Do you sell live ant colonies and/or queen ants?
Yes!!! Click here to check out our new Global Ant Nursery - Native Ant Adoption Program (www.GlobalAntNursery.com).
"Those aren't ants in some of your videos!"
Yes, they are! All of them. Ants are such a diverse group of insects and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes!
How long have you guys been dealing with ants?
We proudly have over 20 years of ant keeping experience under our belts! Over the years we have been able to develop and perfect our products, techniques, and knowledge base on pet ant husbandry. All our products have been tried and tested for quality and effectiveness.
Why did you choose to concentrate on ants as opposed to other pets such as spiders, fish....?
The first reason is simple: we love ants. I, AntsCanada, have been fascinated with ants over any other organism on the planet. From their social structures to nesting structures to body structures to caste structures, they are to me, and to everyone on the AntsCanada team some of the most amazing creatures on the planet.
Aside from our ant love, we chose to focus on creating a place that would further promote and advance the notion of serious ant keeping. Arachnids, fish, amphibians and other reptiles have all been accepted as serious pets, and each have a plethora of specialized commercial products to choose from geared towards their proper care. Ants, however, seem to lack such proper products in the pet trade. It seems one is more likely to find an ant farm at a children's science store or even a toy store than at a pet store, and even then these products are more often cheaply made and are not conducive to the long-term, healthy care of ant colonies. One of The AntsCanada Ants Store's primary objectives is to introduce to the world the notion of ants as serious pets, and as such how ant colonies require and deserve proper setups to live in. We seek to show others how amazing homes for ants can lead to some outstanding observation opportunities and fascinating ant experiences when the ants are treated, not as temporary novelty items, but as beloved pets.
Do you have a store location, and if so, where?
We are an online ant store with offices in Toronto, Canada and contacts in Vancouver, New York, and Los Angeles. Our warehouse and Ant Nursery is located in North York, Ontario. We presently do not have a physical store location and sell all of our ant products online.
Who is Mikey Bustos, what is Bustos Entertainment, and what do they have to do with the AntsCanada store?
The owner, creator, and founder of The AntsCanada Ants Store is Mikey Bustos [visit our ABOUT US section]. Bustos Entertainment Inc [www.BustosEntertainment.com], co-owned and co-founded by its CEO Don Berard, is the management company for The AntsCanada Ants Store. Mr. Bustos' lifelong passions for ants drove him after months of planning to finally launch an online store providing quality ant products and his original nest creations for ant owners, an inner goal he'd harboured for a very long time. His dreams of expanding the ant keeping enthusiasm are shared by everyone on the AntsCanada team.
I live outside of North America (UK, Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, etc). Do you ship outside of Canada and how much would shipping be?
Yes, we ship worldwide! If you live outside of Canada or the US and are interested in any of our products, simply email us, and we would be happy to provide you a quote for shipping (for both Regular and Express shipment). Provide us a list of which products you would like to order and your city/country of residence. Upon your confirmation of the purchase our customer care department can then send you a Paypal invoice by email for you to complete the order.
What shipping company do you use?
We ship through Canada Post.
Will I be able to track my package as it gets to me?
Always! Upon shipment you will receive via Paypal a confirmation message as well as your tracking number so you will be able to track your package on www.CanadaPost.ca as it gets to you. Believe me, we know what it's like to be anxiously counting down the days. We ensure you have a way to watch your order get closer and closer!
What methods of payment do you accept?
The method of payment we use for our shopping cart is PayPal which accepts Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. You do not have to have a PayPal account to pay by this method.
Why do you call them formicaria? Isn't it supposed to be formicarium or formicariums?
Formicaria is the plural for formicarium, which we would define as 'a container or living space acting as a nest in which you house ants, e.g. ant farms, artificial nests, etc'.
What advice do you give ant novices using your products for the first time? Why should I use AntsCanada products for my ants and not others out there that claim to be perfect formicaria for all ants?
One of the biggest pieces of advice I have for anyone hoping to get into serious ant keeping is this: Ant keeping requires a lot of improvisation, reading signals, adapting, adjusting, and familiarizing. There are simply so many kinds of ants, and even within the same species, there is variance in preferences for things like food, temperature, humidity, formicarium conditions, etc. Ant requirements differ so much from individual to individual, that it would be impossible for anyone to create a single product that claims to be the one and only perfect solution to keeping ants. Likewise, it would be impossible to write an all encompassing book on how to care for ants. Ants are so diverse in speciation, colony personalities, and even individual tastes.
So, instead of creating rigid products, like all the antfarms out there that claim to be perfect solutions to ant keeping, our formicaria are designed to accomodate all the basic needs of your pet ants, while still allowing for enough flexibility for you to tailor the setup/formicarium so that it perfectly suits your ants' tastes. All of our products have a highly unique versatility that allows you to adapt and alter them according to what you notice your ants like. You can, for instance, choose how long of a flexible tube to use in case your ants don't like to travel far from your nest to reach an outworld. Our formicaria include packets of sand in case your ants seem very compelled to dig or require some extra moisture in their living space.
Like any pet, developing that understanding between you and your ants, and being able to learn to read exactly what your ants like and don't like is all part of the skill of efficient ant keeping, and it's something that comes with more experience. In light of this, our products are not so much geared towards efficiently keeping ants contained (like most ant products out there), but instead are geared towards greater flexibility to allow that critical understanding between you and your ants to grow, so that at the end of the day both of you are happy!
Our products are more than just antfarms. They are hands down designed for accommodating your ant pets.
What size connecting tubes do you use for your formicaria/outworlds?
All our formicaria and outworlds come with the appropriate size of tubing. All our formicaria and outworlds use the larger tubing 1/2 inch diameter (flexible tubing), except for the Pumice Stone Ant Nests which use the smaller 1/4" diameter tubing, but these small tubes fit into the larger ones in case you wanted to connect them.
I'm looking for a formicarium to start a new colony in and will be capturing a gravid queen. My question is, would you recommend getting the Pumice Stone Ant Nest or the Small Habitat nest?
To start a gravid single queen off, both the Pumice Stone Ant Nest and the Habitat Nests work excellently. It all depends on whether or not you would like to give your ants the opportunity to dig; Habitat Nests give the illusion to your ants that they are digging while the Pumice Nests don't offer that to ants unless you add some sand, which we do recommend to customers sometimes, especially to further increase the moisture levels. Some ant keepers like to watch their ants moving earth around, so they go with the more natural Habitat Nests. Both formicaria ensure great visibility regardless of which option you choose.
Do you recommend the small or large Habitat Nest if you are just starting from a single queen? I realize it depends on the size of colony you want, but if you had to say, which would you start with considering all factors?
It largely depends on personal preference. Both our large and small Habitat Nests work for a single gravid queen.
The larger Habitat Nests indeed cover more living space, and if a nest is larger than the colony needs, the ants will likely be filling up the some of the rooms with garbage until the colony grows into the nest. So, if you're willing to deal with their extra garbage in the rooms, a large Habitat Nest would be great and is probably the most cost efficient option if you intend on keeping a very large colony in the future. The colony may even move the sand around and block certain areas in the nest off just to make the living space more suited to their size, and they'll tailor it further as they grow (an advantage over Ytong, Gypsum, or plaster nests). Even if the garbage in the rooms do start to mold, the beauty of it is the nest itself is mold resistant (unlike plaster nests, which mold and can be dangerous for the ants), so you can rest assured that the ants will be safe. Eventually, when the colony grows large they will simply carry such molding garbage outside the nest to dump into the outworld for you to clean up.
Some people have found success in using a liquid organic fungicide to control mold outbreaks. Garbage and mold overall can be avoided by not overfeeding the ants to the point that they're storing huge amounts of food in the nest and not eating it.
Another option is to purchase two small Habitat Nests and connect them together when the colony looks like it's ready to expand into another nest (usually when they reach over 100 workers, but that's just an estimate). That way they don't have as much free space to store garbage.
If you're beginning with a single queen, the best part about the Habitat Nests is that the queens are able to find a place and begin constructing a founding chamber in her preferred corner, giving her the ability to be as closed off as she wants, regardless of how big the nest is that you give her. Some queens may have trouble finding a place to dig and establish this chamber, but chances are she will settle into the Habitat Nest, so long as you keep it moist. You are definitely also free to add more sand into the Habitat Nest, if you feel like she may need that extra material to build her chamber, but that usually isn't necessary. Some queens like Camponotus species will find a spot and begin laying eggs even without making a chamber. So, it really doesn't matter if you get the small or the large Habitat Nest when starting off with a queen and it comes down to personal choice.
