ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Jokke]

Hello everybody!

I just wondered if theres any way of achieving the "Nuptial Flight" in captivity? Say you have two ant colonies and let them fly in a room or something.

Is it possible?

/Jokke

[JimmyVe]

Hi, that is almost impossible, but i have read that it happens sometimes. If you have really small ants they do not need much room to keep a flight but for most species it is impossible.

[Jokke]

Hi, that is almost impossible, but i have read that it happens sometimes. If you have really small ants they do not need much room to keep a flight but for most species it is impossible.

But can't it be done in a large empty room? Say with Lasius niger? Like a room that is 10-15 square meters in size and without furniture and high to the roof? should be possible.

[JimmyVe]

As for as i know not. The keep a flight to room should be about a 100m high and you need much different colonies so you not have ants from the same colony doing it with each other (if you understand what i mean)

[Jokke]

Okay, but how do you make new queens in colonies? Without the nuptial flight there cant be anymore ants. And without that you cant sell ants. I doubt that antstore catches their queens wild everytime

Does the queen even get wings during the summer in captivity? And when does the unfertilized eggs (males) show up? Isnt it when the queen has run out of the sperm she saves from the previous nuptial flight? Or can she create unfertilized eggs whenever she wants?

[JimmyVe]

ww. lot of questions. Maybe you need to learn more about ants. Try reading about them. I shall try to answer your questions shortly.

You can not make new colonies, if you queen dies your colony will die to. (some species make new queens, but that are rare ones)
We keep ants, we do not breed them to sell.
If you buy a queen from a store (ore a person) it is pretty much for sure it was captured in the wild ! (it not like keeping dogs and breed with them to sell them)
Once the queen had a flight she will drop of here wings and start a colony, she probably will never get out of the nest again.
With some species the queens that are not fertilized produce males, other species produce males in one colony and queens in another.

this is a really short version, look on the net for more information and to learn more about ants.

[Jokke]

ww. lot of questions. Maybe you need to learn more about ants. Try reading about them. I shall try to answer your questions shortly.

You can not make new colonies, if you queen dies your colony will die to. (some species make new queens, but that are rare ones)
We keep ants, we do not breed them to sell.
If you buy a queen from a store (or a person) it is pretty much for sure it was captured in the wild ! (it not like keeping dogs and breed with them to sell them)
Once the queen had a flight she will drop of here wings and start a colony, she probably will never get out of the nest again.
With some species the queens that are not fertilized produce males, other species produce males in one colony and queens in another.

this is a really short version, look on the net for more information and to learn more about ants.

Yeah I know most of that, its just hard to find good infromation, national geographic doesent cover all you know. ;P
I have searched in the downloads section, but didnt find anything intressting that was worth reading (in my opinion).
The only facinating info I got there were that the ants use the bacteria from a fungus or something.

And I do know that a ants average life is 10-20 years. i was just intressted if it was possible to create a "Artificial Flight" it would be kinda cool to watch it in captivity.

And im curious about how the queens are born. the males don't become queens since they get killed or dies later on after their 'purpose' has ben completed. And why would a queen give birth to a queen? She would get killed aslong as theres already one queen in the nest, wont she?

/Jokke

[JimmyVe]

No you have it wrong there, the queen produces queens with wings and these winged queens will go on the flight, if they stay in the nest they are no use to the colony only if they help like normal workers, they are not fertilized so they can not take in the place of the old queen.

10-20 years, depends on the species, some species only live for 3 years.

As i said before an Artificial flight is impossible (nearly)

[Jokke]

Okay thanks for the help! I apreciate your patience!
I read on Hyperlinks sind nur für registrierte Nutzer sichtbar that they do produce princes and princesses, and that conferms what you just replied.

I'd like to know what the latin are for the males and virgin queens i mean like: Lasius Niger [queens name?]

Again thanks!

[JimmyVe]

hmm... There are probably names for young (and older queens) but i do not know them. As for as i know you just call them like the species.

[Jokke]

hmm... There are probably names for young (and older queens) but i do not know them. As for as i know you just call them like the species.

Allright, thank you for answering my questions.

[sithmaster676]

the name for a winged queen is an alate don't think there is another name for a mated queen
Sithmaster676

[Jokke]

the name for a winged queen is an alate don't think there is another name for a mated queen
Sithmaster676

Isnt alate males?

[sithmaster676]

the term alate is the name given to both male and female unmated queens queens
Sithmaster676

[sithmaster676]

the term alate is the name given to both male and female unmated queens queens
Sithmaster676