NEED HELP!!!!!!!! about queen ants

[fireant111]

Hey people, I'm a 14 year old boy from India and I love ants. My aunt just told me she found some winged ants flying near her kitchen, and I caught some 20 of them. I found that they were fire ant winged queens and males, now I put them in a large plastic jar with soil and they try to climb out. Mostly when they just sit still and when putting them in the jar 2 escaped, and now 3 died in the jar so I got some 15 left now. What should I do with them if they will not make a nest and start dying? I rather leave them where I found them, and if they can start a nest when will they do it? Why are they just sitting there?

The first day I put them in they were acting as if they were searching for a place to dig, and now they are not doing it anymore just trying to go out of the jar and then nothing.

Please somebody help me there is no store I know of that ships ants to India and there is none in India so the only way to get queen ants for me is like this and if it doesn't work will I never have an ant farm?

[Jenny]

Flying ants are best left in the wild to mate. You will see the queens after a mating flight look for a nesting site once the wings are off, and that is the best time to pick them up and start your nest. The males will die shortly afterwards. Your ants will not mate in the jar, and will probably fail one by one, sorry

Take a read of this "Alate Chamber", some of the topics will help you in understanding of the mating flights....

queenant.proboards82.com/index.cgi?board=mating

[Ant]

If none of them have removed their wings they may not have mated, if you can look around on the ground for they same ant but, without wings. I for one use the test tube set up to start colonies so they don't need to dig a chamber, to make them I fill a test tube to the brim and wet a Cotton ball and force it down leaving a descent size space for the queen. The reason I do that is so there are no bubbles in the water end so the water supply last longer. Then take dry cotton and loosely plug the other end so she air can pass through. For this species it should have workers in about 1 month, also I would like to say please make sure it is escape proof so now family members will have a stingy surprise. In Florida they will be polygynous witch means will allow more then one queen but, some won't so you could try grouping queens together. It was nice of your aunt to walk over to a fireant nest and capture winged queens for you even though fire ant stings cause an annoying hard blister that can really bother you if is in the wrong spot(like between fingers or toes).

[fireant111]

Thanks for the replies.
I try this every year you know. From 5 years at the same time they come, I try to catch once. I caught 2 queens and after 1 day, 1 of them took of its wings and then the other one. I dunno why attacked this and killed it weird, but I dunno maybe nature and that one I think didn't mate, didn't take of its wings and it soon died. It was as close to having an ant farm I ever was, but you know bad luck so now is my only choice to let them free??? 2 males the ones with smaller and darker abdomens(forgot spelling)died and all the future queens seem to be OK, but whats with the climbing and falling down and freezing like they are dead stuff ? I never seen that before and I never had more than 4 before and my aunt said they were coming in the thousands and that they did the same the night before as well. She also said she found some dead ones here and there but non without wings. I asked her again and again but non without wings is what she said, and I think ants can fly 2 or 3 miles from their nest so how do I know if they will stay at the same place after they mated?

I heard that fire ants can reproduce without mating in a colony when the present queen dies, so can that same principal be used here can these start digging and create a colony? Does it have the slightest chance of happening, please someone tell me I'm desperate here I do not want to wait 1 more year


If anyone is willing to send me an ant farm I would really appreciate it or directions to a place that ships to India

[Wood~Ant]

Hi Fireant111,
It can get rather frustrating trying to get mated queens, although for some ant lovers they just fall at their feet like pennies from heaven.
If you happen to see any mating flights of ants near you, maybe you should watch the ground closely, as then you may just spot some wingless queens wandering around after being mated.

I wish you luck, and don't get downhearted yet, as you will find some eventually

[Ant]

Vheck big puddles of water and take queens out, go back 10 mins. later to look for mated queens, It works! I did this after I missed a tetramorium flight with my grandfather's pool.

[Formicalondon]

Also you live in India which has a huge wealth of ants, you probably have a whole range of species to choose from be patient good things come to those who wait.