How do you transfer the queen to the Habitat Nest after she is captured?
You simply lay the Habitat Nest glass face down and there are holes at the back into which you can simply place her, and plug it up again. This info is included in the manual. All our formicaria and outworlds come with helpful manual and instructions. It's recommended that you cover the front glass so she can feel at home in the dark, but some have found success at raising queens in full light. That decision should be made right when you put her in.
What if your colony gets too big and needs more room? What do you suggest? How will you know when it get's too big?
The small Habitat Nests hold approximately 100 ants, more even depending on the species, but once they start to look like a "Where's Waldo Puzzle" it's usually time to add an extension, and you can easily connect their current nest to another Habitat Nest (or formicarium of your choice). Ants that like to have satellite nests will love this setup. Or you can simply buy the colony a large Habitat Nest which holds approx 500-1000 workers possibly more depending on the species. When the colony is simply too big you will be able to tell when you see more ant bodies than the surface of the sand.
With our other formicaria, the same principles appy, only our Pumice Stone Nests hold about 50 ants or more and our Large Grout Nests, approximately 500-1000, again depending largely on the species.
Can you clean out the Habitat Nests? What would I do if my colony dies and I need to dispose/clean it out?
The Habitat Nests require a little more work to clean because of the sand that is in there. You flush water through one exit of the Habitat Nest and allow all the junk to squirt out the other exit. The holes are big enough to allow for this kind of washing. Afterwards, you can choose to add more sand again by simply allowing the Habitat Nest to dry and then by adding loose sand (little by little) and shaking it around to disperse the sand. The Habitat Nests are definitely reusable, so if a colony dies and you would like to reuse the Habitat Nest, and the nest itself isn't that dirty, just simply move the new colony in, and the new ants will clean it themselves, again by dumping all the junk/dead ant bodies outside into your outworld. It's actually an amazing sight to watch them clean up!
Say I want to release the whole colony and try and different species ant. How would I get all the live ants out of the Habitat Nests?
Open the nest exits, and don't water the nests, and leave them in a sheltered area outside close to or on the ground. They will usually move out on their own. You can also facilitate the move by leaving the nest uncovered so the light shines into the nest and they feel exposed. It should be noted however that for many ecological reasons the release of a colony that you have reared in captivity for some time is strongly advised against by biologists.
My ants aren't moving into my newly ordered formicarium? I followed everything suggested in the manual and don't know what to do.
Be patient. Sometimes it takes stubborn ants weeks to move. Try adding some sand into the formicarium, which comes with the kit! Many ants go crazy over moist sand.
Where can I learn more about your signature Habitat Nests? Why are they your signature formicaria?
You can simply watch this video and it explains why we feel it is beyond all doubt, the best formicarium on the market for ants: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N9HMVWYsps.
What do I do if the vinyl flaps start to lose their grip/stickiness on the glass and I've used all my extra vinyl flaps?
If you simply wipe the glass clean with a moist cloth and take your finger and rub off the thin cloudy layer that tends to develop after long term use of the vinyl flaps, they will regain their stickiness. If you need to order more vinyl flaps, email us! We'd be glad to send some to you for a small shipping charge. Our first version of Habitat Nest incorporates vinyl flaps, however our new 2.0 version of Habitat Nest does not incorporate vinyl flaps. See store for more details!
Can you wash your grout and pumice stone ant nests?
Yes, our pumice and grout nests can be washed when your ants are no longer living in them. Do so carefully by flushing water through one nest exit and allowing the dirt and junk to squirt out the other exit. The pumice stone ant nests can even be carefully disassembled, cleaned, and glued back together using silicon caulking. The Grout ant nests cannot be disassembled. Be careful with soaps and chemicals while cleaning. Vinegar mixed with water makes a good alternative to soaps and detergents.
Are your grout and pumice stone ant nests reusable?
Yes!
How did you make your Pumice Stone Ant Nest?
It's a company secret and has been improved from the version you might have seen on Youtube! ;)
How did you make your Grout Ant Nest?
Secret! :)
How did you make your Habitat Nest?
It's a twenty five step process requiring many materials requiring three days to make, a procedure which took a considerable amount of time to perfect. It, of course, is also our store's secret.
What is your return policy?
Please refer to our terms and conditions located at the foot of the page.
Do pet stores carry AntsCanada products?
At the moment, no. We only sell online, but will definitely post store locations once they get on shelves.
I own a store and would like to sell AntsCanada Products.
Email us.
Can any other pets be used within your habitat nests and other formicaria?
Yes, our formicaria are designed to mimic sub terrestrial habitats, so feel free to use our formicaria for your terrestrial spiders, beetles, larvae, worms, sow bugs, millipedes, centipedes, and all other insect pets you may adopt from under a rock outside.
It is against the law to ship ant colonies outside of and into the country, but what if I live in Ontario, Canada? Would you be able to sell me any of your ant colonies/queens if I live in the same city/province?
We always encourage the care and capture of ants from your area, but we do have an Ant Adoption program for residents of Toronto and other areas of Ontario only. The AntsCanada Ants Store's Ant Nursery is located in Toronto, Ontario, and provides gravid queens or entire ant colonies for adoption to customers requiring to stock their formicaria with special urgency. Those who are unable to invest the time required to go out seeking an ant colony or finding/raising a colony from a single queen, e.g. schools, students, museums, etc, are among the many customers we open our ant adoption program to. All of our ants in our adoption program are Ontario natives, and have helped us in some way in our product research and development programs. Our only prerequisites are that you buy the ants along with the particular formicarium/setup that we currently house them in, and that they are picked up in person. We do not and will not ship live ants anywhere. Contact us through email for a list of available species and adoption fees.
For the Ant Adoption Program why must I purchase the formicarium that the ant colony or queen is living in? Can I purchase a brand new formicarium? Don't you have any ants in test tubes available for adoption?
The implementation of our "Ants + Formicarium" policy is for two reasons.
First, most of our colonies that have progressed beyond the stage of first workers have long been placed into one of our formicaria, and we do not have the time to have to move the colony out into a brand new test tube/formicarium if they are sold, especially if they've come to call their present formicarium home. We usually transfer our queens into a formicarium when they have their first set of pupae or when there are workers and they are transferred over their hibernation. Also, for those interested in purchasing single queens, we have no guarantee that a queen in a test tube is fertilized until her first pupae hatch, so we usually resolve to offer for adoption queens that are already proven to be fertilized, who again are often already in one of our formicaria by then.
Second, we also want to ensure that the ants we offer for adoption and have come to love are placed in proper homes, and not the low quality setups that are so readily available out there. So in sum, we ask that those seeking to adopt ants pay for both the ants and the formicarium that they're housed in. We do indeed have some colonies and single queens still in test tubes, as it would be difficult for us to house in separate formicaria the hundreds of ants that we collect year after year, so if the ants you're interested in happen to be in a test tube, the test tube will be free of charge so long as you purchase a brand new formicarium for them.
If you want to adopt ants that may not be in the particular formicarium you would prefer (e.g. you prefer a different type or brand new AntsCanada formicarium to house them in), we will charge the formicarium that the ants are in at 15% off, with the purchase of a brand new formicarium from our store.
Do you do educational presentations for schools on ants?
One of the traveling services we offer are in-school presentations. Please contact us for details.
AntsCanada formicaria are so expensive!
It's a simple well known principle applying to anyone buying anything in life - One pays for quality and makes a long-term investment and benefits long-term. One can choose to pay $30 for a gelfarm which can keep an ant colony going for a couple months until it eventually molds, or $75 to order a Habitat Nest which can never mold and can last you from colony to fruitful colony. Anyone who has seen first hand the payoff our formicaria has had with their pet ants over others in the market know this intrinsically.
The AntsCanada products also are not mass produced and as such carry the love, care, and dedication of an individual creating each of the formicaria. Ultimately, we create proper homes for pet ants, and not for mere subjects of a science project. Our unwavering dedication to ants as pets is stated in our store's CODE [See ABOUT US].
How can I capture my own queen ant?
The #2 Most Frequently Asked Question: Ants typically have two periods of a few weeks within the year when mating occurs. These periods of breeding are called 'Nuptial Flights'. All the ants you commonly see walking around above ground (the so called 'ordinary worker ants') are all barren females and do not mate during these Nuptial Flights or ever in their lives. The only ants involved in this mating are young queen ants and male ants; they are known as alates, and are born in the nest and wait around all year until it's time for nuptial flight mating. The alates are special in that they are born with wings (Yes, wings! Starting to make sense now? Ever seen those ants that look like ants with wings? They were ants after all and not some kind of stiff hornet!).
