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Anonymous
heya /an/

lately i've been really fascinated by bugs and insects. so i decided to try and make a little ant farm.

so what exactly do i need in my ant farm? i have a 15 litre box. mostly it's dirt and there's some greens in the back. anything i need to add or remove?

the wrapped foil contains honey if the ants need something to eat.

also.. i went and attacked an ant hill to get the ants. i feel like i got like 20-30 ants. is it enough? and i couldn't have gotten the queen so will they crown a new one (if there even is a female among them?)

tl;dr: how to make a functional ant farm?

pic related. my box .
>> Anonymous
I know nothing about ant farms - except that you'll need a queen.
>> Anonymous
>and i couldn't have gotten the queen so will they crown a new one (if there even is a female among them?)

...I hope you're joking.
>> Anonymous
the ants are about 25% male 75% female, they will now proceed having an 'ant-orgy' to make a 'princess' which will soon grow up to be a queen, at which point all the ants will stop breeding, this should also increase your colony size. Remember you need to add sugar for the ants to eat and remove the top of the box so they get fresh air. If you give em enough sugar (about 3 spoons daily) they won't bother wandering out of your box (sometimes one might, but he'll just return quickly since they have enough food). Also, you need to spray your box with water daily.
>> Anonymous
>>282314
i remember reading something from the net but i guess i misunderstood it then. shit.. how the hell can i find a queen then? the ant hill was huge..
>> Anonymous
>>282317
thanks man. these kinda proper answers i was looking for. do i have to give them sugar or is honey enough or should i give both?
>> Anonymous
>>282319
sugar, they can carry it... honey they will just get stuck in. Also, since it's summertime you dont have to get a queen, they will just make one (unless you live in australia, then you should probably go outside and find a queen in a nest)
>> Anonymous
>>282318
It's not entirely impossible but it isn't considered feasible to actually dig-up an ant queen. The more you dig the deeper it (or they, depending on species) will go. Most ant queens are captured during the period in spring when newly mated queens fly off to start new colonies or, rarely, during a colony relocation.

Some colonial hymenopteran drones (I can't remember what species off-hand but I think bumblebees are among them) can become queens when the queen dies but I don't think any ant species are among them.
>> Anonymous
>>282321
guess i'll give 'em sugar too. and it's good to hear the ants are saved.

so.. when i grabbed some random ants and put them in my box they were fucking confused and shit. i guess they were trying to settle in. and when does the "ant-orgy" start? as soon as they find out who are living in the same box or does it take like a week or something?

and i guess the contents are ok cause nobody criticised them? :D
>> Anonymous
>>282319
>>282324

...you're being told to feed your ants pure sugar, leave the box open, and piss them off by spraying them with water. No, they won't have an orgy and create 'princesses'. You're being fucked with.
>> Anonymous
>>282324
you wont see the 'ant orgy'..., ant sex pretty much consist of two ants touching eachother for 5 seconds then going their seperate ways. Also the ants arent really confused they are just scouting their new home. Don't expect too much from them in terms of behavior you can see and understand. Also, remember to keep the lid off the box and spray daily, cant stress this enough.
>> Anonymous
>>282327
for how long do i have to keep the lid off?
>> Anonymous
New ant queens are created during specific times of the year when healthy colonies with ample food stores feed a percentage of the larvae a different diet which triggers hormonal development, and these ant queens and winged males mate with winged males and queens from another colony. Unless you have both a healthy established colony to develop females and a winged male, no, you won't get a queen.
>> Anonymous
>>282311
you're feeding them honey... LAWL?

goodbye ants
>> Anonymous
oh and what about the lighting? do they need a lot off light and what temperature would be the best? i live in finland btw so i guess they manage in quite harsh conditions?
>> Anonymous
>>282333
get a fluorescent lamp and put it near the box. it will help with the heat, and as long as you give em enough sugar you can keep the lid off. If you have to go away a day just put it back on.
>> Anonymous
i thank u anons for help. i guess i'll just have to wait and see what will happen. i'm gonna go sleep now. nighty night! o/
>> Anonymous
>>282311

First of all, ants do not have gender, but it's easier to talk about 'males' and 'females'.
All workers in the nest are females and so is the queen, the only males you'll find are the ones swarming at nuptial flights to mate with other queens.

Just workers will do nothing in your nest, workers need a purpose to live, give them some eggs or pupae so they'll start digging and make a nest.
Even better is finding a queen and start from scratch, do NOT put other queens with the workers, in most cases they will kill her.

Honey is good, but maple syrup is better.

>>282317

There is no percentage to cover the amount of males or females, what are you sources?
A young colony will never produce males or queens, only when the colony is big enough to start the third stage of colonization.

stage 1: single queen produces eggs and raises them
stage 2: workers will forage until the colony is big enough for the queen to do nothing but lay eggs
stage 3: reproduce males and queens for nuptial flights and ensure your species survives
the last stage will repeat itself until the queen and colony dies.

>>282321

Only some species will 'make' queens, if a queen dies in a nest some workers will battle for the position of queen, but as I said, not a lot of species do that.
>> Anonymous
>>282346
Ants don't have 'gender' but they do have biological sexes as determined by chromosomes, so 'male' and 'female' are entirely accurate.
>> Anonymous
>>282350

The terms are indeed correct, they should call it something else though, people mix it up with the terms used for vertebrates, but it's a lot more complex.
>> Anonymous
oh wow.. so my thread was still here.

sorry for bumping this, but i'd like to know what could be happening in my ant farm now cause it's really silent.. i have not seen many of them on the surface today. are they building nests and stuff under the dirt now? or are they just dying?
>> Anonymous
>>282743
read>>282346