ANTSTORE World of Ants

[amrik singh]

Hi!
I must admit that in the botom of my heart I am happy to learn that Prenolepsis imparis is now in Europe :It is active at lower temperature than other ants and so we will see ants now all the frost- free part of the year where it establish it self.I the US there are vested interests (exterminators,pesticides produsers,scientists loking for goovernement money ,journalists looking for extraordinary tittels) who promote a "Mickey mouse " attitude :The Myrmica rubra become "The European-Fire Ant" I never heared something so ridicule. I know in Belgium places in the Meuse valey where Myrmica rubra is very dominent without any problem I think this attitude must be opposed instead off falling oneself in the same exess.
On the other hand the accidental introduction of Atta sp. in old world tropics will be a disaster of cataclismic proportion.Some other ants can also have a disastous effect if introduce in other far off countrys.
But I think moving ants into Europe one or two hundred kilometers is no problem at all.The quaratine system and the interdiction to transport ant queens have been worst than useless in contaning RIFA in the US. and have just the effect to ennoy much those interested in ants.

[miszt]

I dont believe that is the case Amrik, for example in the UK we have very few species of Ant, some are very rare eg some Formica, if Camponotus where to take up residency in our woodlands, that would easily spell the end of Formica as the food supply that is already very low would be gone, Myrmica rubra is already present accross much of Europe, I dont think thats a major issue, but other species may upset the delicate balance that has settled over the thousands of years gone by, a few hundred miles is a long way when you are talking about Mountain Ranges & Seas seperating Countries and Ecosystems, that have never interacted

[amrik singh]

Yes human transport have accelerate the movement of species but this movement have allways hapend and Camponotus exist Belgium and nordern Europe only in places of very warm microclimates, in summer. In the Meuse valley the Camponotus and several sorts of formicas are present and as far as I have seen the Camponotus are limited to the warmest rockie, woodie slopes exposed south.It may be a problem in the warmest part of Britain like Cornwales?

[miszt]

contry to popular belief, the UK generally has very warm summers, often hitting 35C+ in July/August, most of southern england averages 28C+, although last year was not so hot, tempreture where still above average

But the tempreture is not such an issue anymore, with cities being so large, and with such large buildings, its easy for species to take up residency inside the structure of a building, I understand that this has been a problem twice in Berlin with leaf cutter species, and caused a bit of a stir for the enviromental agencies

the laws are in place for a reason! based on many years scientific study, I dont think any of us are in a position to be able to dispute the findings of many studies and the resulting laws that where implemented

[JimmyVe]

Good job Miszt, i made a sticky off it but kept this one for discussions.

[Krümel]

But I think moving ants into Europe one or two hundred kilometers is no problem at all.

the laws are in place for a reason! based on many years scientific study, I dont think any of us are in a position to be able to dispute the findings of many studies and the resulting laws that where implemented

And thats the point: You don't THINK!
Youre just an ant keeper, holding ants and then thinking you would know everything about risks, the way ants conquer new habitats. And the difference between you and the people who say trading and keeping of invertebrate ant species is a damn dangerous thing know almost damn everything about the way ants act outdoor and so about the risks, for example E.O.Wilson or Bernd Hölldobler just to name two you will hopefully at least know.
So you tell me how you would trust. Yourself or these scientists...
THINK about this and what you write, please.

[Spore]

Could ants you relese (or escape) breed with other local ants to produce a SUPER ANT???!!!

[tail__]

And thats the point: You don't THINK!
THINK about this and what you write, please.

No reason to be rude, man. Everyone thinks, but there is a possibility someone thinks in other way than you. Maybe you should try to convince them instead of insulting.

[Spore]

Please use the forum for discusion and not arguing. there is a chat system were you could happily argue all day.
Go to:
Content-Navigation-Chat.

[JimmyVe]

I'm going to leave this discussion open because it is very interesting. Just don't try to be to rude please.

This is what i have to say (and think) about it.

We are ant keepers ! Keep the ants, don't try to build a 'new' ecosystem with them. (if you know what i mean)

[miszt]

I'm not sure he was being rude really, he has strong feelings about this situation, as do I, and if people refuse to listen to reasoned arguments, then sometimes stronger words need to be used, because this is a very serious situation

lets not distract from the issue however, it would be all to easy for the point of this thread to get lost in a sea of arguments


Lets all just be a little more conscious of the choices we make, coz now we all know what the situation is, theres no excuse

[ratgreen]

in a nut shell, dont release foreign ants into the wild,no questions, just don't.

[Hauntedhavoc]

i agree with everything said. i read somewhere that australia has a bit of a rotten deal with importing ants, as they have to be on an "import list" where if you want to import something that is not on least they research the prospect fully and can take many years to do so. give it this propably is a pain for the ausies but i inpart agree with the methodology.

because of this thread and many similar threads i have read over the internet i have decided to begin my antkeeping life by catchin queens that are local to me. this way i can gain the right experience and know how to keep ants secure. then and only then would i think of keeping more foreign species.

as a beginner i WILL make mistakes as everyone does. that is why i have chosen to keep local ants, so in the event of an escape (i pray to god that it doesnt happen) then the impact on my local ecosystem will be minute if not nil.

i just hope all other begginers like my self heed all this advice

[Phasmid]

(i pray to god that it doesnt happen)

Oh, it will .
You have to make sure that a lost ant cannot leave the room it came from. And certainly make sure that the ants cannot make a quick total evacuation of the setup.
Luckily this has not happened to me yet, but I have had the odd worker or, in the case of my leaf-cutters, foraging trail out side of a setup . But my room is ant tight and I have never lost a colony like this .

[Hauntedhavoc]

i plan on using a moat, PTFE and a sealed lid (with doubled up aluminum grills for ventalation. hopefully this will discourage the most escape-wanting ant