Every species of ant has its nuptial flights around specific times in the year, most of which fall within Spring and early Fall, though the nuptial flights of many species carry out into the summer. During the nuptial flight the young winged queens and males fly into the air, they mate while flying (the queen will often mate with several males), and then finally drop to the ground a few hours later. The males die after mating; breeding with the young queens during nuptial flight is their only purpose in the ant world. Mated females break off their wings and begin searching for a new location to begin their own colonies. Some species of ants will accept these now pregnant queens back to the nest, but generally most don't, and the queens are off on their own in search of a suitable place to begin a nest, where each queen will eventually give birth to their first set of babies.
Your job is to try to find these queens that are either flying and mating during a nuptial flight or are in the midst of searching for a new nest location after their nuptial flight. These are the only opportunities for you to capture these newly gravid queens, because for the rest of their life afterwards they are underground.
Some tips to remember... Do your research online and familiarize yourself with what a queen ant looks like in comparison to ordinary worker ants. If you think all ants look the same, I'm sorry to say you're wrong, and need to study further. Google "Ant species in ___________" and include your city, province/state, or country, and find out what species of ants are common where you live (they will often be listed by scientific name so don't be frightened if you see strange names like Solenopsis invicta or Tetramorium caespitum or Lasius neoniger or Formica fusca). Then using Google Images find out what the queen ants of those species look like by typing something like "Formica fusca queen" (if you're looking for Formica fusca queen ants, that is) and browsing through the photos that pop up. Try to find out through Google when exactly in the year these species prefer to have their nuptial flights and at what time during the day by typing something like "Formica fusca nuptial flights". As a tip, when it's warm and humid outside in the afternoon or early evening the day after a rain storm, many ant nuptial flights tend to occur.
As for gravid queens that are wandering in search of a nest site after they've mated, you will be able to spot them by way of their larger size (so if you happen to see an ant scuttling about a few feet away that seems a little larger than usual, check her out!) and more importantly their two scars on their thorax where their wings used to be attached. Snoop around our website and study all the different photos of ant queens, and visit our MUSEUM section to see photos and videos of various queen ants.
Carry a number of small bottles or containers with you, everyday no matter what (see our store for our awesome snap cap vials which are perfect for containing queens here)! Where ever you go have them in a pocket or bag. Keep your eyes to the ground as much as possible to spot the queens. Stick to sidewalks as they are open and perfect for highlighting moving insects. When you're indoors anywhere, check window sills. You may find them at the huge windows trying to get out of stores or shops after having accidentally flown in. Try to be aware of all the insects around you. If something flies by, follow it with your eyes to see if it's a queen (or even better a queen with a male or males mating with her) and try to see her better when she lands. If you're good at picking up details, queen ants fly through the air more like lady beetles than they do flies, bees, or butterflies which are more agile and zig-zaggy fliers. After being more aware and informed on what to look for, you will find yourself running into queen ants more often than you ever thought possible. When you find them bottle them all up. Good luck!
Be sure to look out for AntsCanada's Queen and Colony Collecting Techniques Instructional Workbook available at our store now for tips and information on collecting your own ant queens and colonies.
When is the nuptial flight of ants in _____ [city/state/province/country]?
There are simply so many ants and so many nuptial flight schedules. Your best bet is to find out online. There is an excellent ant forum online called Antfarm and Myrmecology Forum full of ant enthusiasts and owners from all over the world. There are posts on specific species, their nuptial flights, distribution, etc.
I caught a queen and she hasn't broken off her wings. Does that mean she hasn't had a chance to mate and isn't fertilized?
No, that's a common misconception. If queen ants don't break their wings off it does not mean they haven't mated with a male(s). On the same token, if a queen has broken off her wings it also doesn't guarantee that your queen has mated. We have had queens with wings give birth to workers (but the wings were removed eventually), and had queens that did break off their wings never lay eggs, so wing breakage isn't a good indicator of previous mating. So, be sure to keep all the queen ants that you catch even if they have their wings on, as they will likely be broken off later or once the queen's first workers arrive. You will find out if your queen has mated during the nuptial flight once the first pupa hatches into an adult ant. If a male alate (with wings) comes out of the pupa you know she hasn't mated and unfortunately won't be of any use to you if you're looking to start an ant colony [See Why does an unmated queen ant give birth to a male alate? in the MISCELLANEOUS section]
So what are some signs that my queen has mated and is fertilized?
The only sign that is a definite tell-tale sign is if her abdomen (also known as her gaster) looks big and bloated, and this usually happens several days or weeks after mating. The eggs tend to turn her gaster into a balloon. If she doesn't balloon, don't lose hope, as she still may be fertilized. The gamble of catching queens that are fertilized means that it's best to capture as many queens as you can and hope that at least one of them is fertilized (and in our experience, most of them usually are). On the day that you capture a queen, another sign that your queen may have mated is if she frequently begins to clean the tip of her gaster. If she's giving that area some extra attention, you know a male may have been there previously.
How do I catch the queen in a wild ant colony?
The #3 Most Frequently Asked Question: There are so many tricks and useful tips that AntsCanada has acquired over the years of owning and collecting ants, that we have decided to put together the AntsCanada's Queen and Colony Collecting Techniques Instructional Workbook available at our store for tips and information on collecting your own ant queens and colonies. There are several ways you can spot the queen but the most obvious way is to simply use your eyes and keep digging. Scoop up as much of the colony as you can and hopefully you will have caught the queen somewhere in the pile of earth and ants. All the mature ant colonies we have collected always had one or more queens somewhere in the collection so long as we tried to capture as much as the colony as possible.
As a rule here at AntsCanada, knowing what to look for is the key, so don't simply dig up a random ant nest of an ant species you don't know much about. If you spot an ant nest in the wild, do not disturb them at first, but instead study what the ants look like and try to find out online what species they are if you don't know. Again, Google "Ant species in __________" and include your city, province/state, or country, and find out what species of ants are common where you live (they will often be listed by scientific name so don't be frightened if you see strange names like Solenopsis invicta or Tetramorium caespitum or Lasius neoniger or Formica fusca) and use Google images to find out what all those listed species look like. When you find the ant species you think match the ones in the nest you found in the wild, use Google Images to find out what the queen ants of those species look like by typing something like "Formica fusca queen" and browsing through the photos that pop up. You may notice that the queens often don't just look like larger versions of the workers. They are sometimes a different colour and often a different shape. Also, try to find out if they dig deep nests or shallow nests, so you know how far to dig or where to concentrate the majority of your digging. Google is the best and an awesome resource for anything and everything! Hone your research skills and prepare yourself with knowledge before collecting an ant colony in the wild!
When you know exactly what the queen you're dealing with looks like, return to the nest and start digging. Be sure to use your eyes, and wear your glasses/contacts if you need them. It will be like a moving "Where's Waldo" challenge and you need to be as aware as possible. As you skim among the ants scoop them all up and collect as many of them as you can. We cannot stress this enough. It increases your chances of catching a queen. If you weren't able to find the queen during your collection, don't worry, because chances are, if you collected the majority of the nest, you've scooped her up unknowingly and she's already in your collection somewhere. Stock your colony into your nest and look around. Your nest will offer a better opportunity for you to view the ants you've collected and see if you indeed caught the queen. If you didn't, you can either go back to the nest and collect more ants (collecting the entire ant colony can take several days) and hopefully find her, or simply release the colony back into the wild where you originally collected them. Don't lose hope and always keep your eyes open for new ant nests to explore.
For more helpful and effective tips on wild ant colony collection, be sure to pick up AntsCanada's Queen & Colony Gathering Techniques Instructional Workbook at our store in the Literature section! We also carry an AntsCanada's Ant Colony Collector Kit at our store. It's about time everyone is able to enjoy a complete and functioning ant colony within their care.
What are the best ants to keep from my area?
No idea. Join The Ant Farm and Myrmecology Forum and ask around.
What am I supposed to keep my ants in?
If you're talking about a new queen ant that you've caught, we recommend that she be placed in our Habitat Nest or Pumice Stone Ant Nest Starter Kit (see STORE). They are the perfect environments for queens to begin their colony and for the starting colony to begin their lives as a growing family. If you have nothing else at the moment, house your queen in a test tube setup.
