basics for ant-fans
Hi fellow ant-fans!
Ant keeping isn´t as easy as it might look at first glance. Some knowledge and experience are required for successful ant keeping, to avoid potential mistakes. For anyone new to ant farming, here are some basics.
basic knowledge
An ant-farm is also called formicarium (based on the scientific name for ants: Formicidae).
The lifecycle of ants is: Eggs - Larvae - Pupae - Ants.
Ants have different castes: Workers, Drones, Queens and sometimes Soldiers.
Workers, Soldiers and (of course) Queens are always female.
Workers can be subdivided as follows: Minor, Medium and Major.
Most ant species need a fertilized queen to start a colony.
Claustral ants: The Queen establishes a new colony in a small chamber only using their own reserves. (e.g., sugar ants)
Semi-Claustral ants: The Queen needs to hunt for sugar and protein while establishing a new colony. (e.g., bull ants)
The nuptial flight: Mating flight of young Queens and Drones (mainly from spring to autumn on hot days). After fertilization, the Drone dies, the Queen may lose her wings and starts searching for a good spot to start a colony. This is the time when young and fertilized ant Queens could be collected.
*Please*: Never take a Queen from an existing colony as this would mean the end of the colony!
water
Water is the most critical thing in ant keeping. Without water or with contaminated water (mould or bacteria), the ant colony can die very quickly. So, always ensure that your ants have always fresh water. How you provide the water is important too. Ants can drown quite easily.
A 100% safe method is our newly invented "wick-system", where the ants simply drink from a wick without any danger of drowning. Alternatively, you can serve water in a small bowl.
sugar
Sugars (carbohydrates) are the main food for adult ants. There are many ways you can feed ants with carbohydrates, including sugar water, honey, maple syrup, fruits, etc. The method of application is important as well, as ants can easily get stuck in honey and drown in liquids (big sugary areas are not natural for ants).
Our newly developed "pipe-system" allows you to feed a larger amount of honey to the ants with a reduced danger of sticking or drowning. Alternatively, you can serve the honey in very small amounts on a little dish.
protein
Protein is mainly required by the larvae and the Queen. The best source is freshly killed insects. You can use bought insects such as crickets, or instead insects captured from the garden or within the house - whatever you or your ants prefer.
Tip: If you are going to use bought crickets, feed them beforehand with fresh vegetables, oats and dry cat or dog food, so they contain everything the ants need.
temperature
Ants love a warm (but not hot) environment. Human houses are usually a good environment for them.: in summer not too hot and in winter not too cold. In general, between 20°C and 30°C is usually OK. Never put your ant farm in direct sunlight or in front of a heating or cooling system. If you choose a spot that becomes quite cold in winter, we recommend a small heating source such as our 5W heat pad. With the integrated thermometer you can always check the temperature. The 2.7+ kg heavy nest body (ant farm "Ocean Grove") maintains the temperature longer.
humidity
Most ants love moist environments. This protects the eggs and larvae from drying out. The nest body of our ant farms ("Ocean Grove") are solid 2.7+ kg plaster blocks that maintain the humidity for a long time. To measure the humidity, a hygrometer is inserted into the lid. In addition, nest chambers are clay coated, which changes into a darker color when moist. This serves as a possible way to check whether the chambers are still moist. Unfortunately, a humidity of 70% and above can lead to mould, which could harm the colony.
One possible way to avoid mould is to maintain the farm humidity at just under 70%. Another way would be to introduce white tropical springtails, which you can find in our shop.
escaping
Different ant species have different tendencies and abilities in terms of escaping. It is very important to always keep your ant farm closed and have more than one method of escape prevention.
All of our ant farms have a well-fitting lid with stainless steel gridded ventilation. A very good second form of escape prevention is to use "slipping oil" around the top border. This kind of oil is part of the tool set available in our shop.
patience
Ant keeping is a hobby that requires patience, some experience and is not recommended for young children on their own (!). It is important that someone minimises issues that may occur with various aspects; i.e. food, water, temperature, humidity and disturbances. It isn't certain that the ants will colonise successfully. It can take quite a while until a young Queen starts breeding and the first worker arrives (species dependent). So, give the young colony and yourself time.
Tip: Check the water every day, and the food, temperature and humidity twice weekly and try not to disturb the ants while observing them.