30 replies to this topic

[Ants_Dakota]

UPDATE 9/10 2:10 pm EST (pls read): colony needs to reach minimum 100 ants (no max) like ASAP (idealy 6-8 weeks but idk that's going to happen, cause I need probably at least 2 months to actually do the research once they reach that size colony), and budget is a HARD LINE, also, ants that can cause significant harm to a human are off limits, (eg: all fire ants). Ant colonies will all be kept indoors, Thank you all for the help, but I still need some more

You are asking something near impossible. The fastest growth of ants requires both heat and good hydration from a nest. If neither of these are met, no colony you try to go will reach those numbers. Keeping your ants in an uncle Milton ant farm will also not get you those numbers. Your only option is to dig up a colony, which is messy, risky to the health of the ants, harmful to the environment, etc, but is probably your only option. In that case, you don't need this forum but a shovel or warm rock to look under. You probably want to order a nest sometime soon as well as there is creation/shipping time involved.

Edited by Ants_Dakota, September 11 2024 - 8:38 AM.

[Galacticly45]

 

UPDATE 9/10 2:10 pm EST (pls read): colony needs to reach minimum 100 ants (no max) like ASAP (idealy 6-8 weeks but idk that's going to happen, cause I need probably at least 2 months to actually do the research once they reach that size colony), and budget is a HARD LINE, also, ants that can cause significant harm to a human are off limits, (eg: all fire ants). Ant colonies will all be kept indoors, Thank you all for the help, but I still need some more

You are asking something near impossible. The fastest growth of ants requires both heat and good hydration from a nest. If neither of these are met, no colony you try to go will reach those numbers. Keeping your ants in an uncle Milton ant farm will also not get you those numbers. Your only option is to dig up a colony, which is messy, risky to the health of the ants, harmful to the environment, etc, but is probably your only option. In that case, you don't need this forum but a shovel or warm rock to look under. You probably want to order a nest sometime soon as well as there is creation/shipping time involved.

 

I can get heat and hydration, and the 6-8 weeks is just ideal, just like the fastest possible, I appreciate the help, and I apologize for asking for too much, and I wasn't trying to create burden for anybody. I will be having 9-15 different colonies depending on price (9 hard minimum no max, but 15 is likely max due to budget), and my total budget is $1000 which is a pretty hard line without withdrawing my own savings, but if I have extra funds I can disperse those across equipment to enhance growth rates. I'm genuinely not trying to ask for something impossible, just optimized, I am trying to be flexible and I can withdraw some of my own funds, (not provided by research grant, my own savings, <$100 cause I have other stuff to worry about). if you have any ideas that could fit this, it would be SO helpful and I am so grateful for everything provided so far. I also have done my own research into different species but I have had a hard time finding useful things, so I thought asking those with first hand experience directly would be useful.

[Ants_Dakota]

 

 

UPDATE 9/10 2:10 pm EST (pls read): colony needs to reach minimum 100 ants (no max) like ASAP (idealy 6-8 weeks but idk that's going to happen, cause I need probably at least 2 months to actually do the research once they reach that size colony), and budget is a HARD LINE, also, ants that can cause significant harm to a human are off limits, (eg: all fire ants). Ant colonies will all be kept indoors, Thank you all for the help, but I still need some more

You are asking something near impossible. The fastest growth of ants requires both heat and good hydration from a nest. If neither of these are met, no colony you try to go will reach those numbers. Keeping your ants in an uncle Milton ant farm will also not get you those numbers. Your only option is to dig up a colony, which is messy, risky to the health of the ants, harmful to the environment, etc, but is probably your only option. In that case, you don't need this forum but a shovel or warm rock to look under. You probably want to order a nest sometime soon as well as there is creation/shipping time involved.

 

I can get heat and hydration, and the 6-8 weeks is just ideal, just like the fastest possible, I appreciate the help, and I apologize for asking for too much, and I wasn't trying to create burden for anybody. I will be having 9-15 different colonies depending on price (9 hard minimum no max, but 15 is likely max due to budget), and my total budget is $1000 which is a pretty hard line without withdrawing my own savings, but if I have extra funds I can disperse those across equipment to enhance growth rates. I'm genuinely not trying to ask for something impossible, just optimized, I am trying to be flexible and I can withdraw some of my own funds, (not provided by research grant, my own savings, <$100 cause I have other stuff to worry about). if you have any ideas that could fit this, it would be SO helpful and I am so grateful for everything provided so far. I also have done my own research into different species but I have had a hard time finding useful things, so I thought asking those with first hand experience directly would be useful.

