paulhdear: (11. Jan 2008 00:02)

Thanks (und danke) for all the advice - I guess I'll just have to be patient! I might start another colony in a second tank - can anyone recommend a species which will be more active and develop faster, to keep me amused while my ligniperda colony gets going?

kashmir79: (11. Jan 2008 00:09)

lasius niger can grow very quick,and also Apheanagaster's, after hibernation, and if you give them plenty of heating then theyl grow, same with Ligniperda, nothing will be happen with them until march time..? around then when the temperatures rise.

nothing develops in the winter as there is no heat for them, but they will when the temps go up :)

paulhdear: (11. Jan 2008 00:12)

My ligniperda colony is indoors, with a temperature in the low 20's centigrade. Should I move them somewhere colder, or keep them at this temperature now? What happens if they don't get the chance to hibernate?

darradar: (11. Jan 2008 00:24)

to hibernate they need a lower temp, (do this slowley not stright away tho) move them to either an outside shed, (mine in the loft never drop below 2degrees or above 5degrees, i just check them every 3 days) or to a temp between 5-10 degrees, if you dont hibernate them, the queen will not produce so many eggs, she needs a good rest to "recharge" her batteries...and so produce more in the next year.. also in the spring time you will need to feed them insects cuz for the eggs and larvea to grow they need protien

paulhdear: (11. Jan 2008 00:30)

Thanks Darradar - I'll move them to a lower temperature for a few weeks.

SteveUK28: (11. Jan 2008 11:53)

Hi Paul and welcome, I agree with the others that you should hibernate them... Also that if you are thinking about another colony i would def suggest Lasius Niger, They will grow much quicker than Ligniperda and will more than likely explore more.. they are also very easy to keep :D

paulhdear: (11. Jan 2008 12:19)

Thanks Steve. I presume that L. niger will also want to hibernate for some time? Are there any species which are suitable for beginners but which don't hibernate (maybe some southern-European or tropical species)? I can provide heating from a heat-pad (plus overhead light), but I would not want to try anything too difficult to begin with. Nevertheless, something that'll display some activity during the winter months would be great!

SteveUK28: (11. Jan 2008 12:25)

TBH... any ant that does not hibernate is NOT for a begineer... But saying that, You could probabily keep an exotic species Like Camponotus Substitus without to much trouble, Ud need a relativly large setup tho. and heat pad and light.
And yes you are right L.Niger do need hibernation, all European ants do. Its only Exotic ants that are not for the beginner that do not hibernate.
As for lasius niger they are one of the best ants for a beginner if not THE best ant, They grow very fast and will reach HUGE numbers. You would get a lot of enjoyment out of them. Hope this helps.

paulhdear: (11. Jan 2008 12:40)

Thanks again Steve. I might look into C. substitus. I was planning on starting out with a 12 x 8 x 8 tank, then linking that to other tanks via tubes. Anyway, I've ordered myself a little ant book to try to learn a bit more. If you know of any good antkeeping books, I'd be pleased to hear of them. Cheers (and Happy New Year!).

SteveUK28: (11. Jan 2008 13:26)

TBH i dont think there is atm any decent books on HOW to keep ants.. Plenty of VERY good books on ants themselves tho.. the best is The Ants by Holldobler and Wilson, however its very expensive, the best choice is a shorter book by them called Jorney to the Ants, i have this myself and it is a very good book. Hope this helps.. Ohh the tank should be fine for an initial setup however you would have to connect that to another tank for a foraging area ;) Check out the gallery here for some good ideas.. Regards and a Happy New Year :D

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