If you're talking about an already large, mature colony that you may have collected from outside, we recommend you place them in a formicarium of some sort. Most are familiar with the standard, upright dirt ant farms or plaster nests. Those pose some issues, e.g. uncontrollable mold growth, etc. [see home page for more]. We recommend you place your mature colony in any of our formicaria tailored for colonies of all sizes. Whatever you choose to house your ants in as their nest site, it is important to at some point attach to their nest what is called an outworld.
What is an outworld and why do I need one for my ants?
In the wild, ants leave their nests to forage and hunt for food. They have a system using pheromones (biological chemicals used for communication between ants) which allows the ants to locate where food may be found once a single ant discovers it. Watch this video for an example on how their pheromones for tracking food work by clicking here.
Naturally ants will be compelled to leave their nest and bring home food for the rest of the family, which leaves you with the fun task of creating an outworld for them, where they can wander and forage around for food. It's a much better and more natural method to feeding your ants than having to open your ant nest and risk escapees and other such hassles. See the outworld as their sort of 'grocery store'.
The outworld should be open and should generally offer much more space than the nest. Especially true with larger colonies, the bigger the outworld, the better so you can see more natural behaviours, e.g. ants forming impressive trails to and from food. You can place the food like live or freshly killed bugs, fruit, honey mixed with water soaked into a cotton ball, and meats directly into the outworld for the ants to eat. Be sure to remove any uneaten food. Also, they will create areas for piling the dead in the outworld so be sure to clean them up as soon as you can.
An outworld can be any sort of container or aquarium. The substrate you use should be a thin layer (e.g. 1 cm) and kept dry to avoid ants from setting up nests and moving out of the main nest and into your outworld. Many people like to leave the top of the aquarium open with no cover and you can simply smother a thick band of vaseline/petroleum jelly or water mixed with talcum powder. This will cause a barrier that will prevent ants from crossing and escaping from your outworld. The advantage of an open top for an outworld (besides the obvious easy access into the outworld, great visibility, and adequate ventilation) is if you ever do somehow get escapees you can simply place them quickly into the outworld without problems, and they'll make their way back home on their own. You can attach your outworld to your ant nest, using tubing by drilling a hole directly into the glass (using a special cone-shaped drill bit for drilling holes in glass) or you can set up a tube coming in from the top of the aquarium as seen in this video [see our CLEAR STIFF TUBES in our STORE]. If you do this, remember to add some twigs in the tube for traction if they need it.
How do I prevent the ants from escaping? With an outworld with no top cover how will I prevent escapes?
There are several ways. In the ant keeping world we use common deterrents to keep ants inside their living space. We at The Antscanada Ants Store use vaseline (petroleum gel) and smear a two inch wide band around the inner top of the outworld. Most ants come in contact with it and don't bother walking through it. Those who have ants that still travel over a two inch thick band of vaseline smeared around the top of the outworld, can also use baby powder (talcum powder) mixed with rubbing alcohol, and use this mixed substance to smear around the top of the outworld. If you choose this method, be careful not to put too much because the ants can get coated in it and die. Another deterrent commonly used in Europe is paraffin oil. If all of these fail, the most effective deterrent is Fluon or a substance called PTFE, however if you choose to use this substance remember that the fumes before drying is highly toxic so apply it to your outworld in a well ventilated area and before your ants are given access to the outworld.
With an open outworld what will you do when the young queens/males of your colony decide to have their nuptial flight? Won't you have tonnes of flying ants in your home?
You will be surprised to know that in our experience, ants kept indoors don't seem to undergo the mass nuptial flights in the same manner that the ants outside do. The suspected reason for this is because in the wild, specific environmental cues (e.g. temperature fluctuations, humidity, photoperiod, etc) trigger ants to decide to undergo their nuptial flights for mating. An ant colony kept indoors however, where the environmental conditions are always kept relatively constant, don't receive those same environmental cues, so they usually don't end up flying on schedule. Instead, these young, winged queens/males, exit and re-enter the nest at whim and wander around the outworld a little. Eventually, many of the males die, and the females after wandering break off their wings and surprisingly, start to act like worker ants, helping out with worker ant duties. These queens eventually die, as well. In our experience, there were only a few males that attempted and successfully flew out of the outworld, but not many. However, if you are concerned about alates taking to flight and notice that your alates are indeed flying or showing signs of flight, you may want to move your entire setup, i.e. formicarium and outworld, outside in a well sheltered area (where they cannot get rained on and drown) so the alates can fly. Under no circumstances should you do this if you are keeping non-native ants! If you are keeping non-native ants you will have to cover your outworld and simply allow the alates to die out naturally.
Will my ant colony grow only as large as their nest? If I get my colony a great big ant nest, will it cause the colony to grow bigger and/or faster?
As a rule of thumb, you should start with a small ant nest if your ant colony is small. Don't give them a nest bigger than your colony needs. What you will find if the nest is too big is the ants will store their garbage in the hallways and chambers which will cause a mass mold outbreak, endangering your colony. The idea is to have the ants gradually grow into their nests, getting them to move into bigger nests as the colony grows. Make no mistake - if the conditions are right and there is enough food they will continue to multiply (depending on the species of course).
Why do people keep queen ants in test tubes? I just caught a wandering queen ant. Now what?
Ant keepers usually house queen ants in test tubes because the test tube setup simulates a sort of underground chamber for a recently mated queen [see FAQ - COLLECTING ANTS section "How can I capture my own queen?"]. It causes her to (hopefully) begin laying eggs to start her own colony. The test tube setup involves the lower half of the test tube being plugged with a cotton ball to trap water on one end of the test tube. This trapped water provides the queen with water during the several week period when she begins to lay her eggs and the weeks proceeding as her colony starts to grow. Ant keepers urge people to store these test tubes away in the dark and to not look at her or pick up the test tube, for you may disturb her, and some say disturbing them too much may cause the queens to not lay eggs or to even eat their eggs!
In our experience, this period of storing the test tubed queen away for several weeks can be so hard, especially when your ant-loving heart can't stop you from checking up on the queen, and thereby causing disturbance. Believe me, we know the feeling! So we at AntsCanada designed the Pumice Stone Ant Nest to alleviate the separation anxiety involved in queen test tube rearing. You can place freshly caught, mated queens directly into the Pumice Stone Ant Nest. She will immediately feel like she is in an underground cavern and will likely proceed to her first batch of eggs within a few days (Exception: unless, and this sometimes happens, she decides to hold off on egg-laying until next Spring).
If the queen immediately begins to clean herself and stops pacing around when you first place her into the Pumice Stone Ant Nest it means she feels like she's found a safe, suitable place to station herself and start her colony. During this time you can set the nest in one quiet place in your home, where there isn't much movement going around causing big vibrations. To keep the queen in the dark during her incubation period while she is raising her first set of young, you can place a card or piece of paper in front of the glass. We have found that queens placed in the dark as much as possible during these stages do very well.
By housing your queens during the founding stages of the colony in a Pumice Stone Ant Nest, you can continually check up on her without moving the nest and disturbing her, which is different from when you raise beginning queens in test tubes. In fact, you will be required to visit her on a daily basis or every other day to fill up the nest's water reserves and give her water (we know you don't mind these visits).
The amazing visibility of the Pumcie Stone Ant Nests has truly allowed us to take some breath-taking photographs of queens and their young during this beginning stage of colony founding, e.g. queens laying eggs, queens with their nantics and brood, etc [see our MUSEUM section and other photos at various places on our site]. We feel that this stage in the queen ants' life is one that is too exciting, too important, and too educating to miss out on, as your queen lays her first set of eggs; as she cleans and nurses them when they hatch into larvae; as she feeds the larvae through regurgitation using high energy stores from her back muscles that used to power her wings or even feeds them her own eggs; the larvae grow and eventually turn into pupae; and finally after several days the pupae hatch into her first set of worker ants (called nantics). This first round of ants will care for the queen, her young, and help start off your growing ant colony. We feel the founding stages of an ant colony are some of the most memorable and exciting, and we would hate for you to miss that period in your ants' lives.
The other problem with test tubes is that the cotton gets moldy easily and/or the water portion of the test tube dries up, and when that happens it's often difficult to get stubborn ants to move out into a new setup. When the colony grows so large that they are ready to move out of their birth test tube, people often complain that they find it hard to get the ants to move into a new nest which may even be so much better and bigger for them. So, to eliminate all these problems, we resolved to create an alternative to test tube rearing. The Pumice Stone Ant Nest and Habitat Nest are available to all those like us who don't want to deal with the hassles, and just want to be there every step of the way for our queens. Start your queen off in a Pumice Stone Ant Nest or Habitat Nest right off the bat. Visit our Ants Store here.