 

Ok this context makes a lot more sense. I shall change my response likewise (apologies for my terse response). Firstly, will the colonies be identical, or different species? Also, I would recommend messaging whichever supplier you are buying formicaria or ants from to ask for a discount for a bulk order. I think there is a high chance they can give it to you to save funds (maybe shoot for 10-15%). I do believe the T. immigrans statement I made in my first post stands, but P bicarinata from here is another excellent choice. For heating, I would purchase a heating cable like this, as you can spread it probably across all colonies and save you more money for heating. You have not really responded to my original post, so what were your thoughts on the Por Amor nests? Did that seem ideal, or is there something else you are looking for? Also remember to budget money for ant food. Crickets are fairly cheap, and if you want fast growth you probably want to feed your ants 3 times per week (.16 dollars times 3 times per week times 28 weeks = ~$6.45). I would recommend you to buy a 16 pc. pack of liquid feeders here to help you only have to change carbohydrates maybe once a week or two, which reduces time spent feeding and time=money so it saves you money. Also how much time/DIY would you be able to do? Let me know your thoughts!

Edited by Ants_Dakota, September 11 2024 - 9:47 AM.

[OwlThatLikesAnts]

 

 

Try acorn ants, they are in the Myrmicinae subfamily and are relatively small, about 2-3 mm for the workers and the queen is about 4mm, they are very polygynous, even having gamergate looking workers and colony grows only to 100-200 workers. And according to ant maps, you have a handful of species there, so that means that if you look enough, you can find a mature colony in a nut for free

interesting, how do I know where to look? like are they all in acorns or something or are they in a variety of nuts, and are they like commonly found? also how fast do they grow? I would need more information on how to get them and their maintenance, but so far that sounds like a very viable option

 

They are found in acorns and walnuts you can tell if they are there if there is a small hole. The speed they grow depends on the amount of queens in the colony, which also affects the worker count

 

What about the acorn ants, you still thinking?

[Galacticly45]

Ok this context makes a lot more sense. I shall change my response likewise (apologies for my terse response). Firstly, will the colonies be identical, or different species? Also, I would recommend messaging whichever supplier you are buying formicaria or ants from to ask for a discount for a bulk order. I think there is a high chance they can give it to you to save funds (maybe shoot for 10-15%). I do believe the T. immigrans statement I made in my first post stands, but P bicarinata from here is another excellent choice. For heating, I would purchase a heating cable like this, as you can spread it probably across all colonies and save you more money for heating. You have not really responded to my original post, so what were your thoughts on the Por Amor nests? Did that seem ideal, or is there something else you are looking for? Also remember to budget money for ant food. Crickets are fairly cheap, and if you want fast growth you probably want to feed your ants 3 times per week (.16 dollars times 3 times per week times 28 weeks = ~$6.45). I would recommend you to buy a 16 pc. pack of liquid feeders here to help you only have to change carbohydrates maybe once a week or two, which reduces time spent feeding and time=money so it saves you money. Also how much time/DIY would you be able to do? Let me know your thoughts!

The colonies will all be the same species, although natural variation is to be expected between colonies, T immigrans does look like the best choice so far, if I'm going to purchase the ants, and the por amor nest looks exactly what I would like, thank you so much for that suggestion. Though with your cricket suggestion, I should mention that I have a severe phobia of crickets, so plant food like nuts would be better if possible, but I can try if that's the best option, I was thinking of just using sugar water to feed them for carbs, would that be ok or would that limit growth? also with time, I have about an hour and a half a day (not on weekends tho) to work with them, for the duration that they are reaching maximum size, however long that may be, but I also need to do a lot of background research so that would take up a significant amount of time. Thank you so much for your suggestions

 

What about the acorn ants, you still thinking?

 

I think that the acorn ants are a viable option, especially for cost reduction, however, I don't know if I'll be able to find enough, are they relatively common? like how long would it take for me to find even one colony?

