ANTSTORE World of Ants

[beginner]

Hello,
i want to start a colonie of ants but i don't understand why i need a vertical things and a large one like an aquarium, can explain it to me? Only the vertical thing is not enough for make living the ants?
If you can show me how you do whith your ants, i think it will help me^^

Sorry for my basic english...
++

[baumarkthammer]

Hello and welcome in the Forum,

this is mainly a German forum. Since you are from Switzerland I guess you speak better German than English. I would suggest you make a Thread in the German part of the Forum here; viewforum.php?f=8

Regards
Kaj

[beginner]

Hello^^
eeehhh, no i live in the french part and i don't know german speaking. I only speak french and english language.

[gabranth]

are you referring to one of these vertical ant farms?? shop/antfarms---nests/glass-antfarms-antfarm/glass-M-antfarm/glass-M---ant-display-20x2x10cm.html

[Scooby]

Hello beginner,

first of all I'd like you to tell us what kind of ants you are planning to keep. The reason for this is pretty simple: There are a huge range of species with equally different sizes. If you're planning to keep a small species, e.g. Lasius niger which is perfect for beginners by the way, you will not see really much of their mode of life in a vertical formicarium. I am talking about personal experiences. (I'm concerned with ants for more than thirteen years)
The following link: shop/Ameisen-Starter-Sets-Ameisenfarmen-antfarm/Starter-Sets---Becken/ shows a good alternative to keep ants. I am using this kinds of formicarium as well and I'm really satisfied. Together with a little nest, for instance of cork or gas concrete you will be able to create something that is more than enough while the colony isn't too big.

Alright but now back to topic. The vertical ant farms, gabranth wrote about, are used as nests for ants. If the animals aren't too small you'll be able to spot tunnels which were digged by the ants. These vertical farms have to be connected to an arena. What is an arena? Well the arena is the "aquarium" you wrote about in the beginning of this topic. The ants leave their nest though a connection hose, enter the arena (repectively aquarium) and collect their food you offer in it. These two items are therefore used to seperate the colony from the arena.

I hope you got a better imagination about this matter. If there are any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Best wishes
Scooby

[beginner]

Hello gabranth, yes i'm talking about that kind of farm. Thx

Hi Scooby^^,
so i think that i'm going to begin whith this one: Manica rubida or Tetramorium caespitum . What do you know about this choice? Which one do you think is the best for me? And what kind of items i had to buy..

Do you know how long i can make the ants live? 1year,2,3,4,5,etc..?

ANd why is it so important to separate the nest from the arena?
Sorry for all those questions but i want to be sure of what i'm going to do^^
Thank you for you precious help
++

[Scooby]

OK first of all you've got to understand that ants need to forage. In other words: They must be able to leave their nest and search for food for their colony. This behaviour is completely naturally. Therefore it's necessary to offer them a possibility to leave their nest in order to follow their natural needs. If you offer food, for instance a fly, directly in their nest it will be considered to be an intruder. The result: The colony will be alarmed and some kind of "flushed".
A vertical ant farm and an arena is one possibility to make ants foraging. But this is only one of many options.
If you're interested to keep a little colony you can also use a formicarium, I posted in the link before. The antstore offers a lot of options. Have a look and take your time.

I never kept the two species you're talking about. If you want really good information you should search the forum (respectively the www) for it. Many ant keeper write down their experiences in special threads. So keep your eyes open!

Referring to your question "how long you can make the ants live": I think you're talking about the possible age a colony can reach. Well you have to be aware that the queen is the heart of a colony. If she dies the colony will die sooner or later, too. This is because the queen is the only one who produces fertilised eggs. New workers develop from these eggs. The queen of Lasius niger can reach an age of up to twenty years. Consequently the colony can get this age, too. Do you understand what I mean? Therefore: If you keep a colony right and healthy you will have a lot of fun for many years.

I hope these information were helpful. Feel free to ask, if you've got any more problems. We're here to help.

Regards
Scooby

[beginner]

Hello^^
so you keep Lasius niger?
I think that for starting i'm going to keep the one which i can had information about it in this forum.

I find this item for Lasius niger: http://www.antshop.ch/shop/product_info ... 20x10.html
What do you think about it? Do you use this kind of items if i had good understanding?

