13 replies to this topic

[OmniusClone]

I'll start by saying that while I've had a keen interest in ants and their husbandry for a couple years now, I've only recently been able to collect and begin caring for my own queens. Inside the last two weeks, as a matter of fact. (Huge thanks to Irishmate03112002, Canadian anter, YsTheAnt, and Batspiderfish for their help and knowledge in identification!)

 

Of the few that I've caught this season, two of the dealates appear to be S. xyloni, and for me this presents a problem. I have no experience in the actual keeping of ants, and the prospect of having an aggressive species, both in temperment and growth, is frankly daunting. I'm not sure if that's something that I'm prepared to deal with. On the other hand, I'm elated to even have the chance at all. 

 

My question then is this: Is it advisable for an amateur to keep a species such as S. xyloni and S. invicta, or would it be a better idea to euthanize them before they even approach an unmanageable situation? I'd also like to include in this species that can be particular about their formicaria such as A. texana and other leaf-cutters, as well as any others that can present a real challenge in one way or another. 

 

I realize that the answer might come down to a personal assessment of my own capabilities and situation. However, I feel that this question should be addressed to the forum to see the general consensus, specifically for people new to the hobby, and to perhaps list species that are best left to those with several years of successful ant keeping. Not to forbid people from keeping them (unless of course it would break the law), but rather to strongly caution the inexperienced of the possibilities that are most likely to occur. 

 

So, thoughts?

 

[Mettcollsuss]

Fire ants would be easy in the sense that they are fast-growing and hardy against mistakes. As long as you're ready to provide them with the necessary nesting space and don't mind the occasional sting, then go ahead. Also, Solenopsis xyloni is native, not invasive, so you don't have to put them down if you don't want them. Because they are native, you can either sell or release them.

[AntsAreUs]

I love trying to keep hard to raise ants. Key word "trying". Unfortunately I have the opposite issue where my ants grow too slowly and are rather hard to start up. I would like to say for Atta you can keep them in open containers with a thin layer of plaster at the bottom while having good ventilation. The container should attach to an out world where they can forage on their fertilizer for their fungus gardens. I have not personally kept them but this is the way I see a lot of others keep them.

Edited by AntsAreUs, June 6 2018 - 6:29 PM.

[YsTheAnt]

Don't worry about keeping S. xyloni, if the growth gets out of control, just lower the temperature. These ants are native and can be sold, so if you ever run into problems that is always an option.

Although agressive, these ants are quite hardy and forgiving. If you can keep up with their food intake, and perhaps reduce the temperature once they get to an unmanageable size (and, as Mettcollsuss mentioned, don't mind the occasional sting), these ants can me quite fun and easy to keep.

[OmniusClone]

Thanks very much everyone, I suppose I was being slightly defeatist. It's encouraging to hear that their aggression is more a boon than it is a hindrance.

That being said though, is there such a thing as an "experts only" species?

[Canadian anter]

Dorylinae ants

[YsTheAnt]

And Myrmecia...

[rbarreto]

I assume Paraponera clavata would be expert only. I wonder if anyone has ever kept them.

Edited by rbarreto, June 8 2018 - 9:03 AM.

[Canadian anter]

I believe Paraponera can be kept  in captivity and so can Myrmecia. Dorylinae ants on the other hand, must eat other ant colonies, and on a daily basis.

[rbarreto]

Dorylinae would probably be even higher than "expert only" haha

[YsTheAnt]

I believe Paraponera can be kept in captivity and so can Myrmecia. Dorylinae ants on the other hand, must eat other ant colonies, and on a daily basis.

Yeah, Dorylinae are a whole new level. For a hobbyist antkeeper, P. clavata and Myrmecia are probably the hardest you would want to get.

[StopSpazzing]

I'll start by saying that while I've had a keen interest in ants and their husbandry for a couple years now, I've only recently been able to collect and begin caring for my own queens. Inside the last two weeks, as a matter of fact. (Huge thanks to Irishmate03112002, Canadian anter, YsTheAnt, and Batspiderfish for their help and knowledge in identification!)

 

Of the few that I've caught this season, two of the dealates appear to be S. xyloni, and for me this presents a problem. I have no experience in the actual keeping of ants, and the prospect of having an aggressive species, both in temperment and growth, is frankly daunting. I'm not sure if that's something that I'm prepared to deal with. On the other hand, I'm elated to even have the chance at all. 

 

My question then is this: Is it advisable for an amateur to keep a species such as S. xyloni and S. invicta, or would it be a better idea to euthanize them before they even approach an unmanageable situation? I'd also like to include in this species that can be particular about their formicaria such as A. texana and other leaf-cutters, as well as any others that can present a real challenge in one way or another. 