[Ants_Dakota]

 

Ok this context makes a lot more sense. I shall change my response likewise (apologies for my terse response). Firstly, will the colonies be identical, or different species? Also, I would recommend messaging whichever supplier you are buying formicaria or ants from to ask for a discount for a bulk order. I think there is a high chance they can give it to you to save funds (maybe shoot for 10-15%). I do believe the T. immigrans statement I made in my first post stands, but P bicarinata from here is another excellent choice. For heating, I would purchase a heating cable like this, as you can spread it probably across all colonies and save you more money for heating. You have not really responded to my original post, so what were your thoughts on the Por Amor nests? Did that seem ideal, or is there something else you are looking for? Also remember to budget money for ant food. Crickets are fairly cheap, and if you want fast growth you probably want to feed your ants 3 times per week (.16 dollars times 3 times per week times 28 weeks = ~$6.45). I would recommend you to buy a 16 pc. pack of liquid feeders here to help you only have to change carbohydrates maybe once a week or two, which reduces time spent feeding and time=money so it saves you money. Also how much time/DIY would you be able to do? Let me know your thoughts!

The colonies will all be the same species, although natural variation is to be expected between colonies, T immigrans does look like the best choice so far, if I'm going to purchase the ants, and the por amor nest looks exactly what I would like, thank you so much for that suggestion. Though with your cricket suggestion, I should mention that I have a severe phobia of crickets, so plant food like nuts would be better if possible, but I can try if that's the best option, I was thinking of just using sugar water to feed them for carbs, would that be ok or would that limit growth? also with time, I have about an hour and a half a day (not on weekends tho) to work with them, for the duration that they are reaching maximum size, however long that may be, but I also need to do a lot of background research so that would take up a significant amount of time. Thank you so much for your suggestions

 

What about the acorn ants, you still thinking?

 

I think that the acorn ants are a viable option, especially for cost reduction, however, I don't know if I'll be able to find enough, are they relatively common? like how long would it take for me to find even one colony?

 

T immigrans will eat seeds, and you can always supplement that with meal worms, as they are another cheap choice if you don't want to use crickets. Sugar water works perfect for carbs, and the liquid feeders would help hold it and keep it from spoiling if that is something you are interested in. Otherwise it should be removed within a day or two. 1.5 hours is more than enough time to feed and observe the ants, you honestly only need like 15 min a day to feed them when you are efficient at it, maybe do like a rotating schedule with the colonies, feed half one day, and than the other half the next? When they are young colonies they certainly don't need that much food but sometimes the mere presence of it makes the queen lay more eggs. You could experiment with that. As for background research, you will definitely have time for that. Acorn ants can be relatively common, but you just need to know where the colonies are, and be able to reliably find over 10 of them. Honestly, that is hard even for experienced ant-keeprs who have been to many state parks, like myself. I have found one such colony in a stick. 

[Galacticly45]

 

 

Ok this context makes a lot more sense. I shall change my response likewise (apologies for my terse response). Firstly, will the colonies be identical, or different species? Also, I would recommend messaging whichever supplier you are buying formicaria or ants from to ask for a discount for a bulk order. I think there is a high chance they can give it to you to save funds (maybe shoot for 10-15%). I do believe the T. immigrans statement I made in my first post stands, but P bicarinata from here is another excellent choice. For heating, I would purchase a heating cable like this, as you can spread it probably across all colonies and save you more money for heating. You have not really responded to my original post, so what were your thoughts on the Por Amor nests? Did that seem ideal, or is there something else you are looking for? Also remember to budget money for ant food. Crickets are fairly cheap, and if you want fast growth you probably want to feed your ants 3 times per week (.16 dollars times 3 times per week times 28 weeks = ~$6.45). I would recommend you to buy a 16 pc. pack of liquid feeders here to help you only have to change carbohydrates maybe once a week or two, which reduces time spent feeding and time=money so it saves you money. Also how much time/DIY would you be able to do? Let me know your thoughts!

The colonies will all be the same species, although natural variation is to be expected between colonies, T immigrans does look like the best choice so far, if I'm going to purchase the ants, and the por amor nest looks exactly what I would like, thank you so much for that suggestion. Though with your cricket suggestion, I should mention that I have a severe phobia of crickets, so plant food like nuts would be better if possible, but I can try if that's the best option, I was thinking of just using sugar water to feed them for carbs, would that be ok or would that limit growth? also with time, I have about an hour and a half a day (not on weekends tho) to work with them, for the duration that they are reaching maximum size, however long that may be, but I also need to do a lot of background research so that would take up a significant amount of time. Thank you so much for your suggestions

 

What about the acorn ants, you still thinking?

 

I think that the acorn ants are a viable option, especially for cost reduction, however, I don't know if I'll be able to find enough, are they relatively common? like how long would it take for me to find even one colony?

