ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Fleur]

Okidoki, ligniperda it is then.

I don't really know how to create a y-tong. I'd prefer then to get a starterset like this: Glasfarm/Arena 20x10

And then fill the farm with sand for them to dig their own tunnels. Is that possible?

[SimGee]

creating y-tong... go to a hardware store and buy one then bat walks and chambers into it... done. Somehow like this: http://www.antstore.net/shop/product_in ... 29x16.html

Your linked starter set should work, it could a bit thight for the queen...
For Camponotus ligniperda a slab distance of 10mm is minimum... the distance of your chosen set is about 12mm.

In the beginning, and i´m going to bet , your ants will anyway stay in the tube their are delivered in.

When the colony grows up u can connect thr starter set to a bigger habitat...

[SteveUK28]

Hello Fleur and welcome.
Id recommend Camp ligniperda and Substitutus, i actually have some Camp substitutus queens now that im hoping to have some workers in the next month or so that i shall be selling, your more than welcome to have one off me

[Fleur]

Thanks SteveUK28! I'm going to buy them off Antstore though, I just want some form of guarantee if something goes wrong in the post.

@SimGee: Is there a starterset or something (maybe combination of items) I can buy from Antstore which would be perfect for the ligniperda? I know I won't be able to make a good Y-tong myself.

[JimmyVe]

Making a y-tong is not that hard.

Plenty of users sell ants here (at action) so you can always look there if Antstore don't sell the species you like.

[Fleur]

Okay, and then I stumbled across this:
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Dear God. I'm rethinking the whole idea of the antfarm right now. If my colony becomes this big in just 2/3 years, then I don't think this is for me. That are waaaaay too many ants for me to handle. I don't even want this big a colony! What can you do to prevent a colony from growing this huge? I mean: you need to stop them at some point or they'll take up you're entire house eventually!

[ratgreen]

hehe ive seen that vid sooo many times i think there is even a comment on there from me. i dont really know a humane way of stopping a colony from getting this big, perhaps you could sell the workers in batches of 100's for people who just want workers

[Fleur]

Is there anyone on this forum with a colony this big? What's the oldest colony owned by a person on this forum?

[mzfckr]

i think it can be Erne's acromyrmex(dutch part)

[SimGee]

http://www.antstore.net/viewtopic.php?t ... sc&start=0

This is really great...

no more words

[ratgreen]

that is insane, give him a medal someone.

[LukeyG21]

http://www.antstore.net/viewtopic.php?t=6949&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

This is really great...

no more words

I would be thrilled to have an ant colony half as good as that someday.

[Fleur]

So I guess there's no way of avoiding this? They eventually grow out to be this big... I don't think I want to start a farm then. I don't want to end up killing them or having to sell them all.

[mzfckr]

dont worry it isnt THAT fast.

[tail__]

Don't worry, the colony in this video was Messor barbarus, and these ants develop really fast. Some Acromyrmex (Erne's ants) colonies are in world's first ranks concerning monogynous colony size, and can reach hundreds thousands of workers. With Camponotus ligniperdus you won't have more than 500 in 3 years, and even the largest of their colonies (10-20 years!) reach no more than a few thousands. I doubt if anyone here has such an old colony, anting as a hobby is still quite a new thing. But even 5K C. ligniperdus colony can still fit in 1x1x1m space, including foraging area.

The lack of predators and enemy ants won't change much, the colony size of given species is determined by queen's fertility and workers life expectancy. The first is genetically fixed, and the second doesn't differ much in nature and in house, because in large colonies only the oldest workers do the most dangerous jobs and risk their lives when they won't live long anyway.