Watch this helpful tutorial on creating a test tube setup for a queen ant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=958o2VcABeI.
I caught a queen and she hasn't broken off her wings. Does that mean she hasn't had a chance to mate and isn't fertilized?
[see COLLECTING ANTS section]
So what are some signs that my queen has mated and is fertilized?
[see COLLECTING ANTS section]
During this period where the new queen raises her first set of young, do I need to feed her?
Many say it's not necessary to, as she has energy stored in her back muscles which powered her wings during the nuptial flight. However, you can choose to feed her a drop of honey every few weeks to fatten her up. Use a toothpick to create a small enough drop of honey she won't be able to drown in. Some even choose to feed their queens crushed insects, however there is a chance the queen will get stressed when the food is introduced to her which can be counterproductive. A stressed queen may hold off from egg-laying or eat her existing brood. If you do provide your queen solid food, be sure to remove the leftovers asap, as it can cause a mold outbreak and even poison the queen/colony from the fumes emitted during decay. The only exception to all of this just mentioned is when you have a queen of a species that is semi-claustral [see next question].
What is a semi-claustral queen? What does semi-claustral mean and how do I care for a queen belonging to a semi-claustral species?
The queens of semi-claustral (the opposite of fully claustral) ant species continue to forage above ground during the colony founding stage, meaning the queen lays her eggs underground like normal, but while raising her brood, she makes frequent trips outside of her underground chamber to hunt and forage for food. This means that queens of semi-claustral species must be housed in a setup that allows for the queen to leave her founding chamber to forage. If your queen is raised in a test tube, you can simply attach her test tube to an outworld and feed her through the outworld, or simply place the entire test tube into the outworld. The best setup would be to provide your queen with an AntsCanada formicarium, suitable for housing newly gravid queens of most species during the founding stage, while also attaching an outworld for her to visit. You will need to feed her throughout the entire colony founding process. Examples of species with queens that are semi-claustral include those belonging to Pogonomyrmex, Myrmecia, and Myrmica [Be sure to visit Ant Data Base & Basic Caresheets to see if your queen is semi- or fully claustral].
How long does this period of colony founding take? How long before my queen begins laying eggs? How long do the eggs take to finally become workers?
Every species is different, and again it depends on certain factors like heat. The queen's egg laying can happen anywhere between the next day to months after she is caught, though for most it happens within a week or so. Sometimes queens caught towards the end of Fall will hold off from egg-laying if they want to hibernate, and lay her first eggs the next Spring, instead. Either way, be patient. We know waiting is hard, but when you finally see a batch of shiny eggs being cradled in your queen's mandibles one morning, you will want to pop the champagne!
Do you suggest putting 2 mated queens of the same species in the same habitat for a more likely chance one will lay eggs?
You will have to research the species. There are some species that are called polygynous meaning they tolerate many queens in the nest, and get along throughout the founding colony stage and afterwards. There are, however, many species that undergo pleometrosis, where two or more queens will raise their young together peacefully up until the first workers come, and at that point the queens kill each other until one survives and/or the workers kill all but one queen. This however can lead to sustained injuries with the surviving queen, often leading to death, and in the past we've had queens kill each other leaving the young workers orphaned. In nature, pleometrosis increases the chance of the colony's survival, but seeing as you will be the colony's protector and caregiver, they won't have to deal with the same obstacles queen ants deal with in the wild, making pleometrosis unecessary. If two queen ants are placed in a very large setup, e.g. a large habitat nest or two large habitat nests connected to each other a condition known as oligogyny may occur where suddenly rival queens will disperse to different areas of the nest and found a colony together that way. Either way, if you do decide to mix queens, do so with caution and know the consequences.
What is the secret to get my ant colony bigger faster?
The two factors [under your control, anyway] that affect the queen's rate of egg production are heat and food availability. Ants like all insects are cold-blooded [aka poikilothermic] and the rate of all their physiological functions depend on the heat of their surroundings. With a heating pad under one side of the nest (only warm up one side so that the ants can thermoregulate and move to whichever side they please when they please) warming up a portion of the nest to around 25-27 degrees C, your ants will in essence 'rev up' so to speak, including the queen and her egg production. Another simpler way to heat your ants is by simply placing your colony's nest in a warm room of your home. This is also a practical method of keeping your ants warm when you own several ant colonies. Never place your ants in direct sunlight. You will fry them!
Food, food, food! Give your colony the steady supply of nourishment it needs to grow. Feed your ants as much as they will eat, especially proteins like insects. We have found success in feeding soft cooked seafood like small pieces of crab and shrimp. Be careful not to feed them too much that they begin storing copious amounts of food in their nest that remains uneaten or buried. These forgotten stores/leftovers will grow mold and pose dangers to the colony.
What can I do to get my new queen ant to begin laying her first set of eggs sooner or get her first set of young to develop into adulthood faster?
As suggested above, keep her warm! Heat will speed up her first set of workers' development. Also, you can plump up your queen every few weeks or so, using the end of a toothpick to create a tiny drop of honey for her to drink from. Make the drop not much bigger than the period at the end of this sentence, or you risk drowning her or her young. Some say feeding the queen during this time is not necessary, in light of her energy stores in her back muscles. Whatever the case, we have raised successful ant colonies from both queens who were fed during the founding stages of her colony and from queens who weren't during that time. We found it makes no difference and their colony development success rate depends on other factors.
I assume that after a long period of time the queen will stop laying eggs and will die. At that point there would probably be males and females with wings, but because there is no actual nuptial flight due to them being captive, I assume the colony would die? How would you keep the colony surviving over a long period of time (I'm thinking you would introduce a new queen?)
Yes, at that point the colony would die. You can try to introduce a new queen, but chances are they will kill her. Some queens however can live for 15 years, so that's a very long time.
What foods should I feed my ants?
Ant colonies require a protein food source, a sugary food source, and water available to them at all times. Watch our tutorial on ant feeding and nutrition here.
What foods should I NOT feed my ants?
Try to stay away from feeding wild insects that are collected from or around areas that may be sprayed with pesticides. Golf courses are an example of such pesticide-ridden places. When in doubt feed crickets and mealworms bought at a pet store. Be sure to cut up the mealworms with scissors before feeding so the ants get into the goodies.
How do I give my ants water and how much?
There are several ways to provide your ants with water. You should remember that providing ants with a water bowl can lead to ants drowning. There are other safer options. You can fill up a test tube with water and plug the end up with a cotton ball, and place the whole test tube in your colony's outworld. The ants will drink the water directly from the cotton. Also, most ant species like their nests moderately to very moist. If you're housing your ants in our Pumice Stone Ant Nest, you can simply fill up the water reservoir as needed using the handy pipette provided in the kit, usually once every day or every other day. The nest's moisture level should match the moisture preferences of the particular species you're housing, and that information can be found online. Feel free to ask at Antfarm and Myrmecology Forum if your ants like drier or more wet nests.
What are your opinions on the popular Gel Ant Farms?
We initially loved the idea of keeping ants in a medium that also fed them, and in 2009 we excavated a very large Myrmica rubra colony to house in a gel farm, and study its effectiveness as a long-term home for ants. Unfortunately, the colony dropped in population by nearly 30% in the first week and the surviving members went into a sort of hibernation state. The young were also disappearing. It took them almost two weeks to begin digging tunnels in the gel and by then the entire gel nest began to mold which endangered the colony. Perhaps the ant nest was built to accommodate the more stout harvester ants (the live ants that you can order via mail), but in the end, we had to release the colony back into the wild. The ant community remains uncertain on the gel farms. Many experts say that the gel farms are not suitable for long-term serious ant-keeping but are OK for temporary ant housing and observation, while some go so far as to say it's dangerous for ants and should not be used. But if you are currently housing your ants in a gel farm, don't panic and don't feel bad. We here at AntsCanada love the Gel Farms because of the widespread awareness that the popular gelfarms are bringing to people about ants. It has wonderfully introduced to many around the world how truly interesting and miraculous the creatures are, thus causing them to venture out into the world of serious ant keeping. The choices on how you house your ants are up to you, and as always, continue to do your research when making decisions for the pet animals you love.
What happens to ants in the winter?
They hibernate [See ANT BIOLOGY section].
How does one hibernate ants? How long do you keep your ants in hibernation and when do you wake them up?
