/r/antkeeping

Photograph via snooOG

A subreddit for ant keepers!

A subreddit / forum for ant keepers to show off their colonies, formicariums, queens or anything else related to keeping ants as pets!

Ants & Ant-Keeping Discord!

Subreddit Wiki!

FAQ

  • 1) Why keep ants?

  • Simply put, they're wonderfully fascinating pets. For a lot of people in the hobby, this video was a gateway to understanding how incredible a pet ant colony can be. I've included a few more videos to get you started below!

  • 2) How do I get started?

  • Well, first you need a queen! I've written a guide for finding your first queen, but if you want to dive right in, here's a video showing just how easy it is:

  • Helpful links!

    • Guides:

  • Wikis and databases:

  • Other communities:

  • AntsAustralia Community

  • Ant keeping stores:

  • DARK MODE

    NORMAL THEME


    /r/antkeeping

    33,349 Subscribers

    1

    what to use

    im afraid of cotton balls, what other thing can i use.

    3 Comments
    2024/12/02
    14:35 UTC

    2

    Invasive ant colony turned friend?

    Hi! So I have a bioactive enclosure for crickets and mealworms. Was going great, but it was soon invaded by ants. I obviously now cant feed the crickets and mealworms to my other inverts (luckily I have multiple breeding bins) but ive grown a bit fond of the ants and sort of want to make a (somewhat) self containing ecosystem. I obviously cant really remove most of their protein sources, but I was wondering if I could limit sugar in order to control the colony size? I dont want them to eradicate the crickets and mealworms.

    2 Comments
    2024/12/02
    13:38 UTC

    0

    multiple colony question

    I basically have a question about more than one colony sharing the same foraging space? The would have their own nesting spaces sealed away from each other, but when they get to the outworld it would be a shared foraging situation.

    Could this work? Or will it just cause issues and I'm setting myself up to fail 🤣

    3 Comments
    2024/12/02
    02:44 UTC

    12

    Feeding time

    Brachymyrmex obscurior & Campo variegatus

    6 Comments
    2024/12/02
    02:38 UTC

    20

    Myrmecia forceps

    Myrmecia forceps mimic Myrmecia nigriceps.

    Aussie bullant.

    2 Comments
    2024/12/02
    02:17 UTC

    38

    Birth of Honey Pots

    3 Comments
    2024/12/01
    22:26 UTC

    2

    Looking for expandable ant nests

    Has anybody seen anything else like this? https://antkeepers.com/collections/formicarium-ant-farms/products/nest-formicarium-ant-farm

    Or has anybody here bought this modular nest themselves? I'm interested in getting a nest that I can slowly expand over time.

    2 Comments
    2024/12/01
    21:26 UTC

    1

    Harvester Ants Advice

    Hey guys, I’ve got into antkeeping after watching a lot of videos on them and decided to get some. I’m European so one of the first ants that were suggested to me from antshq were European Harvesters. Do you have any advice for me on how to care for these guys well?

    I’ve heard they eat seeds, do they eat anything else or only seeds. And what type of terrarium/space should I move them to after a test tube?

    Any advice would be great

    Thanks:: :)

    1 Comment
    2024/12/01
    21:08 UTC

    1

    What type of test tube should I use to keep ant queens in?

    Is there a specific brand or material I should get in in?

    3 Comments
    2024/12/01
    20:44 UTC

    1

    Pls help with colony, queens are dying for no visible reason.

    I have Tetramorium Bicarinatum colony, i had 3 queens before but now 2 of them have died, one this week and other one today. I am left with only one queen, and i am scared that she dies too. Workers are dying less (from around 40 only 2 have died within 2 last months and it seems normal). I have suspicions that i put talc wrongly but i don't see any white spots in the outworld.

    Pls help, i was keeping them on my desk, they didn't seem stressed or anything, right now i placed them on a different table that no one uses in case it was vibrations. I keept them at around 23 C at night and around 25 when i turned on heating mat. Humidity is around 64% (I know its high but i couldn't lower it). Also i currently turned off heating just in case.

