ANTSTORE World of Ants

[R3dFox]

do Lasius niger have to nest underground?

My colony are currently living in my arena, and im wondering if there is anything i can put in there for them to nest into or under?

Like if i get a log and drill a hole into it will they then expand it into a nest?

any idea?

[JimmyVe]

Lasius niger most of the time nest underground. (in nature) you can keep them in a y-tong, gypsum or wooden nest if you like. (i prefer y-tong )

I'm not sure but i don't think they will except your offer of the log.
Are they now in a tube ?
If you take a walk in nature and you lift up a few rocks (or big logs) I'm sure you will find a colony or 2 underneath it. The queen is most of the time in the ground but the workers and the larva are beneath it. (to keep the larva warm.)

[R3dFox]

Well this was just a thought. I may be getting some more clay off deadmeat on here. Which if/when i do i will refill my farm (3rd time lucky?! lol)

But i was just wondering if there was a easier option.


I am thinking of making my own display/nest. im not sure what im going to use yet. i was thinking cork? but do the ants eat it? I would use y-tong but not yet lol this is just a quick thing and my first project sooo...

Also, if i make this farm i was thinking of buying just a queen. What is it like starting a colony from just queen? i thought it would be interesting.

Sorry for the long post but i do have a few more questions...as usual lol.

1) are there any more exotic species out there that dont need heat lamp or anything? i would really like to have a species that have soliders.


annnnnd....this is the very important question.......who would win out of a fight between ants and a woodlouse????......ive been feeding them woodlice...getting them out of the garden, stabing them and leaving them belly up for the ants....But apparently one of these woodlouse didnt want to die, and its managed to get its way into the test tube...and the nest

So yea, woodlice dont EAT ants do they?

[JimmyVe]

I don't think there are Exotic ants that need heating device. (they are joust to high temperatures)
But if you like a species with soldiers you can get some Pheidole pallidula or Messor barbarus there from south Europe and they to have soldiers.

About the wood lice, i don't think they eat ants but i don't now who is going to win the fight. I guess you ants have the advantage they are with more than 1.

[deadmeat30]

heat mats are cheap enough, wouldnt one of those do ok?

about the wood lice, the ants should be ok, they'll probberly flip if over and eat it from it belly.

Alan

[JimmyVe]

You can use heat mats to, but i'm not so fund of them. (i'm trying one out wright now, maybe i like them anyway. )

[mpir]

Also, if i make this farm i was thinking of buying just a queen. What is it like starting a colony from just queen? i thought it would be interesting.

Starting with just a queen means that you need to have a lot of patience. If there is no brood with the new queen it means that you will have to wait for at least 2 months (depending on species) for first workers. And not all of the queens are sucessful in founding a colony. So you might be disappointed. Nevertheless, it is an exciting and interesting time and if you are sucessful you can take a lot of joy and pride in it.

Good luck

[R3dFox]

Messor barbarus is the ant that i was thinking of getting. But will they adapt to the english climate? because i dont want to have heat lamps on all the time and all of that business.

I like the fact they have soldiers, and sounds interesting that they eat seeds. While on the subject what seeds do they eat? or just any type?

I think if i get messor i will get the colony not just a queen.

Any simple species that are good to start with just a queen? Tho i am tempted to wait for all the flying ants (swarms?) to come out this summer and grab a few. I have a "red" ant nest in my garden, im not sure which species just whichever is common to uk.....So i may grab one, or a few because the red ants usually have more than one queen?

But if i do make my own and start from queen, then if it dosnt work out then least i have a nest free for a new colony

[deadmeat30]

@ R3dFox: email me at deadmeat30@gmail.com and we can sort out this seramis.

Alan

[R3dFox]

Cheers. So you going to sort out how much its going to cost? and how should i pay you.

Ill email you tomorrow. or email me if you like:

shabbatastic@gmail.com

as im off to bed now lol.

[JimmyVe]

Hi R3dFox, Messor barbarus don't need a heating lamp on ALL the time but make it with a thermostat so they have the temperature they need.

They are from the south of Europe so they need the temperate. And make sure not to disturb them to much (in de nest) the queen get stressed up really easy and stops laying eggs than.

In summer most of them keep a flight (the queens and 'kings' ) but if you want to capture a fertilized queen you need to catch one without there wings. They get up in the air to have 'sex' and than the drop on the floor and cut of there wings. These are the queens you need to take. If you take queens with wings, she is not been fertilized and she can not start a colony.

[R3dFox]

Cool, thanks for the help.

Are there any species of ants with a soldier caste that dont need heat lamps at all?

[sithmaster676]

what are lasius niger queens like at getting stressed as sometimes i cant help but move some of the tin foil i have around them to look at the colony will this affect her highness
Sithmaster676

[R3dFox]

My queen dosnt seem to be bothered by anything. But then again im not too sure because as far as i can tell she hasnt even started laying eggs.

Oh and my ants kicked that Woodlouses arse...then ate it lol

[JimmyVe]

Are there any species of ants with a soldier caste that don't need heat lamps at all?

I don't think so.

@ sith: about Lasius niger queens. they don't get stressed easy.

@ r3dfox: how long do you have here now ? maybe she is not fertilized.