VaderOG wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2017 5:17 pm
Hi everyone!
I'm brand new to ant keeping and very excited to start keeping my own colony!
It is my understanding that nuptial flights for fire ants can be going on now, hoping someone can confirm this. Are they mating this early in the year? Its been super hot here in Florida this past week 78-85F (25.5-28.5C)! And random light rains.
There are lots of ant hills by the basketball court near my place and when I went exploring for queens I found 2, but they were very close to the ant hills. I'm guessing they aren't fertilized but I captured them anyways. One lost her wings the next day however! Is this a good sign? I have them in a test tube with water and cotton balls, tucked into a fold of a blanket in my closet so it will stay warm and dark. Not sure it it a bad idea for it to be in a blanket so if I am doing something stupid I would love any feedback!
Also I'm going to try and post some pictures for identification, I believe they are Solenopsis Invicta.
Some last questions;
When is the best time of day to look for the queens?
How long will it take the queen who lost her wings to start laying eggs?
Are fire ants a bad idea for my first colony?
If I get more queens should I put them together for a multi queen colony and if so what stage should I do this at?
Ok, so I'm not positive on nuptual flight times for different areas and all that but i can answer some of your questions.
1. It is a good sign that your queen shed her wings, but it doesn't always mean she's fertilized, just like how queens that don't shed their wings does not often mean that they are unfertilized.
2. You should probably seperate the queens. They can fight and kill each other.
3. So as far as the blanket goes, while it won't hurt them, it is not necessary and will not do anything. In order for a blanket to work, the ants would have to be generating heat. Of course, ants don't do that. But, if it helps keep them dark, then great! Just as long as someone doesn't throw it in the washer.
4. The best time of day to look for queens is early morning, and evening, but queens can be found at all times of day.
5. Assuming your queen is fertilized, she can lay eggs anywhere from now to a few weeks from now.
6. Fire ants are a very difficult species to keep. They are explosive in numbers, difficult to contain, and they have a powerful sting. They wouldn't be my personal favorite beginner species, but if you feel like your up to the challenge, then go for it. Just make sure that you do not underestimate them. You should probably watch Mikey's video on keeping fire ants.
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=FfzPJnaKLq8
7. If you decide to raise fire ants, I would not add more than one queen to your colony. Fire ants already grow at an incredible rate, and adding more queens could be way too much. But, again, it's personal choice. If you did decide to do so, make sure they are the exact same species.
Well, I hope I helped! Feel free to pm me with any questions anytime!
-IdahoAntGirl
