Hi everyone! I just recently started to think about ants as pets and soon discovered how large and creative the ant-keeping community is. I’m really impressed and feeling inspired!
I have a pile of questions and I understand if people don’t feel like reading this whole thing... but any input on the stuff below is highly appreciated~
- The species
I’ve been reading a lot and out of the species that seem to be recommended fairly often for beginners, I’ve gotten interested in Messor barbarus. This is particularly because of their fairly large size and worker variety in difference to, say, Lasius niger. Although I’ve also seen others claiming this species is hard! Is it an okay beginner’s species or not? (I’m not new to terrarium pets, thus I have some basic understanding about the importance of things such as climate).
- Starting a colony
I would like to order a queen with a few workers from here. I feel a bit worried though about hibernation... Is it too late to start a new colony for this season? I’d be ready for them around early September. May I skip hibernation this first year or can I rest them as usual? Should I even wait to get any ants at all until spring?
- The tank
I intend to build a tank that has an enclosed ytong section with arena-box stuck on top of it (I like the idea of a single unit). To my understanding, ants do not like to presented with a large hive right away, so I figured I’ll just stick cotton balls into the openings that lead to the ytong part until they outgrow their test-tube. Would that work? How large should I let the colony get before introducing them to a tunnel-system?
How large tunnels do this species like?
I think I’ll mainly try use an alcohol-gel & talcum mix to prevent escaping, but when do I need to reapply such?
- Climate
Do I need to a heating system for this species or will room temperature (20-25C) + a light bulb do? In the summers it may be about 30C here. If I need a heating mat, where should I place it in an ytong & arena set-up?
To my understanding, they like a dry part of their nest to store seeds in. Is it enough to locate a soaking hole to one of the sides of the ytong block or do I need to divide the ytong more clearly with a barrier?
How long and cold should I hibernate them?
Thanks! :)