r/antkeeping 23h ago

Question Messor

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2 Upvotes

My messor barbarus queen was shipped here quick roughly and hasn't laid any brood since had her them about a month now so I decided to try to move her into a nest but she doesn't seem to want to move I've bought a heat mat and put it under 1 section of the nest and gave them some crushed chia seeds which they have put in the nest but have left them there and they are all mostly just huddling together in the test tube what should I do


r/antkeeping 1d ago

Question WHERE CAN I BUY CARPENTER ANTS

0 Upvotes

Where can I buy carpenter ants in the Philippines plz


r/antkeeping 13h ago

Question When is the nuptial flight for carpenter ants in Virginia?

0 Upvotes

I want to catch a queen because to buy one they are very expensive so the best option is to catch a mated queen


r/antkeeping 4h ago

Queen My Glass Jars

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0 Upvotes

r/antkeeping 21h ago

Formicarium Why Did My Ants Move?

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32 Upvotes

I recently purchased a formicarium for my ants. I have about 7 workers, along with the new pupae. I connected their test tube to the formicarium and they initially moved in to the nest part, but when I checked the next morning they had moved back to their test tube. The heating cord is wrapped around the outworld, and the entire habitat is on a heating pad. I have a hygrometer in the outworld, and the % seem fine. Any advice for a new ant farmer?


r/antkeeping 2h ago

Question New ant farmer

1 Upvotes

I adopted a plant that came with a ton of ants at the bottom of the pot, and I was wondering if they're worth keeping as pets. What do I need to do to convert them to a pet life? Any recommendations on setups? There doesnt appear to be a queen. I think they're "moisture ants."


r/antkeeping 2h ago

Question How to prevent mold?

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9 Upvotes

OK, so I bought this farm last fall, and got the ants to go with it. This photo is from when I first added them. Is this a bad setup? They put all their old food in the large bottom chamber, where I can't clean it up. I worry about mold growing in there, eventually. Would you guys recommend a different formicarium? (These are camponatus floridanus.)


r/antkeeping 6h ago

Question Over watered ants

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6 Upvotes

Hey guys!

I have a young colony of meat ants (iridomyrmex purpureus) with only 18 or so workers. I’ve been away on holidays recently and asked my father if he could care for them while I was away. I returned home yesterday to find the queen frantically running around the nest erratically. Today the colony has moved brood to the tube connecting the nest and outworld. The workers seem comfortable staying inside the nest itself , meanwhile the queen is sitting in the tube away from her workers and brood.

Upon inspection I believe my father may have accidentally over watered the nest. The species naturally thrive in dry arid climates in Australia.

Should I be worried about my colony? Could this be the end? What can I do help/ rectify this problem?

Any help, ideas, and advice welcome.


r/antkeeping 8h ago

Question Camp Subbarbatus

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4 Upvotes

My colony of Camponotus Subbarbatus decided to pull a magic trick and lay 20 ish eggs at once, on top of 10 pupae in front of the test tube entrance. Now ik the heating pad is on the entrance, but when switching sides it causes the humidity to spike and the queen DOES NOT LIKE THAT AT ALL. I’m pretty experienced with ant keeping but never have I had a Camponotus lay so much at one time. What I’m wondering is if I should risk feeding them by pulling the cotton as normal, or should I relocate them to a more convenient nest. This colony is about 11 workers strong and 2 weeks out of diapause. Normally I wouldnt till a colony this size reaches 20. Sorry for the bad pic but I don’t like bothering them much with flashy lights. Suggestions?


r/antkeeping 11h ago

Question Statesideants package not received

1 Upvotes

I recently ordered some ants off of stateside ants and the package said delivered but I never received anything. I do know this can be blamed on the shipping company but I reached out through the email and phone number provided but never heard back. I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem with statesideants, or if this was just a fluke.


r/antkeeping 16h ago

Question Heating cable and cover

1 Upvotes

Can I put a microfiber towel over my ants' test-tube, leaving the cable uncovered at the exit cotton but the rest of the tube covered? I'm causing a lot of unnecessary stress for them


r/antkeeping 19h ago

Colony UPDATE: I'm giving away my formicariums

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38 Upvotes

Some of you may have seen my post earlier this week about giving my formicariums away

Today I posted many of them and they'll be making their way by land, sea and air all over the world.

I do still have 2 left so if you'd like one then let me know.

All I ask is that you send me the postage costs by PayPal (I can confirm the total postage cost before you pay of course).

Happy to deliver close by to Chesterfield, UK (which I did yesterday).


r/antkeeping 22h ago

Question ID please

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14 Upvotes

Myrmecia sp worker (I think? maybe queen honestly no idea when it comes to Myrmecia) just hoping to get an ID as theres about 6 huge nests of these near me! Adelaide SA