ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Mr_Major_Mellow]

i have an idea for quite some time, it might of already been thought of and put into practice...

its basicly having an ant farm in my garage with a tube leading out into my garden so the ants are free to foriage for themselfs,

thought it would be very interesting to see what they bring back,

i was thinking of Myrica rubra as there are colonies in my local area but there about 5 mins walk, so i will know which ants walking around in my garden are mine.

would this work or would they just dig and transport there queen and brood out of the nest???

what do you think?

-thanks
ash

[matt-man123]

It would be interesting but the queen would move as you say to a more natural surrounding so if you would want to risk a colony then sure try it, but if you want to keep then i wouldnt try it.

[Mr_Major_Mellow]

i think i would set them up in a sand nest with a red filter and a long tube leading to outside, and it runs onto about 5 x 9 ft of concrete before moving onto quite damp clay soil, so i dont think they would risk it, but i often see rubra queens walking around with the workers of a big nest near where i live so im not sure =P

[SteveUK28]

Im almost 99% sure they would move.. Nest in nature or being kept in a setup... mm Hard choice me thinks

[highered]

That sounds a cool idea but they would probably want to move. I think a better idea would be to use a species with a significantly bigger queen then block the end of the tube so that only the workers can get in and out. Of course then they couldn't get big insects back in the nest. You could just try it your way. Do let us know what happens though thanks.

[SteveUK28]

I do think however it would be amazing to see them do this.. if you could do it with an ant that would not move.. or like Highered said where the queen is bigger.. then i think it would be a really cool thing to do..

[damondeionno]

I had this kind of setup when I was younger. Lasius niger in my bedroom with a tube to the window ledge. They tended aphids on the wisteria.

[highered]

Having thought about it, if you got a colony with a bigger queen then trapped her in say a test tube in the nest in the garage with just enough space for the workers carrying eggs to get in and out then when the colony eventually created winged queens they would actually be able to get into the garden.

[damondeionno]

I don't think you should limit the movements of the queen too much. Most ant species don't do too much thermoregulation of their environment (some do). The queen needs to be able to move within the nest to take advantage of ideal conditions. If you go with a species like Lasius niger, they are very unlikely to relocate, even if the queen has the option.

[Magicalsushi]

They infest houses sometimes, don't they? Or does that really mean they live outside and send workers in for foraging raids? I'm not sure, but if they do ever build actual nests in houses, then it's possible they might not choose to leave your artificial setup, if it's attractive enough to them. I'd give it a go, if you've got some ants you wouldn't be to sorry to lose.

[matt-man123]

so did u try it????