ANTSTORE World of Ants

[klem]

Hello folks

I am a secondary school teacher and I am looking at starting an ant colony at work as a bit of a Biology topic (and because it looks real fun!!)

I'm going to order a starter set C from here and have narrowed my ant choice down to either Myrmica rubra or Lasius niger. A really active, hardy species would be best to show the students, would either of these be a sensible choice? I only have a limited space in my teaching lab too so a huge colony isn't really feasable either

Would I need anything other than what comes in the starter set (apart from ants )

Also, from what I have read, this is not an ideal time to start a colony .. is it not possible to establish a colony or just not advisable at this time of year?

Many thanks

Klem

[damondeionno]

Hi and welcome

Ant colonies don't generally take up much space unless you have a really big colony or certain exotic species.

In my opinion, rubra will be better for your needs.

You would be better waiting till Spring though.

[SteveUK28]

I have to agree with damon, that it would be better to wait till spring. However there is nothing stopping you from making a project and starting to build a nice nest and hunting ground for them. I would also advise getting a colony with multiple queens

[Flan]

either Myrmica rubra or Lasius niger. A really active, hardy species would be best to show the students, would either of these be a sensible choice?

L. niger! It's faster and harder to kill by mistake (for example - over dry)
Unfortunately in that type of nest, it may be hard to observe small colony( but possible ).
Consider taking ANTSTORE starter set - labyrinth and later think about own Y-tong nest .

Would I need anything other than what comes in the starter set (apart from ants )

No

Also, from what I have read, this is not an ideal time to start a colony .. is it not possible to establish a colony or just not advisable at this time of year?

It's possible, but colony may be not so active...

sorry for my English

[klem]

wow thanks for the fast replies!

That information really helps, I'll get the starter kit C ordered and let my year 7's make it more homely until spring

If I wanted multiple queens would I just order 2+ from the online store and add them at the same time? (sorry if that sounds dumb)

Do you just have to water the nest part periodically or the whole thing?.. do you spray it with a squirty/mist gun jobby?

hehe, no worries flan, your English is better than my Polish... thanks for your advice!

Again, sorry if this sounds dumb but how big do Myrmica rubra and Lasius niger colonies grow? and how long would it take for them to outgrow the starter set (assuming they progress well)

Thanks again!

[Flan]

Actually there is no M.rubra in store(but buy only ants with multiple queens already in colony) and L.niger cannot have more than one queen.
About humidity - faq
Probably after 3 years you will have to : connect similar nest/make nest from that glass basin/create own nest

[klem]

awesome! thanks again

Where can I buy M.rubra colonies already with multiple queens?

Does each queen need its own nest box or am being a complete goon?

Thanks again

[Flan]

Where can I buy M.rubra colonies already with multiple queens?

Try marketplace, but L.niger is not that bad...

Does each queen need its own nest box or am being a complete goon?

No. Myrmica rubra queens tolerate each other.

[damondeionno]

Flan

Generally you need to keep the substrate moist for all ants. Not wet but damp. The easiest way to kill a colony is for it to dry out.

You can't add queens from different colonies, but if you buy a colony of M. rubra with multiple queens that would be good. Antstore are usually very helpful if you email them or speak to them on the phone.

[Krabbie]

I got a Myrmica rubra colony which supposed to be 1 queen and 11-25 workers but i got 2 queens and 13 workers!
I was very pleaased with it, unfortunatly 1 queen died... The other one is doing really fine!
I started this colony in september and normally they should have gone in hibernation period but because my colony was for a school project I kept everything at a temperature of 20-25 degree Celsius during day.(no heating at night) And now they have about 6-8 larvae and some eggclusters so they are really doing well for a period where they normally should rest. But if I were you I would start my colony in april in spring, at that period queens lay huge piles of eggs and the colony grows really fast.
Succes!

[klem]

Thanks again folks

I've emailed Antstore and got a very fast reply... they said colonies with multiple queens are rare (to buy)

should put seramis/clay granules on the bottom layer of the nest and foraging area and water that via a tube? or just spray from the surface?

Oh, and do the guys at Antstore speak English as my German isn't that hot

Apologies for the barrage of questions

Cheers

Klem

[damondeionno]

They speak English. It's pretty good actually. No problem there.

[MorbidMike]

Thanks again folks

I've emailed Antstore and got a very fast reply... they said colonies with multiple queens are rare (to buy)

should put seramis/clay granules on the bottom layer of the nest and foraging area and water that via a tube? or just spray from the surface?

Oh, and do the guys at Antstore speak English as my German isn't that hot

Apologies for the barrage of questions

Cheers

Klem

As I have no experience with those starter sets I will not reply to those questions. I usually take Ytong nests, I love them (just a pain to make them).

Colonies with multiple queens are rare because Antstore will want to create 2 colonies with 1 queens if they catch 2 queens... not 1 colony with 2 queens. Quite understandable, you can make more money like that.
You could always consider digging up a nest, M. rubra and L. niger are both very common in Europe and they should not be hard to encounter. I personally would take M. rubra because if you dig up a nest with them, it usually has multiple queens and chances are you will capture 10 queens, it is also a lot easier to spot a queen because the chance you encounter one is much higher. L. niger has only one queen and so it is harder to find that queen.

If you should want to dig up a nest, better wait for March or April, then go out with a bucket and a spade. Locate a nest, 'carve' out a square around it, and put that area of sand into the bucket. You might want to consider some plastic foil to cover the bucket so the ants won't run onto your hands and (in the case of M. rubra) sting you.
When you are back home you can turn over the bucket into a recipient of some kind, and then start plucking out the ants one by one and putting them in your nest. Remove some sand by hand, pick up any ants you see, remove some more sand, rinse and repeat until you have had all ants (and like this you should find at least one queen as well). It is a tedious work but well worth the effort: I captured my Formica sanguinea colony like this, and got around 200-300 ants and 6 queens. Also, because the colony you will get already has a considerable number of ants, you will have less risk of the colony dieing because of some reason: the riskiest part is always when the colony is still small (0-5 ants).

[jerusalem2]

Flan

Generally you need to keep the substrate moist for all ants. Not wet but damp. The easiest way to kill a colony is for it to dry out.

You can't add queens from different colonies, but if you buy a colony of M. rubra with multiple queens that would be good. Antstore are usually very helpful if you email them or speak to them on the phone.

Oh thanks for your very informative post. )



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