In Toronto, Canada, it starts to drop below freezing around November or December and ends around March. So I keep my hibernating ants on a similar schedule of around 3-4 months of hibernation period. In this time, we place all our ants in their entire setup whatever it may be (i.e. test tube or formicarium and outworld) in a cool basement storage room where there is no heating. A garage or attic would do the trick as well. IMPORTANT: Throughout the hibernation period, your ants won't require any food, however they dostill require water. Therefore, unless your ants are in a test tube setup, you must ensure the formicarium continues to stay moist like usual, which means you may have to check up on the formicarium on a regular basis to ensure the colony is properly hydrated. The good news is that a cold nest doesn't lose moisture as quickly as a warm or room temperature formicarium, so you won't have to water the nest as frequently as you're used to during the warmer months.
Some place their ants in a fridge under low setting (i.e. the warmest the fridge can be). Under these conditions, the ants can stay cold enough to undergo a proper hibernation, but warm enough to not die. In the wild, ants underground are able to stay a few degrees warmer than the ambient temperature above ground. Do not place your ants and formicaria outside during the winter, as they may freeze to death.
Watch this helpful tutorial on hibernating your queens and starting colonies in test tubes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDgleH51Kd4 and this helpful tutorial on the hibernation process and hibernating entire colonies in complete setups http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JanCfsA31o.
Do I have to hibernate my ants? What happens if I keep my ants in warmth throughout winter?
Yes, it is recommended that you do hibernate your ants if they are from a temperate region (i.e. place with a winter season). Even if you try to keep your ants warm during the winter, your ants will probably still hibernate anyway. Those who keep their ant nests warm through the winter months may notice their ants' activity and feeding level drop drastically. Summer-like environmental stimulants aren't enough to keep ants from hibernating as they seem to run on a biological clock. Many experts say that ants from temperate regions should be hibernated for at least a month or so, and failing to do so shortens the lives of the queens who miss that solid break from the physically demanding task of egg-laying for a few months. Others argue that hibernation is not necessary. For those like us here at AntsCanada, who care for very many ant colonies and some with thousands of members, the winter months offer a relaxing break from the demands of ant duties. There are very few pet animals one can keep that allows for that refreshing break and yearly return. It's what keeps ant keeping so fresh and exciting for years and years!
Watch this helpful tutorial on hibernation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyssI2f7Fsk
What is the youngest age you believe a child is ready to care for an ant farm?
The answer to that varies. I was caring for ants as a youngster, but it really depends on the child's sense of responsibility. There is nothing wrong with purchasing a formicarium for a young one (actually, we encourage it, as it starts biology and ecology education early) so long as you foresee that all the needs of the ants are met and that you closely supervise the child as they are in contact with the ants. It can be easy for an unsupervised three year old to break open an ant nest and get seriously injured and also seriously stung or bitten! Most parents feel age 10 with supervision would be an acceptable age for ant keeping, and they would also truly comprehend and appreciate them.
Where on the ant's body is ______ found? What are the names of all the body parts of an ant?
Watch this video (and make sure annotations are ON!).
How long do ants live?
The life expectancy varies with the species. Queens usually live the longest. Some species like Myrmica rubra are thought to live only two or three years while other species like some from the genus Formica, can live for 15 years. The record for ant longevity is held by a queen of Lasius niger who, in a German laboratory nest, lived for 29 years. Research your species online. Feel free to ask at Antfarm and Myrmecology Forum.
What are some of ants' natural enemies in the wild?
Besides ant-eaters? LOL! Predators include amphibians, reptiles, spiders, various beetles, specialized moth larvae that eat ant young, and surprisingly other ants! Many predators prey on alates (winged reproductive ants, i.e. young queens and males) like birds, dragonflies, wasps, and others. Humans can also be considered enemies when they attempt to fumigate and kill ants, or when habitats are destroyed caused by urban development.
Why does one refer to the 'butt' portion of an ant as the gaster and not the abdomen?
The 'butt' portion of an ant is called a gaster because ants along with wasps and bees are distinguished from other insects and even those belonging to the other suborder (Symphyta) within their order (Hymenoptera) by the narrow "waist" (petiole) formed between the first two segments of the actual abdomen (the first abdominal segment is fused to the thorax, and is called the propodeum), it is general practice, when discussing the body of an ant, wasp, or bee in a technical sense, to refer to the mesosoma and metasoma (or "gaster") rather than the "thorax" and "abdomen," respectively.
Why does an unmated queen ant give birth to a male alate?
It has to do with the nature of ant genes. The sex of an ant is determined by the number of chromosomes. Male ants are haploid, meaning they possess 1 set of chromosomes while female ants (which include queens and worker ants) are diploid, meaning they possess 2 sets of chromosomes. When a successful mating occurs the queen is able to produce viable worker ants (and queen alates later on) through the combining of 1 set of her chromosomes within her egg and the 1 set of chromosomes from the male's sperm, creating a diploid (i.e. 2 sets of chromosomes) ant - a female. Hence, if a queen hasn't mated, the only ants she can give birth to are males. If your new queen ant gives rise to males as her first set of ants, i.e. her nantics, you know she hadn't mated during the nuptial flight.
What happens to ants in the winter?
Most ants from temperate regions hibernate underground throughout the course of winter. Others living in wood remain inside their nests above ground but are able to survive the cold temperatures by way of production of glycerol in their hemolymph which acts as an anti-freeze. Check this video for more information on hibernation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JanCfsA31o
What is that black dot I see on the tip of an ant cocoon?
It's called the meconium or fecal pellet (i.e. larva poop). Right before pupation a larva will excrete the meconium which appears as the black dot seen at the tip of an ant cocoon. Larval digestion is so efficient that they only poop once in their lives, which is immediately before becoming a pupa.
What are your opinions on the popular Gel Ant Farms?
See Ant Care.
What is the best way to kill ants that are pests in my house?
Though we actually know the answer to that, we're definitely not telling you! This site is for ant lovers. We love them.
What species of ants are in the animated movie "ANTZ"?
We would have to really watch the movie again but if we were to guess, we'd say Tetramorium caespitum.
Hey, are you Mikey Bustos from Canadian Idol?!
Yes, I am! It's a question I get asked on a daily basis and am glad to answer. Thank you for supporting Canadian artists and much love to all fellow musicians and artists of any kind out there, and to my awesome fans that may have found me here and our hidden passion for ants!
Have you ever written a song about Ants?
Yes, several actually. My next album will include a song about ants, and we have an Ant Songs playlist on our Youtube Channel. Click here to check it out. All our ant songs are available for FREE DOWNLOAD after a month of being uploaded to our channel.
What is the meaning of life?
The meaning of life is life - to live and enjoy the wonders out there, find what it is you want, and then focus upon it until you get it. It's all about the journey, not the destination!
Note: The following are basic caresheets that have been compiled based on experience with caring for various ant species reared at our Ant Nursery in Toronto, Canada, as well as by knowledgeable ant enthusiasts, ant keeping pros, and customers. It should be noted that all care details such as ideal temperature and moisture may vary depending on location. If you have had long-term success with a particular ant species from your area (especially if housed in our products) and are interested in contributing to this caresheet database, we would like to hear about it to possibly add to this database! Feel free to email us your success ant stories and findings at AntsCanada [at] yahoo [dot] com. Special thanks to Mr. Chris Murrow, Mr. Alex Ukrainets, Mr. David Luong, Chris, and Chuck for contributions to this ant database. Habitat information from AntWeb and Wikipedia.
Aphaenogaster fulva
Common name(s): Harvester Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Fully claustral, Monogynous
Nuptial Flight: September (North America)
Habitat: This species is found nesting in mesic forest, oak woodland, in rotten logs and stumps.
Ideal nest moisture level: 50-80% moist.
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water, granivorous
Nest Temperature: 20-24 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-24 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: -
Note: In the wild, Aphaenogaster fulva go for mostly living and dead food items that are managable such as termites and assorted insects. They are easy to keep and like their nests moist! Many species of plants depend on this species of ant for the dispersal of seeds.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: colony
Camponotus americanus
Common name(s): Carpenter Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Fully claustral. Monogynous.
Nuptial Flight: April (North America)
Habitat: Occurs in dry and dry-mesic prairie and oak savanna. Less often it occurs in more closed woodlands. It nests deep in soil, usually independent of an external covering, but occasionally builds a large chamber beneath a stone, bark slab or wood in the early stages of decomposition.
