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Ants

yeah, ants. i used to try and start ant colonies all the time. i was never successful 100% but it was fun. welli think im gonna get back into it. there are species of ants called trap jawed ants that are quite interresting. they have the fastest reflex of any animal in the world. they can open their long mandibles more than 180 degrees and can snap them shut with the speed and fury missile. they are hunters of springtails, so they need to be quick. whats also interresting is when it comes to defending their nest, they are aggressive and can snap their jaws on the ground and get propelled through the air to land on the offender. they then proceed to bite and sting!! oh joy!!! i cant wait!!!!!

http://141.35.2.84/bewsys/projects/pr_c2.htm

http://www.tightloop.com/ants/odocla.htm
 
Ants are interesting but not in my house. I enjoy watching fire ants and army ants on TV (Discovery Channel/Animal Planet). How they attack their prey is sweet.

travis
 
where can you get ants like those for an ant farm because that sounds awesome and id love to have a hundred of those critters.How exspensive are they?
Kevin
 
Ants are cool until you realize you've been standing too close to a fire ant nest...
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Kill them all I say! (fire ants that is)
 
Here we have black ants that bite the #### out of you . Last time I was working near my green house the things bit me all up . So I get them really mad so they all come out and I used bug spray and killed them all  
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MA HA HA HA teach them to bite me .

The only ants I like are the red ones the red ones dont bite over here. I can pick a red ant up and feed one to my sundews like I just did .
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_-West-_
 
Hi,

To sarranialuver: Really any ants you find in your neighborhood should make acceptable pets for an ant farm. The trick and the trouble is trying to get a queen. Without one, the collony will perish within a few months at best. It's a little difficult, but if you dig under a colony, you can sometimes find a queen if you get lucky. She'll be a lot bigger than any of the worker ants, and easily seen once reached. You can also collect some larvae. I'm not sure if this happens with ants, but the workers may be able to influence the development of one or some of the larvae and turn out a queen. (Does anyone here know if that happens with ants?)

You should go for a smaller species if you're just starting. They'll be easier to keep. And when digging into a colony, be aware that many species will defend it ardently, and the bites are painful. Wear protective clothing (socks over pants!) and be prepared to run if necessary. Try another species if that happens.

Take care!

Chris
 
if you want to collect ants, it would be wise to do some research. find out what species are native to your area and then decide what species you want to keep. find out that species eating habits and where it likes to nest. you'll have to try to duplicate a nest site. arboreal species live in trees and terrestrial ants are found on the ground. just because its found on the ground doesnt mean its going to make a labrynth of tunnels in the ground. do some research. the best way to get a colony started is to catch a fertile queen or a very VERY young colony. finding fertile queens is easy. you know around mid to late summer you see all the ants with wings flying around?? those are queens and males performing their breeding ritual called nuptial flights. after the queen mates, she will usually lose her wings. this is when you catch her. you can put her in a test tube with a wet paper towel in it. she should lay eggs in a few weeks. there are some great sites on rearing ant colonies. do some research. its really interresting to watch a social structure that powerful in action.
 
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