buzz
Nurse Ant
Posts: 111
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Post by buzz on Oct 29, 2009 23:19:14 GMT
So after reading til my eyes are sqaure it is clear there are various options open for keeping ants for the 1st time.
So any advise on the following appreciated:
Keeping the ants is primarily for my daughter and obviously being able to see tunnels and the ants moving around will be a huge bonus, and keep her interested - so what sort of ant and antfarm is the best combination for this?
I have read about the plaster ones that you can shape yourself, also by putting red plastic over them can help as well etc etc.
On the edu-sci website they only have 4 live ants for sale - I was thinking of buying Lasius flavus - is that a good/bad idea?
Thanks
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Post by Jenny on Oct 30, 2009 5:29:08 GMT
Hi, L.flavus can be difficult to keep for a beginner, especially from the eating aspect as it is very difficult to encourage them to the surface; they are the shy species. Lasius niger are usually the preferred choice as they are the black hardy British ant, that do well for starters. L.niger are very endustrious, and make large colonies quickly.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Oct 30, 2009 9:12:42 GMT
Hi Buzz, and welcome as our 900th member of Ant Hill World As Jen has said, Lasius flavus can be a bit difficult for beginners as they are normally an ant which lives totally below ground, even finding most of their food from soil dwelling insects and invertebrates. Depending on your daughter's age, and what her favourite colours are, will also have some bearing on which ants she may want to watch L. flavus are a lovely golden orange colour, while L. niger is a blackish brown ant. Myrmica are most often red to orange and show up well in a darker soil such as loam, while any black ant species shows up best in sand or a peat/sand mixture. Invest in the basic upright plastic set up like Ant World, as it is ideal as a starter and comes complete with everything you'll need. I have used this set up many times and even have a Lasius marginatus colony in one now, and it will allow your daughter to observe all the complex network of tunnels and chambers the ants dig out, as it is of slimline design Amazon are currently selling this at £6, which is half the normal price www.amazon.co.uk/Interplay-UK-Ant-World/dp/B00008OS3A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys&qid=1256894925&sr=8-1It's far easier to buy a ready made set up than try and make something like this elaborate ant farm
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buzz
Nurse Ant
Posts: 111
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Post by buzz on Oct 30, 2009 15:15:31 GMT
thanks for the replies. Whats the life expectancy of the ant farm? If the colony gets too big then there must come a point when they need a bigger 'house'.
Will probably go with the L. niger seeing as they appear the most hardy and the ant world comes with a light sand from what I can see.
If these ant hibernate then is it the wrong time of year to buy them, if they should naurally sleeping and if the L.niger comes with a queen and some workers can they just go straight into the ant world instead of keeping them in the tube until she lays her eggs for the first time? Thanks
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Post by formica on Oct 30, 2009 15:33:01 GMT
If you are using an ant world you should take the background thing out as I had a Lasius niger queen and she got stuck in it. If you want to buy Lasius niger I would not reccomend getting Lasius niger from Edu-sci as I have never heard anyone raise Lasius niger succesfully when they are bought from Edu-sci. It is not the wrong time to buy them. Every time I get an ant colony I keep them in the airing cupboard and the next year I hibernate them. The ant farm will last the ants for life depending on what size the colony is and the species.
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Post by Jenny on Oct 30, 2009 15:36:27 GMT
Ants will take several years before they become overcrowded, and a colony may not need moving if it becomes too large as you can connect more than 1 Ant Worlds to each other. Kept indoors Lasius niger will not hibernate fully, but may become less active from mid November until late next February. The small colony Wood keeps are still actively going about the job of brood raising, though it is best to keep them cool for at least the winter months Buying them now is fine, as they will be easier to get into the set up; and a good tip is to cool them down in your fridge for about 20 minutes before trying to put them in the set up, as this makes them slow and less likely to run off and escape.
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buzz
Nurse Ant
Posts: 111
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Post by buzz on Oct 30, 2009 19:15:56 GMT
OK, great.
As its teh wrong time of year to go hunting for ants, where can I buy queens/colonies?
Are there any other breeds of ants apart from L.niger that are suitable for beginners?
Thanks
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buzz
Nurse Ant
Posts: 111
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Post by buzz on Oct 30, 2009 19:30:05 GMT
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Post by Zarbi on Oct 30, 2009 20:54:48 GMT
Some ebay sellers are trustworthy and reliable, while others can be rip off merchants. You have to hope that when you pay your money and make your choice, the seller sends your purchase well packed and good value for money The Myrmica colony is a bit over priced
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