AM.

[JustabirdfromFlorida]

I want a fl native species (all of those are native but they are the northern strain of the species so they require hibernation unlike the southern strain which i can't catch due to RIFA infestations every where) so ill go with Pogonomyrmex

Edited by JustabirdfromFlorida, July 23 2024 - 8:45 AM.

[Artisan_Ants]

I want a fl native species (all of those are native but they are the northern strain of the species so they require hibernation unlike the southern strain which i can't catch due to RIFA infestations every where) so ill go with Pogonomyrmex

Never had a chance to keep Pogonomyrmex but they look like an extremely fun species to keep as what I’ve seen from others.

Don’t get Prenolepis, I’ve heard they are a pain to keep due to how sensitive to stress they can be.
Camponotus is a good ant, but since you’re buying the colony, I would get them with workers so you don’t have to wait two months.

I keep four of these colonies of the same species and you about basically everything. Very stressful to light and vibrations or any kind of disturbance but very hardy species.

Edited by Artisan_Ants, July 23 2024 - 8:58 AM.

[ANTdrew]

I don’t know anything about P. badius, but I recommend Camponotus pennsylvanicus. All the rest will die out after a year or so in captivity.

[The_Gaming-gate]

I want a fl native species (all of those are native but they are the northern strain of the species so they require hibernation unlike the southern strain which i can't catch due to RIFA infestations every where) so ill go with Pogonomyrmex

The south is not just a massive RIFA infestation, we have plenty of other ants, you just need to get away from the cities and towns.

[JustabirdfromFlorida]

I really can't get away because School and stuff I really don't know, I really like formica though, I just can't choose

[Artisan_Ants]

I really can't get away because School and stuff I really don't know, I really like formica though, I just can't choose

Definitely don't recommend getting the Lasius or Prenolepis. Pogonomyrmex is up to you (heard they have painful stings but with the right barrier, it's no problem) but yeah Formica and Camponotus are both very hardy species. Specifically noting that both species are black in color, Formica is more agile and fast than Camponotus, whereas Camponotus is more tough but very slow. If you like fast ants (and can tolerate the fact that they get stressed easily by light and vibration but settle down fast as well) then Formica might be for you. If fast movements are too much, them I would consider Camponotus out of the two (less stressed to light especially when they get more workers). They also grow fast after some time (usually about a year) whereas Formica tend to grow after their second generation of workers (at least for me). Truly it's up to you, but personally, I would pick any from Formica, Camponotus, or Pogonomyrmex.

[cooIboyJ]

I really can't get away because School and stuff I really don't know, I really like formica though, I just can't choose

Definitely don't recommend getting the Lasius or Prenolepis. Pogonomyrmex is up to you (heard they have painful stings but with the right barrier, it's no problem) but yeah Formica and Camponotus are both very hardy species. Specifically noting that both species are black in color, Formica is more agile and fast than Camponotus, whereas Camponotus is more tough but very slow. If you like fast ants (and can tolerate the fact that they get stressed easily by light and vibration but settle down fast as well) then Formica might be for you. If fast movements are too much, them I would consider Camponotus out of the two (less stressed to light especially when they get more workers). They also grow fast after some time (usually about a year) whereas Formica tend to grow after their second generation of workers (at least for me). Truly it's up to you, but personally, I would pick any from Formica, Camponotus, or Pogonomyrmex.

aren’t lasius neoniger supposed to be good for beginners?

[ANTdrew]

They are fine to begin with, but they grow very slowly and dwindle away after a year or so. It would be a waste of money to order them.

[JustabirdfromFlorida]

I really like Prenolepis, I think I'll get them

[ANTdrew]

I really like Prenolepis, I think I'll get them

So you’re choosing the one species nobody recommended?

[Artisan_Ants]

I really like Prenolepis, I think I'll get them

So you’re choosing the one species nobody recommended?

I agree with this. It's a pretty stressful species to keep although fun once they receive workers. I would recommend getting a colony with workers for higher success rate but once again, it's up to you.

[JustabirdfromFlorida]

I really like Prenolepis, I think I'll get them

So you’re choosing the one species nobody recommended?

I know no one recommends them but I really like prenolepis mostly because if the queens color, estavation and replete.

[JustabirdfromFlorida]

I really like Prenolepis, I think I'll get them

So you’re choosing the one species nobody recommended?

I agree with this. It's a pretty stressful species to keep although fun once they receive workers. I would recommend getting a colony with workers for higher success rate but once again, it's up to you.

I'd get a colony with 5 workers minimum, I just always have bad luck founding colonies with lone queens

[ColKurtz]

 

 

 

I really like Prenolepis, I think I'll get them

So you’re choosing the one species nobody recommended?

I agree with this. It's a pretty stressful species to keep although fun once they receive workers. I would recommend getting a colony with workers for higher success rate but once again, it's up to you.

I'd get a colony with 5 workers minimum, I just always have bad luck founding colonies with lone queens

 

If you want color, why not do Camponotus socius or Camponotus castaneus, I don't know if Camponotus socius is difficult to keep, but I would bet its easier than Prenolepis (I know these weren't on the list you put, but they are suggestions if you want ants with color and are easier to keep).

 

Also, Prenolepis are probably the least active ants i've ever kept (I have a 2 year old colony and not once have I seen them in their outworld once, they have about 25-35 workers), so if you want something more active, I wouldn't choose Prenolepis, but its all up to you what you want

Edited by ColKurtz, July 26 2024 - 7:56 AM.