 

T immigrans will eat seeds, and you can always supplement that with meal worms, as they are another cheap choice if you don't want to use crickets. Sugar water works perfect for carbs, and the liquid feeders would help hold it and keep it from spoiling if that is something you are interested in. Otherwise it should be removed within a day or two. 1.5 hours is more than enough time to feed and observe the ants, you honestly only need like 15 min a day to feed them when you are efficient at it, maybe do like a rotating schedule with the colonies, feed half one day, and than the other half the next? When they are young colonies they certainly don't need that much food but sometimes the mere presence of it makes the queen lay more eggs. You could experiment with that. As for background research, you will definitely have time for that. Acorn ants can be relatively common, but you just need to know where the colonies are, and be able to reliably find over 10 of them. Honestly, that is hard even for experienced ant-keeprs who have been to many state parks, like myself. I have found one such colony in a stick. 

 

Wait I can't tell what you're saying about how easy it is to find acorn ants, like you've only been able to find 1 colony, or you've happened to stumble across one in a stick and that they're super easy to find. Also I found a bag of cricket powder online, would that work? could I mix that in the sugar water in the feeders? How long would cricket powder last (0.22 lbs)? can the feeder fit inside the colonies you suggested? how many would I need per colony? also, approximately, how long do you think it would take for  t. immigrans to grow to 100 ants with everything?

Edited by Galacticly45, September 12 2024 - 9:41 AM.

[Ants_Dakota]

Ok this context makes a lot more sense. I shall change my response likewise (apologies for my terse response). Firstly, will the colonies be identical, or different species? Also, I would recommend messaging whichever supplier you are buying formicaria or ants from to ask for a discount for a bulk order. I think there is a high chance they can give it to you to save funds (maybe shoot for 10-15%). I do believe the T. immigrans statement I made in my first post stands, but P bicarinata from here is another excellent choice. For heating, I would purchase a heating cable like this, as you can spread it probably across all colonies and save you more money for heating. You have not really responded to my original post, so what were your thoughts on the Por Amor nests? Did that seem ideal, or is there something else you are looking for? Also remember to budget money for ant food. Crickets are fairly cheap, and if you want fast growth you probably want to feed your ants 3 times per week (.16 dollars times 3 times per week times 28 weeks = ~$6.45). I would recommend you to buy a 16 pc. pack of liquid feeders here to help you only have to change carbohydrates maybe once a week or two, which reduces time spent feeding and time=money so it saves you money. Also how much time/DIY would you be able to do? Let me know your thoughts!

The colonies will all be the same species, although natural variation is to be expected between colonies, T immigrans does look like the best choice so far, if I'm going to purchase the ants, and the por amor nest looks exactly what I would like, thank you so much for that suggestion. Though with your cricket suggestion, I should mention that I have a severe phobia of crickets, so plant food like nuts would be better if possible, but I can try if that's the best option, I was thinking of just using sugar water to feed them for carbs, would that be ok or would that limit growth? also with time, I have about an hour and a half a day (not on weekends tho) to work with them, for the duration that they are reaching maximum size, however long that may be, but I also need to do a lot of background research so that would take up a significant amount of time. Thank you so much for your suggestions

What about the acorn ants, you still thinking?

I think that the acorn ants are a viable option, especially for cost reduction, however, I don't know if I'll be able to find enough, are they relatively common? like how long would it take for me to find even one colony?

T immigrans will eat seeds, and you can always supplement that with meal worms, as they are another cheap choice if you don't want to use crickets. Sugar water works perfect for carbs, and the liquid feeders would help hold it and keep it from spoiling if that is something you are interested in. Otherwise it should be removed within a day or two. 1.5 hours is more than enough time to feed and observe the ants, you honestly only need like 15 min a day to feed them when you are efficient at it, maybe do like a rotating schedule with the colonies, feed half one day, and than the other half the next? When they are young colonies they certainly don't need that much food but sometimes the mere presence of it makes the queen lay more eggs. You could experiment with that. As for background research, you will definitely have time for that. Acorn ants can be relatively common, but you just need to know where the colonies are, and be able to reliably find over 10 of them. Honestly, that is hard even for experienced ant-keeprs who have been to many state parks, like myself. I have found one such colony in a stick.

Wait I can't tell what you're saying about how easy it is to find acorn ants, like you've only been able to find 1 colony, or you've happened to stumble across one in a stick and that they're super easy to find. Also I found a bag of cricket powder online, would that work? could I mix that in the sugar water in the feeders? can that fit inside the colonies you suggested? how many would I need per colony? also, approximately, how long do you think it would take for t. immigrans to grow to 100 ants?

