4 replies to this topic

[AntsInSpace]

Hi guys,

 

I'm wondering how picky queen ants are when it comes to deciding where to nest, 

Firstly I understand it depends on the species, but if you've got further information on that..

And then I wonder, do they find some dirt, dig a hole, and if they dig a hole how deepish ? (loose dirt, natural openings in dirt ?)

Can they just nest in any crack, what helps the queen ant decide if what she's seeing is a good nesting location ? 

 

[StayLoki]

It seems diff species follow their own geological clock and have different requirements for founding..
Some after rainfall, and others during dry, breezy days... And then there's 'wood ants' you have to dig out of bark and decomp wood..
For the most part all queens need a moist, humid substrate to starting digging in, and many agree it looks like freshly moved soil in a 'C' shape..(from digging with their wings and moving the soil in such a pattern)
These can be mistaken for worm holes or termite mounds or beetle larvae dens even...
But even carpenter ants look for a small, humid chamber to stick eggs around..

The best bet is to find a female after her nuptial flight and PROVIDE the ideal conditions for her, ideally mimicking the conditions in which you found her.
Think of her like a crocodile

[StayLoki]

As for cracks, of course they find them

[KBant]

Your questions are far too vague. Based on your prior posts, you’re very curious about ants and any keeping but try to avoid asking vague questions. Being vague will not get you a lot of responses. If you are bored maybe try reading some of the posts on the forums, some journals, some guides, and you won’t believe what you’ll learn.

[LC3]

To add on to what KB said, compared to other insects ants benefit from a wealth of information easily and readily available online thanks to the efforts of many myrmecologists, the compiled info is primarily stored in AntWiki, Antmaps and Antweb. The latter two mostly useful for IDing.