 

I realize that the answer might come down to a personal assessment of my own capabilities and situation. However, I feel that this question should be addressed to the forum to see the general consensus, specifically for people new to the hobby, and to perhaps list species that are best left to those with several years of successful ant keeping. Not to forbid people from keeping them (unless of course it would break the law), but rather to strongly caution the inexperienced of the possibilities that are most likely to occur. 

 

So, thoughts?

I am new as of Sept. of last year. I also just this past Wed. caught 3 S. xyloni and 4 S. molesta. I was fully aware of what they are and was told their stings aren't as bad as people put them out to, not compared to invicta. I'm going to keep them to just the heck of it and see how well they do.

 

On an extremely important note:

In MOST California counties, it is ILLEGAL to interact with S. invicta. So either verify you are NOT in one of those counties or kill the invicta asap.

 

I assume Paraponera clavata would be expert only. I wonder if anyone has ever kept them.

These ants are extremely calm and rarely sting; instead they run away. Not as bad as people think they are. It's only when threatened or provoked do they get their nickname.

[OmniusClone]

I did a little lite research, (and by lite, I mean google search lite) to try and see which counties in California specifically outlawed interactions with S. invicta and couldn't find any reference to laws forbidding interaction with it. There was a lot of info on the quarantine areas around L.A.,  San Diego and as for north as San Bernadino. I also found some maps of areas that had found pockets of RIFA that were currently undergoing efforts to exterminate what they had found. There were laws specifically forbidding the transportation of soils and plants containing non-native soils which had been linked to outbreaks of S. invicta.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to defend keeping invicta in areas outlawing it, just trying establish the veracity of the claim that merely collecting a specimen, for example, would break the law. I also allow that I very well could have missed that information, and if that is that's the case, I wouldn't be surprised in the least. If someone has a link or can say with some authority that doing so would be illegal, I think we'd all greatly appreciate it. 

With that in mind, I think if someone had obtained an invicta alate in an area not currently known to contain them, contacting the EPA, or the Invasive Species Council from your locality would probably be the best course of action. 

 

Additionally, I'd like to clarify that the secondary purpose of this thread was to possibly establish a curve of sorts for prospective hobbyists, in as much as the ants that they can find will be limited by the part of the world they live in and the relative species density of their surroundings. Maybe it's unnecessary, but it seems like something categorical for reference would be nice.  

 

 

 

On a separate note, has anyone successfully kept Dorylinae at all? I've heard of people keeping Myrmicia, and it doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility that someone could keep P. clavata, but wouldn't the amount of food and space required to keep army ants be prohibitive to say the least?

Edited by OmniusClone, June 10 2018 - 1:12 AM.

[StopSpazzing]

I did a little lite research, (and by lite, I mean google search lite) to try and see which counties in California specifically outlawed interactions with S. invicta and couldn't find any reference to laws forbidding interaction with it. There was a lot of info on the quarantine areas around L.A.,  San Diego and as for north as San Bernadino. I also found some maps of areas that had found pockets of RIFA that were currently undergoing efforts to exterminate what they had found. There were laws specifically forbidding the transportation of soils and plants containing non-native soils which had been linked to outbreaks of S. invicta.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to defend keeping invicta in areas outlawing it, just trying establish the veracity of the claim that merely collecting a specimen, for example, would break the law. I also allow that I very well could have missed that information, and if that is that's the case, I wouldn't be surprised in the least. If someone has a link or can say with some authority that doing so would be illegal, I think we'd all greatly appreciate it. 

With that in mind, I think if someone had obtained an invicta alate in an area not currently known to contain them, contacting the EPA, or the Invasive Species Council from your locality would probably be the best course of action. 

 

Additionally, I'd like to clarify that the secondary purpose of this thread was to possibly establish a curve of sorts for prospective hobbyists, in as much as the ants that they can find will be limited by the part of the world they live in and the relative species density of their surroundings. Maybe it's unnecessary, but it seems like something categorical for reference would be nice.  

 

 

 

On a separate note, has anyone successfully kept Dorylinae at all? I've heard of people keeping Myrmicia, and it doesn't seem outside the realm of possibility that someone could keep P. clavata, but wouldn't the amount of food and space required to keep army ants be prohibitive to say the least?

Quarantine zones are zones that prohibit the movement and interaction with invicta. If your county isn't listed and you understand what invicta is and that you shouldn't release it if it gets out of hand, then by all means, have at it.

 

Asked about hard ants which people kept and Dorylinae came up. Someone somewhere attempted to keep them, but they got out. End of story. Bull ants people keep all the time; even I am interested in them and wouldn't mind importing them with permission from USDA.