ANTSTORE World of Ants

[jcrusader]

hi i have a conley of lasius niger i keep them in a dark place because i have heard that is best for them but its really annoying thow its haard to feed and water and also see them so do u have to keep them in the dark?

thank you for your time plz reply

[KiamCameron]

Well if you want to feed them you can feed them in the light for a few mins or so it does disturb them though If you find a queen and keep her in light till first workers then light will not bother them But yours has already workers and i'd assume there use to being in dark

[jcrusader]

thank you

[Moiser]

Do you think a wild caught queen would get used to living in the light?

[KiamCameron]

Yes she will but if she has workers in dark she will not be use to light (I dont think) If she has workers in the light she is use to it I think to

[miszt]

pretty much, Queens develop photophobia after a few weeks being dark, I dont know if they will re-adjust to being in the light, it will stress her out anyway if you try, so i wuldnt recomend it

[Moiser]

So it would be better to purchase a Queen rather than find one if I wanted to keep the nest area in the light? I've read that queens that have been raised in captivity can be less photophobic. Would a Queen raised in captivity be happy making a nest in the light?

[SteveUK28]

i cant see why not.. that would be all they are used to.. instinct would tell her that she would prefer it dark but she would not really know dark so wouldnt bother her.. im willin to best most of us ant keepers keep our ants in the light so we can see the activity. I know i sure to atm.

[tail__]

If you catch the queen after nuptial flight, she won't be bothered by light. And the new workers will be used to light since hatching. The queen found in natural nest can also get used to light, but it will be very stressful, anyway kidnapping a queen from natural nest is an evil deed.

[Necturus]

And anyways, ants NEED darkness to feel home and safe. Dont experiment, just do the - obvious - right thing. Ant queens usualy only get to see daylight once in their lives, during the nupital flight.
You dont try how long your dog can live under water or if the cat wont start flying eventually if you keep throwing her out of the window either. Be smart people.
Necturus

[Moiser]

I don't mean to be rude Necturus but comparing keeping ants in the light to keeping a dog under water is a stupid comparison.

I believe the questions I've asked to be valid.

[tail__]

I must disagree. It was proved many times, ants in captivity lived as normal in day light. Their instinct is quite flexible, and the ants which aren't used to darkness don't associate light with danger. If you put ants into nest in which they can dig, they often dig also near the glass, and new corridors which THEY make are open to light. This means they don't necessary choose darkness even if they have choice. There is only problem with agressive ants wich particulary good sight, like Formica or Myrmecia, which sometimes react to human motion. That's why sometimes is better to keep them covered, but the light itself doesn't harm them in any way. Most ants use their eyes mostly for navigation outside nest and don't react to motion. It is easy to recognize if ants feel safe - if they are calm, they feed larvae and clean them, and the queens lay eggs it means they feel comofortable and aren't afraid of anything.

[Necturus]

Moiser, the difference beeing, everyone knows how to keep a dog - while most news starters will try anything on their ants. And while people would protest if you start feeding your dog with tofu, ive seen the most exotic things fed to ants without anyone raising a question. Point beeing: every pet deserves to get the treatment best for it. Somehow ants dont seem to be countet as pets at times.
And tail, you're refering to a so called "habituation" - the light is no longer resulting in panic. Yet some physiological processes are directly subjected to the nerve answer of the optic system. I'm not saying keeping them in light will result in the death of the colony. But im rather certain you will find the fitness reduced and maybe even some behavioral shifts.
If one day the interest in those questions is big enough, i would like to see some hundred colonies compared over a decade or so. Just to see what the difference would be.
For now, i prefer having to lift a cover before i check for my test tube then even propably slowing down or changing the normal developement.
Greetings

[JimmyVe]

This question has leaded to much discussions.

I want to add this,
If you keep ants try to keep them as they would live in nature. In nature they live underground, that means they live in the dark.
There was a test with a colony in the light and one in the dark, but as far as i know it was with only 2 colonies and both where Lasius niger so it is never proven it works with all species and with all colonies.

[Moiser]

I understand that in the wild the Queen would live in total darkness. However in a formicarium the owner is going to want to view the nest. If the nest is kept in darkness and the colony only exposed to light when the owner is viewing the nest then I would assume this would cause more stress to the colony than with the colony being exposed to light all the time?