ANTSTORE World of Ants

[SteveUK28]

Hi Paul and welcome, I agree with the others that you should hibernate them... Also that if you are thinking about another colony i would def suggest Lasius Niger, They will grow much quicker than Ligniperda and will more than likely explore more.. they are also very easy to keep

[paulhdear]

Thanks Steve. I presume that L. niger will also want to hibernate for some time? Are there any species which are suitable for beginners but which don't hibernate (maybe some southern-European or tropical species)? I can provide heating from a heat-pad (plus overhead light), but I would not want to try anything too difficult to begin with. Nevertheless, something that'll display some activity during the winter months would be great!

[SteveUK28]

TBH... any ant that does not hibernate is NOT for a begineer... But saying that, You could probabily keep an exotic species Like Camponotus Substitus without to much trouble, Ud need a relativly large setup tho. and heat pad and light.
And yes you are right L.Niger do need hibernation, all European ants do. Its only Exotic ants that are not for the beginner that do not hibernate.
As for lasius niger they are one of the best ants for a beginner if not THE best ant, They grow very fast and will reach HUGE numbers. You would get a lot of enjoyment out of them. Hope this helps.

[paulhdear]

Thanks again Steve. I might look into C. substitus. I was planning on starting out with a 12 x 8 x 8 tank, then linking that to other tanks via tubes. Anyway, I've ordered myself a little ant book to try to learn a bit more. If you know of any good antkeeping books, I'd be pleased to hear of them. Cheers (and Happy New Year!).

[SteveUK28]

TBH i dont think there is atm any decent books on HOW to keep ants.. Plenty of VERY good books on ants themselves tho.. the best is The Ants by Holldobler and Wilson, however its very expensive, the best choice is a shorter book by them called Jorney to the Ants, i have this myself and it is a very good book. Hope this helps.. Ohh the tank should be fine for an initial setup however you would have to connect that to another tank for a foraging area Check out the gallery here for some good ideas.. Regards and a Happy New Year

[paulhdear]

Cheers Steve, and thanks to you and all for suggestions.

[miszt]

some tropical camponutus species are ok for beginers, but the issue comes with the fact they need certain temp and humidity levels to be healthy and thrive, which can take some experience to provide in a stable way

but as Steve says, Lasius Niger are a good starter

[paulhdear]

I see that C. substitutus is not avalable at present, alas. If there are no other "easy" non-hibernators, I guess I'll wait until spring. Temperature control doesn't seem to be too problematic (heat pad/lamp; I guess I could add a thermostat if more stable temperatures are an issue). Keeping a high humidity seems fairly easy in a glass tank, but perhaps it's not as tricky as it looks. I've ordered the little 'antkeeping' guide from Antstore - maybe that will help with my endless list of questions! Thanks!

[miszt]

yes its easy to keep the humidity high, but not to keep it stable, high humidity, without good ventilation will grow molds and other nasty things, you MUST have a thermostat with a heat mat, they throw out allot of heat, espcially if they are in a confined space

its not just about keeping it hot and wet, its about keeping the tank stable and healthy for the ants to live in

even European ants need good heating during the summer months, some go to extreme lengths to do this (Formica mounds are a good example)

Highly recomend you spend some time looking at ant nest construction in the wild, and the difrent requirments they need, will help allot in the choices you make for your formicariums

[paulhdear]

OK - you've convinced me! I'll wait for my C. ligniperda to wake up in the spring, and meanwhile I'll do some serious reading and research. Thanks again for all the advice!

[miszt]

definitly worth it Paul, its easy to loose interest if your colonies start dying out, and that wuld be very sad! aswell as expensive lol

[tail__]

C. lingiperda is a really lazy ant, they need much more patience than "easier" ants like Lasius niger or Formica fusca. Sometimes they cease any activity for a few months without any reason, and then start breeding quite rapidly. You must be just very, very patient. Of course hibernation may help, I think a month in refrigerator once a year would be enough, but I would try rather two months.

[JimmyVe]

Hello paulhdear and welcome.

Looks like you already had all the help you need so for.
If you are looking for a colony that grows fast i also would recommend Lasius niger, okay they hibernate but they grow very fast. If you are able to get them in spring you probably have more than 30 workers before they hibernate.

[paulhdear]

Thanks for the comments - looks like C. ligniperda may not have been the best choice for a first colony! But I'll be patient.

Martin Sebesta at AntStore also suggested Polyrhachis dives as an easy non-hibernator - does anyone have any comments on this species? Thanks!

[SteveUK28]

i personaly wouldnt rec these.. ask miszt if they are an easy starter ant.. im sure he will.. Not agree