2 replies to this topic

[JediPeaceFrog]

Hey all. I'm going through AntWeb to find out all the species(known)that occupy my state of Montana. Maybe I'm not reading it correctly. Here's what it says all species in Montana are:https://www.antweb.o...dm1Name=Montana

Ok so I'm reading this as this is their list of all the known species in Montana, correct? If so, then can a more experienced keeper offer me their opinion of which of these species they would recommend for a beginner(I've been out of the hobby for several years, so I'm calling myself a beginner again). I'm thinking camponotus modoc, camponotus herculeanus, or tapinoma sessile, mainly because they are all flying now. Any help would be greatly appreciated. My last colony years ago was lasius niger, but they don't fly for a few months yet.

[Vendayn]

I can cross two off you.

 

Tapinoma sessile.

 

They are VERY hard to keep in captivity. They do good for anywhere from 2 to 4 months, but slowly die until there is nothing left. Someone on here does (did?) good with them, and has had a colony for a while (or at least did). The trick the person did was a large variety of food that was different each time. However, I tried that and they still slowly died. Yet, I can put a small colony outside and in a few years, they grow huge. But overall, very few people have success with Tapinoma sessile.

 

Polyergus mexicanus is a slave-making ant, which automatically makes it not beginner friendly.

 

You could try Camponotus modoc or Camponotus herculeanus. I don't have experience with the latter, but Camponotus modoc (and Camponotus in general) tend to be really easy ants. They tend to grow slow, but they do good for a lot of people.

 

Some of those Formica and Laisus could be easy, but some of them tend to be parasitic.

[JediPeaceFrog]

Thank you for the reply and the info, Vendayn. I agree with you about the tapinoma...research says same. Camponotus modoc plentiful here, so hopefully I'll bag a queen soon.