Thank you for your help
++

[Scooby]

Hello beginner,

no, I think there was a misunderstanding. I don't keep Lasius niger. I kept this species but not for long; it isn't really interesting for me to be honest. I personally am specialized on Pheidole, a species with (unfortunately) lots of kinds which are considered to be pest ants. Therefore Pheidole appears to be quite sensitive and I wouldn't recomment it to a newbie.

OK but back to topic. If you suggest to start your experiences in ant keeping with Lasius niger you chose the right one. *Thumbs up*
The formicarium you posted is a good one. As far as I know the Antstore sells and dispatches small colonies in test tubes. As Lasius niger queens establishes their colony claustral (this means without leaving the nest, living off their flight muscles) the test tube is gonna be their original nest. I suggest you buy a little formicarium (like the one you posted) and customize it a little bit with earth or sand, some little plants, etc. Then you put the opened test tube into the formicarium which is going to be the arena.
Note: Buy some red PVC-foil like this one --> http://www.antshop.ch/shop/product_info ... -60cm.html This foil is necessary to give the ants the feeling to be under the earth. The reason is simple: Ants are not able to see red light. It appears to be dark. Therefore their behaviour will be normal and not feared, etc. I really recomment such foil.

Any more questions?

Regards
Scooby

[beginner]

lol i made a misunderstanding ...

So, you say that the test tube is going to be the nest, ok but i don't understand where you put it===> In the arena of the formicarium ok but where? Under earth? On the top of the earth/sand? Or under some stones?
Also the Lasius niger are not going to go out the tube test to do their nest?

And if their are keeping the tube test as their nest, what can i do whith the front part in the formicarium (you know the part which seems like a vertical farm which one is into the formicarium)?? Are them going to use it?

And last question, how to put the red foil? around the test tube? I don't understand to much..

[Scooby]

Well it's up to you where to put the test tube. That's why you should use the red foil. I suggest you bind it around the tube in order to make it comfortable for the ants regarding light. After that you can lay it on the ground of the formicarium (I'm still talking about this kind: shop/Ameisen-Starter-Sets-Ameisenfarmen-antfarm/Starter-Sets---Becken/ ). There are also ant keepers who bury a part of the test tube in the soil of the formicarium but there is a little risk: You need more soil in order to make this possible. If there is a lot of soil in a formicarium it is likely that the ants (like Lasius niger) will move out of their test tube and digg into the soil, out of your sight.
It is also possible to keep the ants with their nest (test tube) out of the formicarium and connect the test tube with it, using a hose like: shop/Baummarkt/Schlaeuche/ . You see, there are lots of possibilities to keep ants.

Now let's talk about the vertical farm. If you want to use it, or something else, you will face a little obstacle: It might happen that the ants doesn't want to move into it. But why? Well the thing is that they life in places where it is most comfortable for the colony. Let me give you a little, but simple example: Myrmica rubra is a species that needs humidity in order to survive. If you offer a new nest which is bright (no ret foil) and completly dry, they definitly will not move! Even with a red foil it is unlikely that they will move. Easy answer, the conditions are not the right one... THIS is the key to make a colony move. You must be able to create better conditions than the current nest offers. If you manage this the colony will move into the new target nest, like for instance the vertical farm we're talking about. Got it ?

[beginner]

Hello Scooby^^

Yes i got it!
I understand and i know what i have to do now(when i'm going to have the formicarium^^).

Thank you very much for your help and for the time you take for me! Cool!!! ^^
Now i'm going to choose the size of my futur formicarium

Regards,
Beginner.

[Scooby]

You are welcome!

All the best and ask if there are further questions.

Kind regards
Scooby

[beginner]

Hello^^

just a little question:
How to moisten the futur nest? Because i know that Lasius niger need some humidification. So how can i do for this items:http://www.antshop.ch/shop/product_info.php/info/p1317_ANTSTORE-Starter-Set---verre-agricoles-du-bassin---20x10.html
or for this one: http://www.antshop.ch/shop/product_info ... 25x15.html

[Scooby]

Hello beginner,

it is completely up to you how to moist the nest. Use your fantasy. Some people, for instance, use cotton wool wich is placed under the thin soil. The cotton wool absorbs the water you put into the formicarium and keeps the soil moist.
Please keep in mind that the test tube where the colony lives in the beginning already has a water tank. This is the most important part. If the nest of your Lasius niger is moist, everything will be fine.

Regards
Scooby