    Before dying this queen was stopping in random places for no reason for some time before going back and doing its usual things. I will probably contact the seller soon too because i am very nervous about last queen dying. They have constant water (2 almost full testubes) and air flow too, i don't see mold in their outworld.

    I can't provide photos of dead queens or the outworld right now but i will put them in the comments after i take some.

    15 Comments
    2024/12/01
    19:46 UTC

    1

    pls help identify found in chattanooga tennessee

    can someone pls help identify

    3 Comments
    2024/12/01
    15:11 UTC

    4

    Odontomachus Bauri

    2 Comments
    2024/12/01
    14:08 UTC

    1

    The queen died, now what?

    Hi! I started ant keeping this summer, but after about 3-4 months, the queen of my most advanced lasius niger colony started acting weird. It had about 30 workers, and she started escaping the nest, digging through cotton, and after 3 days, she eventually died. She wasn't hungry, she didn't want the maple sirup or the chia seeds I gave her.

    So, now, what do I do with the remaining workers? I have some other lasius niger colonies, could I introduce the workers to one? Will they pledge allegiance to the new queen, or will they be a threat?

    Thank you for your time

    9 Comments
    2024/12/01
    13:19 UTC

    16

    First C. nicobarensis major

    6 Comments
    2024/12/01
    11:52 UTC

    30

    ID please

    got this colony as a gift from friends - and he couldn't ID it as well

    23 Comments
    2024/12/01
    09:21 UTC

    0

    Tips for diacamma rugosum

    I need help about them like their diets and other stuff

    2 Comments
    2024/12/01
    07:24 UTC

    2

    Please help

    I just got my hands in 2 golden polyrhachis queens. What do I do now? After putting them In a test tube setup they still are not laying eggs. Also, may I know if they are claustral or semi claustral?

    1 Comment
    2024/12/01
    03:11 UTC

    3

    Are they queen ants?

    Hello, good evening
    I found these ants in my bathroom and i would like to know if they are queens ants and what species.

    Thak you so much

    (here in my country it is spring)

    https://preview.redd.it/g7mjxvqtz44e1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9b051a82a14086dd1b9bf91a6ee22eb21b92ea3

    https://preview.redd.it/yk15cqqtz44e1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e95bdb41e27f02290d73d0d89ed063df324810e3

    5 Comments
    2024/12/01
    00:50 UTC

    3

    How do i remove mites

    I see like brownish oval shaped things moving around the soil but i cant really move them since their also in the nesting space plus the formicarium i have for them is too small, im afraid they might die from it how do i remove it?

    14 Comments
    2024/11/30
    23:41 UTC

    11

    They are doing great!

    Queen was taking a mini stroll to the other end of the tube, which just so happened to give me a perfect shot of the brood!

    4 pupa, 4 larva, and 9 eggs! :)

    2 Comments
    2024/11/30
    22:06 UTC

    3

    HELP

    Guys, im feeding my ants with mealworm but non of them were out to eat what is the problem ?

    4 Comments
    2024/11/30
    21:15 UTC

    84

    Dang these things are cool

    11 Comments
    2024/11/30
    16:47 UTC

    12

    Recently posted about my Camponatus Sanctus small colony having some deaths and I really am confused, I’m very experienced in invertebrate keeping but ants are new to me

    So about 3 months ago I got a starter colony of camponatus sanctus from ant farm supplies, for the first two months they seemed to be doing really well, queen was laying eggs and there were around 7 workers, since then 5 of the workers have died, the temperature is around 26° in the day and night it gets colder they always have water and sugar water and they get a dead insect once a week, there are no visible mites or any kind of detritus or anything that looks like it could be a problem The ants aren’t visibly dying or twitching or making weird movements and I just can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong, I’m worried for the queen, what happens if all the workers die? They’re only in a very small ant farm, should I move them back into a test tube for now? If anyone can help me understand what I might be doing wrong I would greatly appreciate it.

    18 Comments
    2024/11/30
    16:10 UTC

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