Ideal nest moisture level: 20-40% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 22-25 degrees C (room temperature)
Outworld Temperature: 20-27 degrees C (they like cool temperatures and won't come out often at 28+ C )
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: -
Notes: Beautiful ants with black yellow black coloration. No heating is needed around room temperature is ideal. These ants will accept some spiders, crickets, and meal worms.
Photos: queen worker major male
Video: colony
Camponotus chromaiodes
Common name(s): Red Carpenter Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Fully claustral. Monogynous.
Nuptial Flight: April, May, June (North America)
Habitat: Occurs in remnant dry-mesic to mesic oak woodland and forest, where it nests in soil and concentrates its nest around or in the dead centers of stumps or wood in various stages of decomposition. It also nests in hollows in dead wood in tree trunks near the base of living trees, including eastern redcedar. Compared to C. pennsylvanicus, this ant occupies the drier portion of the moisture spectrum of Missouri woodlands, though the two species occur together at many mesic localities, especially if they are somewhat open.
Ideal nest moisture level: 10%-30% moist (can be kept in a completely dry nest)
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 22-28 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: -
Notes: These ants will benefit from a heated nest. Heating is not needed but without it,
the colony develops at a slower rate. These ants will accept some spiders, crickets, super worms and meal worms.
Photos: queen worker major male
Video: colony
Camponotus noveboracensis
Common name(s): Red Carpenter Ants, New York Carpenter Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Fully claustral. Monogynous.
Nuptial Flight: May, August (North America)
Habitat: Nests in and around dead wood
Ideal nest moisture level: 10-30% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 23-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Nest series, Pumice Stone Ant Nest, Microhabitat Outworld, Habitat Outworld
Notes: These ants will benefit from a heated nest. Heating is not necessary but without it, one can expect the colony development to be slow. These ants will readily accept crickets and mealworms.
Photos: queen worker major male
Video: colony
Camponotus pennsylvanicus
Common name(s): Carpenter Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Fully claustral. Monogynous.
Nuptial Flight: April, May, June, July (North America)
Habitat: Very likely the most abundant and least ecologically conservative Camponotus throughout its range, C. pennsylvanicus species lives in virtually all types of habitats with at least some standing dead wood, ranging from fields with wooden fence posts to suburban yards to savannas and woodlands to pristine upland and floodplain forests. Nests are usually in dead wood of living trees, less often in standing snags, in stumps, or in the ground beneath fallen dead wood
Ideal nest moisture level: 10-30% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 23-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Nest series, Pumice Stone Ant Nest, Microhabitat Outworld, Habitat Outworld
Notes: These ants will benefit from a heated nest. Heating is not necessary but without it, one can expect the colony development to be slow. These ants will readily accept crickets and mealworms.
Photos: queen worker major male
Video: colony
Camponotus vicinus
Common name(s): Carpenter Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Fully claustral. Possibly polygynous.
Nuptial Flight: May, July (North America)
Habitat: Nests in and around dead wood
Ideal nest moisture level: 10-30% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 23-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Nest series, Pumice Stone Ant Nest, Microhabitat Outworld, Habitat Outworld
Notes: These ants will benefit from a heated nest. Heating is not necessary but without it, one can expect the colony development to be slow. These ants will readily accept crickets and mealworms.
Photos: queen worker major male
Video: -
Crematogaster cerasi
Common name(s): Acrobat Ants
Difficulty Level: Medium
Queen: Fully claustral
Nuptial Flight: August, September (North America)
Habitat: Occurs in dry to mesic woodland, including second growth and highly disturbed portions, and in all wetness levels of savanna, prairie and old field. It nests in wood in the early to mid stages of decomposition, in the bases of clumping grasses, in soil beneath rocks or even beneath wood or even large hunks of charcoal in burned woodlands.
Ideal nest moisture level: 10-40% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 20-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Nest series, Pumice Stone Ant Nest, Microhabitat Outworld, Habitat Outworld
Notes: These ants can be easy to culture but require a very escape-proof setup. These ants can burrow through wood and are voracious eaters requiring a great deal of food. They impressively arch their gasters over their heads to spray formic acid in defense or attacking. The colouring of this species can range between reddish (with black gaster) to completely black.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: colony
Formica fusca
Common name(s): Black Field Ants, Black Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: In captivity, pleometrotic and possibly polygynous via oligogyny, however safest and best kept singly. Fully claustral.
Nuptial Flight: July (North America)
Habitat: Nests in a variety of different soil types and wooded environments, usually in areas with good drainage and receiving a considerable amount of sun.
Ideal nest moisture level: 20-40% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 20-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Nest series, Pumice Stone Ant Nest, Microhabitat Outworld, Habitat Outworld
Notes: These ants may not readily accept crickets/mealworms, and may require other insect options, including wild-caught prey.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: colony
Formica subsericea
Common name(s): Black Field Ants, Black Ants
Difficulty Level: Medium
Queen: In captivity, pleometrotic and possibly polygynous via oligogyny, however safest and best kept singly. Fully claustral.
Nuptial Flight: July (North America)
Habitat: Found in virtually all mesic habitats, but most common in wooded and woodland edge sites
Ideal nest moisture level: 10-40% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 20-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Nest series, Pumice Stone Ant Nest, Microhabitat Outworld, Habitat Outworld
Notes: Colonies of this species are often slow to start up. Large and impressive for Formica.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: colony
Lasius alienus
Common name(s): Cornfield Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Fully claustral. Monogynous.
Nuptial Flight: June, July. Flights occur in the afternoons. (North America)
Habitat: Nesting in shaded areas in deciduous forest under stones and in rotting logs.
Ideal nest moisture level: 10-50% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 20-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Nest series, Pumice Stone Ant Nest, Microhabitat Outworld, Habitat Outworld
Notes: Very hardy and active species. Small in size. These ants may or may not readily accept crickets/mealworms, and may require other insect options.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: colony
Lasius neoniger
Common name(s): Labour Day Ants, Cornfield Ants, Nuisance Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Fully claustral. Monogynous.
Nuptial Flight: August, September, October. Flights occur in the afternoons and happen especially around Labour Day (North America)
Habitat: Nesting in open habitats, including lawns and sidewalks
Ideal nest moisture level: 10-50% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 20-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Nest series, Pumice Stone Ant Nest, Microhabitat Outworld, Habitat Outworld
Notes: Very hardy and active species. Small in size. These ants may or may not readily accept crickets/mealworms, and may require other insect options. Nuptial flights typically occur around Labour Day, hence one of the the common names.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: colony
Lasius niger
Common name(s): Common Black Garden Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Fully claustral. Monogynous.
Nuptial Flight: August, September, October (North America) / July, August (Europe)
Habitat: Nests underground, commonly found under stones, but also in rotten deadwood
Ideal nest moisture level: 10-50% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 20-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Nest series, Pumice Stone Ant Nest, Microhabitat Outworld, Habitat Outworld
Notes: Very hardy and active species. Small in size. The 'golden retrievers' of the ant world, these ants make good standard species for novice ant keepers.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: colony
Myrmica rubra
Common name(s): European Fire Ants, Ruby Ants, Red Ants
Difficulty Level: Difficult
Queen: Polygynous, semi-claustral (meaning queens will need to forage during colony founding stage)
Nuptial Flight: Sporadic nuptial flights throughout the year (North America) / July, August, September (Europe)
Habitat: Found in virtually all habitats, but most common in grassland and ruderal sites. Nests in soil, under rocks and dead wood, in grass turf, moss, peat and very small loam hills
Ideal nest moisture level: 60-90% moist
Diet: highly insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: Nest: 20-25 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Nest Series, Microhabitat Outworld, Habitat Outworld
Notes: This is a very aggressive and stinging species. Colonies can get very large in multi-queen colonies. Semi-nomadic and may benefit from one or more satellite nests. Nests should be kept very damp and maintained around room temperature for best results. These ants are voracious eaters, are highly insectivorous, and require lots of insects as well as sugar/honeywater. Queens are polygynous and are semi-claustral so must be allowed to forage for food during the founding stage.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: colony
Pheidole pilifera
Common name(s): Big-Headed Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Polygynous, fully claustral
Nuptial Flight: June, July, August (North America)
Habitat: Sand prairie, sandy old field, or other sandy or other highly-drained, acid soil habitats
Ideal nest moisture level: 20-50% moist
Diet: granivorous, insectivorous
Nest Temperature: 20-25 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: -
Note: This ant is very tiny and should be handled with extreme care. This ant benefits from incubation in captivity, otherwise colonies remain small.
