4 replies to this topic

[1tsm3jack]

I was wondering, how does one go about finding Temnothorax colonies? You just walk around and pick up acorns and walnuts until you find an inhabited one? And then what do you do once you find one? They aren't like other ants where you give them a nest and an outworld and feed them, so what do you do with their acorn?

Edited by 1tsm3jack, October 2 2024 - 5:16 PM.

[Ants_Dakota]

It takes patience to find them in the wild, but yes, you can basically go looking in acorns/walnuts that have holes in them. I would recommend backlighting for them next years summer in a forest near you. You can read my Micro Ants Journal, linked in my signature, to see how I keep mine.

Edited by Ants_Dakota, October 3 2024 - 5:56 AM.

[ANTdrew]

You can find 150+ a night here in Virginia by blacklighting in early to midsummer.

[Ernteameise]

It depends where you are.

I live in a region where they are VERY common, it takes me 5mins picking up acorns under an acorn tree to find a colony. (do not ask me why I then bought a colony, I can only explain this with acute laziness)

I think you have to make sure you are in a place where they are common, bring a bit of patience and just check out some acorns / nuts / hollow branches on the ground.

As for keeping them, I keep Temnothorax nylanderi myself, I made a journal "Walnut Empire".

https://www.formicul...orax-nylanderi/

[rptraut]

Hello 1tsm3jack;

To find Temnothorax colonies, I look in a mature forest with large oak and walnut trees. Don’t just look for acorns or walnuts with holes in them, because an active colony will often block up the hole when they’re not foraging, making it almost invisible. Look for acorns that are old, black and half buried in leaf litter and humus. I bring these high potential acorns home, slice one side from top to bottom with a scalpel and ease it open enough to see if there are ants inside. If there are, I reseal the cut with hot glue and put them in a formicarium.

Once you’ve found an acorn with an ant colony in it, there’s numerous ways to handle them. I usually bury half the acorn in moss, with their access hole on top or the side, hydrating the moss hydrates the acorn and the colony. But they can survive quite nicely in a dry nest, so I provide a small bottle or test tube for them to move into, if they want. They don’t need a very big outworld, so I put them in a small container and use a feeding tray, so the ants know where to find protein, water and sugar/water. I feed them every three days, they raise brood very slowly. I feed them the same meat products and insect treats as the rest of my colonies, canned dog food, chicken and liver are favourites.

In the woodlot near me, hollow acorns and walnuts can also house Lasius and Myrmica founding colonies. You might get lucky and find some too. Please collect responsibly with permission. Good Luck
RPT