ANTSTORE World of Ants

[nerdgeek]

Hello,

I have been interested in Ant farms for a long time and would like to get started.

I'd like to start with Messor Barbarus (Harvester Ants) and have been looking on the Antstore website, would this list be OK to start with?

Messor barbarus (queen + 11-25 worker)
http://antstore.net/shop/product_info.php/info/p1186_messor-barbarus.html/XTCsid/6850b338036eea7559a0e29fdab20773

Alpha Ants Starter Set - A
http://antstore.net/shop/product_info.php/info/p1446_alpha-ants-starter-set---a.html/XTCsid/6850b338036eea7559a0e29fdab20773

Mix fodder IA 10g
http://antstore.net/shop/product_info.php/info/p1539_mix-fodder-ia-10g.html/XTCsid/6850b338036eea7559a0e29fdab20773

ANTSTORE Food Mix Set
http://antstore.net/shop/product_info.php/info/p1912_antstore-food-mix-set.html/XTCsid/6850b338036eea7559a0e29fdab20773

Do I need a heater?
If so please recommend one, the ants will be kept in a conservatory so in the winter it does get cold as we close it off at night, but in day it warms up quickly. So I guess a heater to keep it at the right temp all the time would be needed????

Do I need anything else?

As it's cold at the moment I presume they come from the antstore hybernated, will I have to maintain that cold temp for them to stay in hybernation, how do I do this and for how long?

If I get a heater I would prefer to get an Ant species that doesn't hybernate can you advise please?

If these ants arn't suitable then please advise which ones would be, I live in the UK. I would like to have a Queen and be able to see them go about their work eating, cleaning and digging.

Thanks very much for your help.

[damondeionno]

Hi and welcome

Several things:

1. That farm in the starter set will not be big enough for you to keep Messor barbarus for long. They will definitely need a bigger home, in less than a year.

2. For them to hibernate the temperature needs to be consistently low, so the conservatory won't work. Do you have a cellar or something like that? Perhaps even a loft? Personally I would wait until Spring before ordering them. They only need a couple of months hibernating so if you get them in January, they will be ready to go.

3. You will need a heater. Heat mats are good, you won't need a very big one for a farm that size. It is probably worth investing in a thermostat as that will make care a lot easier.

4. You might as well get a small colony, queen + 1 to 4 workers. It's a bit cheaper and providing your setup is good (temp and water). It's satisfying to see the colony grow from small beginnings.

5. Don't bother with getting seeds from antstore. Bird seed for finches (this seems to be perfect for Messors) can be found in big bags, 1 kg or so, at most big garden centres.

6. There are other species that don't require hibernation, but Messor barbarus is hard to beat as an easy-ish ant to keep. They have a good size. A lot of variation in worker size (and colour). They are vigourous and grow fast and are easy to feed. Oh and they don't cost too much, so if you make a mistake it's not the end of the world.

[nerdgeek]

Thank you for the reply.

I have heard that the Messor barbarus doesn't need to hibernate, which is something I would like to avoid if possible. I was wondering if I could keep the heater mat at 22-30C all year round?

What Farm and Arena would you advise? Can you attach links to a good start kit for these kind of Ants with everything I would need please?

As you can tell I would like an ant that doesn't hibernate, is active day and night and easy to maintain. But as you say Messor barbarus are easy to care for and are not expensive. However I don't want to kill them just becuase I am not doing it right!!!

I will buy the equipment now but wait until spring before getting the Ants.

Thank you again...

[damondeionno]

Well, you can buy that farm if you like. I would always advise keeping them in a ytong farm that you made yourself rather than in a more traditional antfarm. You could build that while the colony was growing, or you could get creative between now and Spring.

They really will need to hibernate. Sorry, there is no getting around this. To be honest it's not so bad. It's only a couple of months. Even if you have to take them to a neighbour or friend's house with a cellar or shed with some power. The other option is to get a special fridge.

There are some more exotic Messors that supposedly don't need to hibernate, but I have never kept them so can't really advise on them.

[nerdgeek]

Thank you very much I'm sure I will have more questions at some point!!!

I will go with those Ants and move them into the garage in the winter months in a box with bubble wrap. I have read this is OK to and tried and tested. So thats OK.

It's just a shame not to be able to see them all year round

If I was to get that Starter Farm and Arena, how long would that last before I had to relocate them?

Lastly, how easy would it be to relocate these kinds of ants, is it easy will they stress and die quickly?

Thank you very much for your help and I am looking forward to my new hobby.

[damondeionno]

The garage sounds perfect.

You won't mind putting them in hibernation - trust me. There is always lots of work to do when you are keeping ants, and a break won't be so bad. You might even be on holiday or something at that point, and then you don't have to get someone else to look after them.

It's not too difficult to relocate most ant species - and Messor barbarus are a relatively easy ant species to move. Basically if they find somewhere that they think would make a better nest than what they are in, they will move themselves - and quite quickly too - that's one of the good things about Messors. Even if they do find a way out, they won't find somewhere in your house to be a better place to live - unlike some other ants.

If the nest they are in dries out, and a new one is damp, they will move. If one is in the light, and the other is dark, they will move. If the temp of one is better for them than the other, they will move. For a while they will stay in the test tube they come in. Then when there are few more of them, or they just decide, they will relocate into the starter farm.

When ants move themselves, there is very little chance of them dying so don't worry about that.

The starter farm and arena will last 6 months or so, maybe a bit longer. It's not easy to say exactly. I think that is plenty of time for you to design and build a ytong. Once you have worked out that ytong is a European name for aerated concrete, you should have no problem. You can buy a block at Travis Perkins or something for a couple of £'s. Then you just need a sheet of glass cut to size and some clear aquarium silicon sealant. If you can borrow a dremel then you can cut any shape you like. Get a block and experiment.

Once you have built it, just connect it up and when the conditions are right (be a bit patient) they will move out of the starter farm into your ytong.

There are lots of examples of good ytong setups on this forum.

One thing I would say is make sure you get some PTFE. You will need it to coat the top of the glass on the basin. When Messor barbarus colonies are young, they are quite timid but once they get big, their behaviour changes and they are much more aggressive - they will attack things in their arena and try to get out when you take the lid off.

[damondeionno]

One other recommendation.

Invest in a good hand lens.