Hi friends! I'm hoping to build my first colony, and am wondering if you could point me to a beginner's guide for how to do this. Thanks so much!

Hey r/antkeeping community! 👋

I’m super excited to share my latest DIY 3D-printed modular nest, which I just built for my Camponotus fedtschenkoi colony.

I focused heavily on making maintenance easy and observation simple with these key features:

• 🗑️ Detachable garbage area: Instead of struggling to clean up debris inside the main chamber, I designed a removable drawer. I can slide it out, clean the waste without disturbing the ants, and slide it back in. It's a total game-changer!
• 💧 Glass tube watering area: Two glass water tubes integrated into the side, providing them with a constant, long-term water source that's super easy to refill.
• 🌑 Shade board : A removable black cover for the main nesting chamber, giving them a dark, cozy space when they want to hide, and allowing me to observe them easily when I lift it.
• Top ventilation and a sandy substrate for them to explore and adjust the microclimate.
  
• If you have any experience with this species or similar modular designs, I'd really appreciate your insights! I'm looking forward to connecting with other ant keepers here. 🐜

Still, happy to have her.

I am trying to decide which of these 3 esthetic ants nests is the best for my colony. The first one seems good from photos, but in the description, it says that it can house up to 250 lasius workers. Now that wouldn't be a problem, but they currently have about 200 brood, so if that is right, they might outgrow it before it even arrives.

The second is the medium version of the same nest. The problem is that in its description, it says it can house up to 2000 lasius workers, and I am worried that it would be too large. The third is the small ytong nest, which, to me, seems a little more spatious, even though in its description it says the same thing, 250 max. Which should I pick?

I’m located in Virginia in the US. It’s been raining a bit the past few days and I found this crawling across some mulch. It was pretty big for an ant so I stuck it in a tube. Do I got a Queen?

Hey guys I am looking to get into ant keeping with lasius niger for the first time, any tips

I’ve seen a lot of advice for transitioning your ants into daipause, but none for people that don’t have ac, a steady way to decrease temperature… as such I just wanted to know, especially from people in the UK, how you manage your colonies during this time?

Is this a fire ant or carpenter ant?

Small inbreeding crematogaster with intercastes...

Hi, I've just got my first Messor Barbarus queen with a dozen or so workers.

They're all in the test tube which I have wrapped in dark cloth and put out of the way so they are dark, undisturbed and the room is always in the 20's (C).

Am I right that now I do nothing for a week or so, then I can attach them to the nest and outworld? The tube has liquid at the end, stopped with cotton wool, and obviously the plug isn't airtight, I'll keep an eye and make sure the liquid doesn't somehow run out, but are they good while they settle?

Or am I meant to do things sooner?

Thanks all.

So i currently have a couple of myrmica rubras in the founding stage and i was wondering how the polygyny works since i heard myrmica sometimes do it

be in very good condition

Ive disconnected the digging nest and added sugar water + honey to the outworld and a blanched cricket, lets see how they grow!

Hi, my ant queen moved into the test tube just a week ago. I was wondering whether she’s getting enough water. The cotton looks a bit dry, or is it fine?

(Hopefully this is the right thread to post this in)

Hey all - I'm a grad student in Ontario starting my MSc on carpenter ants, and I'm trying to track down an established colony. Either one you're downsizing or outright selling.

Looking for Camponotus pennsylvanicus or C. novaeboracensis, queenright, ideally 50+ workers but I'll take anything from ~30 up. Bigger is fine too. Also interested in buying surplus brood.

Because it's for research I'd want to know roughly where the colony was collected and whether the ID is confirmed - vague provenance is a problem for what I'm measuring.

I'm in Guelph until late August, then Ottawa. Can pick up anywhere in southern Ontario or pay shipping within Canada (preferably Ontario). Sales have to stay within Canada (CFIA rules on importing live insects, but then again I'm still waiting to hear back from them).

If you don't have a colony but know an Ontario keeper who might, I'd really appreciate the pointer. Thanks!

Send me a message :)

Can someone tell be what stage this brood is in

I think the eggs stage is almost over.

Good day! Captured this ant in our backyard. It’s about 15mm long. Could anyone help us identify it and let us know how to best take care of it? Thank you!

I got a new Pheidole Bicarinata founding colony from Buckeye Myrmecology and I want to know once my order delivers should I leave the queen alone? Should I give her some honey and a meal worm? If so do I do it as soon as she gets here? Should I wait till she has some workers? And is there anything else I should know thanks

I’ve had this question for a while now and didn’t know how often I feed an ant colony and how to tell if they need food. also, if you should go from protein one day to sugar the next or both at the same time.

ants chewed threw ants canada plugs. the colony is Camponotus pennsylvanicus is this common? as for now I just have pipes connected to everything and no plugs but i am worried about the breathing holes on my outworld.

Melbourne Australia, looks like Solenopsis or monomorium, slow moving, fat, workers are yellow and pale hardens to pale orange

First timer here.

I know the photos aren’t very good, but as far as I can tell it looks like my pheidole bicarinata queen has workers pupating. one appears to be darkening. I just learned that these pupate with no cocoon.

Do you agree on what stage they are in?