second time round

[bensingleton92]

hello everyone

this is my second time keeping ants. My ants which was Lasius niger died after a silly accident. I was thinking of buying some more from Antstore. but I do not really will want Lasius niger anymore. Please can you tell me a couple of different species which are pretty easy to look after, and a lot bigger than Lasius niger (I do not have good eyes ) and are generally good ants to have. Will an Antstore starter set 30x20 be suitable? When is the best time to buy the ant, and what time of year does the ant season start?

thanks a lot ben

[Deleted]

I would say to purchase them around March- April when it starts to get warm and they will be very active.

Why not try you hand with a harvester Ant Species.?
Look up Edu-Sci for discounts on Ant colonies as they are English and I recommend them!

They have a starter set A that might be useful.

[bensingleton92]

thanks mako

after researching different types of ants, Manica rubida seems to be really interesting. Does anybody know of any information sheets or a good website were I can find a bit more about them. Also will a antstore starter set 30x20 be suitable as that is the one I have for my colony?

thanks ben

[Wood~Ant]

Manica rubida behave very much like any other Myrmicine ants, so just treat them like you would a colony of Myrmica rubra. They look very similar, except that Manica are much larger and therefore are more powerful when tackling larger prey insects.
They seem slightly less aggressive to people, as my own Manica never stung me; but they can give a painful sting if you anger them, just like their smaller cousins.

Check out this link for more help and information
queenant.proboards82.com/index.cgi?board=learning

[bensingleton92]

thanks wood

would my antstore starter set 30x20 be the right size for the time being thanks ben

[Wood~Ant]

I always have to convert centimeters to inches, so 30 x 20 is 12" by 8" by my reckoning
Is this the one you're buying?
www.antstore.net/shop/product_info.php/info/p1316_ANTSTORE-Starter-Set---glassfarm-arena---30x20.html

A starter set of this size is perfectly adequate for keeping a Lasius colony in for at least 2 years Ben. After you may need to add on a larger set up when the colony grows so big it might outgrow this

[bensingleton92]

yes that is the one that I have from my last colony. which I'm going to re-use and put Manica.rubida or Myrmica.rubra I haven't decided yet. Then when the colony outgrow the formicarie, I will add another basin

thanks for the help