I am saying it could be hard because you don't know the local population of temnothorax. Cricket powder can work, but I would create it into a slurry and not put it into a liquid feeder but on something, like an old bottle cap. The outworlds are definently big enough for a micro liquid feeder for the sugar water. You only need one liquid feeder per colony if you use sugar water. I would recommend reading the journal I linked in my first post to see the speed they grow, and try to emulate that. Feel free to pm RushmoreAnts too if you have any more questions.

Edited by Ants_Dakota, September 12 2024 - 9:38 AM.

[Galacticly45]

 

 

 

 

Ok this context makes a lot more sense. I shall change my response likewise (apologies for my terse response). Firstly, will the colonies be identical, or different species? Also, I would recommend messaging whichever supplier you are buying formicaria or ants from to ask for a discount for a bulk order. I think there is a high chance they can give it to you to save funds (maybe shoot for 10-15%). I do believe the T. immigrans statement I made in my first post stands, but P bicarinata from here is another excellent choice. For heating, I would purchase a heating cable like this, as you can spread it probably across all colonies and save you more money for heating. You have not really responded to my original post, so what were your thoughts on the Por Amor nests? Did that seem ideal, or is there something else you are looking for? Also remember to budget money for ant food. Crickets are fairly cheap, and if you want fast growth you probably want to feed your ants 3 times per week (.16 dollars times 3 times per week times 28 weeks = ~$6.45). I would recommend you to buy a 16 pc. pack of liquid feeders here to help you only have to change carbohydrates maybe once a week or two, which reduces time spent feeding and time=money so it saves you money. Also how much time/DIY would you be able to do? Let me know your thoughts!

The colonies will all be the same species, although natural variation is to be expected between colonies, T immigrans does look like the best choice so far, if I'm going to purchase the ants, and the por amor nest looks exactly what I would like, thank you so much for that suggestion. Though with your cricket suggestion, I should mention that I have a severe phobia of crickets, so plant food like nuts would be better if possible, but I can try if that's the best option, I was thinking of just using sugar water to feed them for carbs, would that be ok or would that limit growth? also with time, I have about an hour and a half a day (not on weekends tho) to work with them, for the duration that they are reaching maximum size, however long that may be, but I also need to do a lot of background research so that would take up a significant amount of time. Thank you so much for your suggestions

What about the acorn ants, you still thinking?

I think that the acorn ants are a viable option, especially for cost reduction, however, I don't know if I'll be able to find enough, are they relatively common? like how long would it take for me to find even one colony?

T immigrans will eat seeds, and you can always supplement that with meal worms, as they are another cheap choice if you don't want to use crickets. Sugar water works perfect for carbs, and the liquid feeders would help hold it and keep it from spoiling if that is something you are interested in. Otherwise it should be removed within a day or two. 1.5 hours is more than enough time to feed and observe the ants, you honestly only need like 15 min a day to feed them when you are efficient at it, maybe do like a rotating schedule with the colonies, feed half one day, and than the other half the next? When they are young colonies they certainly don't need that much food but sometimes the mere presence of it makes the queen lay more eggs. You could experiment with that. As for background research, you will definitely have time for that. Acorn ants can be relatively common, but you just need to know where the colonies are, and be able to reliably find over 10 of them. Honestly, that is hard even for experienced ant-keeprs who have been to many state parks, like myself. I have found one such colony in a stick.

Wait I can't tell what you're saying about how easy it is to find acorn ants, like you've only been able to find 1 colony, or you've happened to stumble across one in a stick and that they're super easy to find. Also I found a bag of cricket powder online, would that work? could I mix that in the sugar water in the feeders? can that fit inside the colonies you suggested? how many would I need per colony? also, approximately, how long do you think it would take for t. immigrans to grow to 100 ants?

I am saying it could be hard because you don't know the local population of temnothorax. Cricket powder can work, but I would create it into a slurry and not put it into a liquid feeder but on something, like an old bottle cap. The outworlds are definently big enough for a micro liquid feeder for the sugar water. You only need one liquid feeder per colony if you use sugar water. I would recommend reading the journal I linked in my first post to see the speed they grow, and try to emulate that. Feel free to pm RushmoreAnts too if you have any more questions.

