Note - living animals

Note: It is not ruled out that living animals cause damage, as can also transmit diseases (special risk for people with allergies). If exotic species erupting from the bodies provided for them, as is immediately an exterminator to communicate.

To avoid jeopardizing local and foreign Faunenwelten, you may suspend any received from us animals in the wild. We offer a free take-back of old colonies.

The spreading of animals in nature is allowed by the relevant nature conservation laws of the countries from the relevant authorities!

As we do not have a key for each kind of ant, all species are defined to the best of our knowledge. If a change occurs at a later date, you will be informed about this and will receive a separate right to return the colony.

Shipping:
The shipment of live animals (ant colonies and feed Animals) takes place only within the EU. Within the EU, there may be different import regulations, please consult to your local veterinary office.

We strive to following shipping temperatures of living goods:

(night temperatures):
North-Central European species = > 0°C (or> -5°C Express with insulation)
Southern European species = > +5°C (or> 0°C Express with insulation)
Tropical species = > +10°C (or> +5°C Express with Heat pack)
(daytime temperatures):
North-Central European species = <+30 °C
Southern European species = <+30 °C
Tropical species = <+30 °C

Ant keeping:

Exact ant keeping information to each individual ant, you will found in the product detailed.

Problems:

Possible reasons when ants are dying:

Why do single ants or even the entire colony die?
Naturally it is not possible to do any remote diagnostics, but we want to list common reasons:
 

Water:

- in some regions the drinking water is very chlorinated, or water passing through copper pipework has been staying there for a longer time in order that copper has soluted in the water. This can be lethally for ants and the most insects, and even for fish, reptiles and mammalian.

Recommendation: If possible use rainwater or filtered water (like in fishkeeping). Do not use any distilled water.
 

Ground:

Some ant keepers unknowingly had mixed bird grit with loam and used it as ground and then were wondering about the sudden and quick death of their colony. Usually bird grit is being used to absorb the bird's dung, which is why there is often added some disinfecting additives.

Recommendation: For a sand/loam mixture you should use untreated quartz sand thas has been baked out or been washed before.
 

Plants:

Despite of many warnings some keepers plant living plants from garden centres in their formicaria, which looks very nice naturally, but very often the plants are treated by pesticides to prevent pest infestation. This is harmful to ants as well, even rinsing with plenty of water does not help anything. Often the ants' reaction is to lay on their back or side, twitching with their legs after only some hours or days, causing death ultimately.

Recommendation: If possible use plants from a specialised shop for keeping and breeding reptiles in terraria, a biological nursery or that have been kept for at least one year guaranteed pesticide-free.
 

Cleaning:

Do never use usual glass cleaner or any other cleaner for your formiarium.

Recommendation: Use a biological cleaner suitable especially for terraria.
 

Building of a formicarium:

Some people like and prefer to build their own formicarium. But you should be mindful to use the suitable material. If possible it shouldn't include any type of solvent. It it can't be avoided it
should be drying for a long time before you will insert the ants. Regarding to silicone there needs to be used an anti-bacterial, fungus-trigging sanitary silicone but aquarium-silicone.
 

Feeding:

In groceries there are often preservatives included. It hasn't been enough researched yet how far what kind of additive and what dose is harmful to insects/ants. Typical feeding insects like crickets of insect farm
often have parasites and diseases which could leap to the ants and harm or even kill them at worst.

Recommendation: Use biological groceries or insects being catched out of the nature since this is a lower risk.
 

Temperature:

Many keepers underestimate a formicarium can heaten up very quick (like a greenhouse). A formicarium being sunlit can quickly heaten up to about 60°C

Recommendation: A formicarium being heated or lighted should include a thermometer (with min/max function).


Of course there are plenty of further reasons which can lead to death of a colony. Especially during or after the hibernation of European species it needs to be considered the regular control of humidty/moisture of the nest.
A dehydration of the nest during the ants' hibernation is a common reason for their death.

 

THE QUEEN DOESN'T LAY ANY EGGS - possible reasons

When a queen has landed and has removed her wings after her nuptial flight, she is copulated as a genreal rule and able to lay eggs. But the following can be reasons for not laying any eggs or eggs that can't be found:
 

Season:

At autumn- and winter-time European ants species don't lay any eggs as a general rule since they are in hibernation. Eggs do not survive the hibernation in contrast to larvae and workers - these do survive the hibernation.
 

Stress:

At some species the queen it occurs that queen eats her brood in consequence of stress while being shipped or continously being turned around, or nest-disturbance.
 

Lack of proteines:

If the brood does not develop a lack of proteines is the reason very often. The most ant species need proteins, especially for developing their brood, just sugar-honey-solution is not sufficient.
 

Hidden eggs:

Sometimes after shipment some eggs are all around the test tube or are sticked at the watertank's wool which has the same colour like the eggs. In this case you should leave them alone for some time and
observe where the queen is staying. Often the brood can be found near her head.
 

Climate:

A queen naturally only lays eggs when she feels in safety and the conditions are fine (ground, darkness, temperature, moisture/humidity). As formicaria have to adapt the natural conditions artifically and there
still need to be made many experiences and researches, we recommend for beginners to start with species which have already been kept very often and keeping reports can be read about in our online forum.

These were some of the most common examples, of course there can also be diseases, injuries etc. lead to problems in developing.