ANTSTORE World of Ants

[stickman]

I've heard that it is bad to keep a colony (with queen) in the gel type ant-farms (no soil). What would happen, and roughly how long would such a colony live?

If I started a colony with just a queen and a dozen workers, would it grow, and die of over-population, or would they not reproduce in the gel farm?

[NuEM]

They will probably die within a few weeks and not reproduce at all.

[JimmyVe]

Indeed, they probably live only a few weeks.
These things are not made to keep a colony in. Why they make them ? i don't now, just for the money i think.

If you like to keep ants keep them in a descend farm.

[Bob]

Last week I found a fire ant queen the other day. There was a worker clasped to one of her legs(probably not from her own colony) as a result of which one of her legs got amputated. But she was still alive and well. Having nothing to put her in, I made a few tunnels in a gel ant farm given to me recently and put her in there. So far she appears to be doing well in there and enjoying the moisture. I also don't have to worry about humidity and about feeding her because the gel serves as both. I wonder why people are saying that gel ant farms dont work? I'm not planning to raise a colony in it I just used it as a mercy rescue because I felt bad for the poor thing. She is so cute and redish in color. She has sealed herself in a chamber and is just sitting there. Do you know how long after their nuptial flight do they lay eggs? If she does manage to make a few workers I plan to take the entire gel nest, make a few holes in it and bury it out somewhere in the wilderness. I'm just curious as to why people are saying they'll die in there. I think she would have been far less happy had I placed her in a testtube. She appears to like the gel more. I agree that gel ant farms might not work in the long run but for keeping queens temporarily are they that bad? I want to hear more from those who think that gel ant farms dont work.

[Kiam]

Careful they have a darkside :p

[darradar]

For Bob
You'l be hard pressed to find anyone to endorce the use of gel ant farms here

Just imagane being in there yuorself, you have been taken from all that is normal to you, and placed inside this "jelly world" you would have no choice but to endure the surroundings you cannot escape from, this is why and I quote "

So far she appears to be doing well in there and enjoying the moisture"
"She has sealed herself in a chamber and is just sitting there"

Please do the queen a favour, instead of letting her produce eggs and workers in this un natural set up and then setting them free, "DO IT NOW".

If you read through these forums you will see that a test tube is the ideal atificail place for a queen to start her colony.
We as ant keepers take this very seriously, and urge you to do the right thing.

For Stickman
Take some time to read through these forums thoroughly, all you need to know will be explained in great detail, and alow you to start yuor quest in ant keeping successfully

[JimmyVe]

I must say, darradar is wright, The gel farm is for kids who do not now anything about ants.

If you do not have a test tube, use something else but with the same setup. Water/cotton/ants/cotton.

[Bob]

Ok guys I will try. I just feel so bad for disturbing her again. I am worried that I will weaken her and she will die out of spending too much energy.

I have a few questions about the test-tube. Can I use a sponge instead of cotton to seal up the water. Also, what kind of food can I put in there and in what quatities? Furthermore, what size test-tube shall I put her in? Where can I buy test-tubes? Another question I have is, should I wait for her to start laying eggs in the test-tube or should I just set her free now? Lastly I wanted to ask, how long after the nuptial flights do the queens start laying eggs? I think she might be fertile because her wings were already off when I found her. Can anyone predict how long before she will lay and how long after that should I expect workers? Thanks guys!

[darradar]

should I wait for her to start laying eggs in the test-tube or should I just set her free now?

Yes Bob set her free now, or as soon as possible, choose a quiet secluded spot, where you know she will not be disturbed, here she can begin to start her long and preductuve life in peace.

And Bob if you really want to keep ants, then please read the forums where you will find all that you need to know on getting started and all that you will need

[mpir]

@bob

It depends on a species but usually when they seal them selves off and think they are safe enough, they start laying eggs in few days. I got L niger queen the other day right after nuptial flight, put it in test tube with cotton and water and after two days she had eggs aready.

If you want to observe the development of the colony move the queen in the tube. Tubes can be found in all drug stores (usually). Don´t buy too big tube and not to small. Big enough that she can turn around in it. They like small, moist, dark places. Put her in test tube and you will see eggs soon, keep her in gel and you will see her die slowly.

Don´t worry about food. Queen should have enough body fat on her to raise first workers. To help her you can deep the cotton that is closing the tube in sweet watter and she will eat.

When the colony gets bigger and if you want to set them free it is far easier with just a test tube then burying gel farm.

[Bob]

mpir thanks much for the advice. There are still no eggs. Do you think she is fertile? I found her outside on the road with very light (drizzling) rain and her wings were already off. What's the possibility she is fertile? Yes worry not, I am in the process of putting her in a tube. However I wanted to ask, why do you say she will die slowly in the gel? Not that I want to keep her there but why would she as you say, "die slowly"?

As far as food goes, don't you think being in the gel is easier? (with the food being all around her?) In the tube she will have to feel around for it. Again, I'm not going to keep her in the gel I will move her, but I'm just curious. I understand the gel is not good for maintaining a colony but why is it so bad from the stage of new queen to first brood? Please do explain?

Also what do you think of this formicarium for fire ants?

http://www.antstore.net/shop/product_in ... rinth.html

[Kiam]

I hear the antfarm gel can get ants stuck to it and die..

[NuEM]

A wingless queen will be fertile 99.9% of the time.

We say she will die in the gel because that's simply the truth. The gel is not suited for ant keeping - despite what the box may say. And it was not used by NASA, it was a school experiment onboard the space shuttle. The gel was good enough to keep them alive for a couple of days, and worked in a zero gravity environment, but that's about it.

And it was lost when the Columbia disintegrated in 2003.

I'm just wondering, but are you certain you got a Red Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) queen? I'm asking since the identification of ant species is a science on its own, and often requires lab quality equipment, as well as a good amount of experience. I'm not very familiar with fire ants, or the other ant species in your area, so I don't know if identifying fire ants is trivial. But knowledge of the exact species is essential, if you really want to keep it. Different ant species need different things, and what is essential for one ant species might be deadly for an other.

[Kiam]

I thought that fire ant queens mate in or on the nest not outside so its possible you could off gotten a different species?

And fire ant queens will cost you alot of money because when they lay eggs they can lay up to 300 an hour thats what I heard on a film I was watching

[mpir]

@bob

I´m not sure really why would she "die slowly". In theory the gel formicarium sounds like a great thing but in praxis it is completly something else. It just doesn´t work. Not sure why. Lots of people tried this kind of antfarm but it never worked out. No idea.

So to fast foward the situation if you keep the queen in gel nest. She would stay in that small room sealed off for another few week, she will lay no eggs and die of hunger. Kind of ironic when she is "sorrounded with food". Like dying in the ocean because of thurst.