 

thanks, I completely forgot about that journal, but they use A LOT of queens and I'm not sure how many I can buy with my budget, considering I want minimum 9 colonies, do I need that many queens or will one queen do? cause looking at that, they tend to kill one another a lot and that wouldn't be great, unless that is just separate colonies in conflict.

[Ants_Dakota]

Ok this context makes a lot more sense. I shall change my response likewise (apologies for my terse response). Firstly, will the colonies be identical, or different species? Also, I would recommend messaging whichever supplier you are buying formicaria or ants from to ask for a discount for a bulk order. I think there is a high chance they can give it to you to save funds (maybe shoot for 10-15%). I do believe the T. immigrans statement I made in my first post stands, but P bicarinata from here is another excellent choice. For heating, I would purchase a heating cable like this, as you can spread it probably across all colonies and save you more money for heating. You have not really responded to my original post, so what were your thoughts on the Por Amor nests? Did that seem ideal, or is there something else you are looking for? Also remember to budget money for ant food. Crickets are fairly cheap, and if you want fast growth you probably want to feed your ants 3 times per week (.16 dollars times 3 times per week times 28 weeks = ~$6.45). I would recommend you to buy a 16 pc. pack of liquid feeders here to help you only have to change carbohydrates maybe once a week or two, which reduces time spent feeding and time=money so it saves you money. Also how much time/DIY would you be able to do? Let me know your thoughts!

The colonies will all be the same species, although natural variation is to be expected between colonies, T immigrans does look like the best choice so far, if I'm going to purchase the ants, and the por amor nest looks exactly what I would like, thank you so much for that suggestion. Though with your cricket suggestion, I should mention that I have a severe phobia of crickets, so plant food like nuts would be better if possible, but I can try if that's the best option, I was thinking of just using sugar water to feed them for carbs, would that be ok or would that limit growth? also with time, I have about an hour and a half a day (not on weekends tho) to work with them, for the duration that they are reaching maximum size, however long that may be, but I also need to do a lot of background research so that would take up a significant amount of time. Thank you so much for your suggestions

What about the acorn ants, you still thinking?

I think that the acorn ants are a viable option, especially for cost reduction, however, I don't know if I'll be able to find enough, are they relatively common? like how long would it take for me to find even one colony?

T immigrans will eat seeds, and you can always supplement that with meal worms, as they are another cheap choice if you don't want to use crickets. Sugar water works perfect for carbs, and the liquid feeders would help hold it and keep it from spoiling if that is something you are interested in. Otherwise it should be removed within a day or two. 1.5 hours is more than enough time to feed and observe the ants, you honestly only need like 15 min a day to feed them when you are efficient at it, maybe do like a rotating schedule with the colonies, feed half one day, and than the other half the next? When they are young colonies they certainly don't need that much food but sometimes the mere presence of it makes the queen lay more eggs. You could experiment with that. As for background research, you will definitely have time for that. Acorn ants can be relatively common, but you just need to know where the colonies are, and be able to reliably find over 10 of them. Honestly, that is hard even for experienced ant-keeprs who have been to many state parks, like myself. I have found one such colony in a stick.

Wait I can't tell what you're saying about how easy it is to find acorn ants, like you've only been able to find 1 colony, or you've happened to stumble across one in a stick and that they're super easy to find. Also I found a bag of cricket powder online, would that work? could I mix that in the sugar water in the feeders? can that fit inside the colonies you suggested? how many would I need per colony? also, approximately, how long do you think it would take for t. immigrans to grow to 100 ants?

I am saying it could be hard because you don't know the local population of temnothorax. Cricket powder can work, but I would create it into a slurry and not put it into a liquid feeder but on something, like an old bottle cap. The outworlds are definently big enough for a micro liquid feeder for the sugar water. You only need one liquid feeder per colony if you use sugar water. I would recommend reading the journal I linked in my first post to see the speed they grow, and try to emulate that. Feel free to pm RushmoreAnts too if you have any more questions.

thanks, I completely forgot about that journal, but they use A LOT of queens and I'm not sure how many I can buy with my budget, considering I want minimum 9 colonies, do I need that many queens or will one queen do? cause looking at that, they tend to kill one another a lot and that wouldn't be great, unless that is just separate colonies in conflict.

I really should have clarified that, only one queen is necessary. The multiple queens did help the colony get a quick start but one queen will do the same if fed enough. I meant to view it as reference, after the queens died, of how fast a colony could grow.

[ANTdrew]

PM sent.