Photos: queen worker major male
Video: -
Pogonomyrmex californicus
Common name(s): Harvester Ants, Red Harvester Ants, commonly mistakenly called fire ants
Difficulty Level: Medium
Queen: Obligate forager, Monogynous
Nuptial Flight: June, July (North America)
Habitat: This species is found nesting in open, warm, sandy areas. The nests themselves are constructed in the soil, generally in areas fully exposed to the sun. Some are beneath stones, whereas others are surmounted by soil craters or by small to huge mounds with or without coverings of gravel.
Ideal nest moisture level: 10-30% moist. Seed chamber should be dry to prevent rotting.
Diet: granivorous, insectivorous, honey water/sugar water, will take betta pellets (fish food)
Nest Temperature: 23-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Series
Note: Founding queens should be kept at higher humidity levels (30-40%) and because they are obligate foragers, must be fed during the founding stage. These ants will benefit from a heated nest. Heating is not necessary but without it, one can expect the colony development to be slow.Very painful sting, handle with care. Not great climbers, wont be able to climb up smooth surfaces. Mature Colony size approximately 10,000.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: -
Ponera pennsylvanica
Common name(s): -
Difficulty Level: Medium
Queen: Semi-claustral, Monogynous
Nuptial Flight: September (North America)
Habitat: Usually abundant wherever there is moist, at least moderately rich soil, whether shaded or open, moist to dry-mesic, and even in highly degraded habitats such as lawns, gardens, fencerows, successional fields and thickets. P. pennsylvanica also occurs in sedge hummocks in fens. In prairie, it nests in the root-zone of sedges or grasses. In woodland, it nests in soil, in soft, rotten wood, and often in old acorns or occasionally other nuts.
Ideal nest moisture level: 50-90% moist.
Diet: insectivorous (specialized diet: see notes)
Nest Temperature: 21-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 21-27 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: -
Note: They are not a good beginner species, but great for an experience keeper looking for something a little different. They require a higher than normal level of humidity in their nest and have a specialized diet. They are strictly predacious and will not eat honey or other sweets. They will only eat soft bodied arthropods. In the wild they mainly eat spring tails and other soft bodied prey they find while foraging under rocks, logs, or even underground. They will readily accept termites, silverfish, some spiders, fruit flies and pin head (baby) crickets in captivity. They tend to refuse to eat other types of invertebrates, even crushed. They will accept their food frozen and don’t seem to mind foraging above ground in captivity. They don’t require nearly as high of a humidity level in their foraging area as they do in their nest.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: -
Prenolepis imparis
Common name(s): Winter Ants, False Honeypot Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Polygynous, fully claustral
Nuptial Flight: March, April, May (North America)
Habitat: This species occurs in natural remnants and human-modified habitats. In the U.S. South (including most of Missouri), P. imparis is a forest or shade-inhabiting ant, but to the north it is also common in prairies and other open habitats. In Missouri, it is most often associated with oaks and clay-loam soils, and is less common in second-growth forests, particularly those lacking or with poor representation of oaks.
Ideal nest moisture level: 20-50% moist
Diet: insectivorous, sugar/honey water
Nest Temperature: 15-25 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 15-25 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: -
Note: Queens only lay one batch of eggs each year. It's likely they need a cold period for several weeks to trigger egg laying. They are otherwise easy to keep but get largely inactive for periods at a time.
Photos: queen worker replete male
Video: colony
Solenopsis invicta
Common name(s): Fire Ants, Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA)
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Polygynous, fully claustral
Nuptial Flight: April, May, June (North America)
Habitat: Disturbed, including seasonally inundated ground, typically not common in pristine remnant natural areas, except annually flooded areas. Notorious for nesting among the urban setting.
Ideal nest moisture level: 20-50% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 20-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Nest Series, Microhabitat Outworld, Habitat Outworld
Notes: Stinging and aggressive species. Their common name is attributed to to their burning and painful stings. Colonies can get very large!
Photos: queen worker major male
Video: colony
Solenopsis molesta
Common name(s): Thief Ant
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Polygynous, fully claustral
Nuptial Flight: May, July, September, October (North America)
Habitat: Subterranean. Nests in virtually all well-drained soils, even floodplains.
Ideal nest moisture level: 20-50% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water, granivorous
Nest Temperature: 20-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: -
Notes: This ant is very tiny and should be handled with extreme care.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: -
Solenopsis xyloni
Common name(s): Southern Fire Ant
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Possibly polygynous but only about 40% of colonies remain polygynous long term (elimination of all but one queen usually occurs), fully claustral
Nuptial Flight: June, July (North America), as early as end of February in California
Habitat: Subterranean. Nests in virtually all well-drained soils, even floodplains. Will not inhabit bark or fallen timbre.
Ideal nest moisture level: 20-50% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water, granivorous especially sunflower seeds
Nest Temperature: 20-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: -
Notes: These ants are very easy to keep but are notorious escape artists, requiring a very secure formicarial setup. This species is a stinging fire ant native to southern parts of the United States. Its behavior is similar to the red imported fire ant (S. invicta), although its sting is less painful.
Photos: queen worker major male
Video: colony
Tapinoma sessile
Common name(s): Odorous House Ants
Difficulty Level: Medium
Queen: polygynous, possibly fully claustral
Nuptial Flight: May, June (North America)
Habitat: Found in virtually all habitats, but most common in riparian, grassland and ruderal sites. Impermanent nests in preformed cavities and spaces. It is notorious for nesting in homes and for being common domestic pests.
Ideal nest moisture level: 20-40% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 20-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: -
Notes: This species is notorious for escaping. They nest opportunistically by nature and move often. Wild colonies have been known to inhabit homes and will harass captive colonies. Crushing the ant will produce a strong odor very much like blue cheese.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: colony
Temnothorax curvispinosus
Common name(s): Acorn Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Possibly semi-polygynous, fully clusteral
Nuptial Flight: June, July, August, September (North America)
Habitat: Found nesting in tight spaces, including inside of acorns
Ideal nest moisture level: 20-40% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water
Nest Temperature: 20-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: -
Notes: In the wild colonies sometimes band together in the winter time. The next spring they divide and become more territorial even to their own species. Colonies like to relocate to sites that have hallow cavities with narrow openings.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: colony
Tetramorium caespitum and Tetramorium sp. E
Common name(s): Pavement Ants
Difficulty Level: Easy
Queen: Monogynous, fully claustral
Nuptial Flight: May, June, July. Flights occur from 4-7 AM but the dealates can be found throughout the day (North America)
Habitat: Found nesting in nearly all habitats in America to Japan, North Africa to North Europe including British Isles. Notorious for nesting among the urban setting, particualrly around and under sidewalks, roads, rocks, and pavement.
Ideal nest moisture level: 20-40% moist
Diet: insectivorous, honey water/sugar water, granivorous
Nest Temperature: 20-27 degrees C
Outworld Temperature: 20-30 degrees C
Ideal AntsCanada Nest/Outworld: Habitat Nest Series, Pumice Stone Ant Nest, Microhabitat Outworld, Habitat Outworld
Notes: Easy and interesting species to keep for ant keepers of all levels.
Photos: queen worker male
Video: colony
Acheta domestica - scientific name of the species of cricket commonly used in the pet trade as a feeder insect. They are commonly fed by ant keepers to ants.
acrobat ant - ant belonging to the genus Crematogaster notorious for their heart shaped gasters, which bend over their heads and to the sides of their bodies when shooting formic acid for defense and attacking.
Adventures Among Ants - best-selling book on ants by highly acclaimed National Geographic writer and photographer Mark Moffet. The AntsCanada Ants Store interviewed Mark Moffet on The Amazing Ants of AntsCanada YouTube channel regarding his book, experiences, career, and general thoughts.
alate - a reproductive male or female ant. They are born with wings. During nuptial flight they take to the air and mate. Males die shortly after mating, and females shed their wings becoming dealates and begin searching for a suitable location to found her colony as the queen.
allele - one of two or more forms of the DNA sequence of a particular gene.
alitrunk - name given to the mesosoma or the middle part of the body, or tagma, in ants. It bears the legs and in alates, the wings. In Apocrita Hymenoptera (wasps, bees and ants), it consists of the three thoracic segments and the first abdominal segment (the propodeum). [See mesosoma]
Amazing Ants of AntsCanada - The popular YouTube Channel [Youtube.com/AntsCanada] created on July 14th, 2009 which eventually gave rise to The AntsCanada Ants Store in 2010. It is currently the highest suscribed ant-dedicated channel on the net, and has acquired international praise and viewership for its simplistic entertainment and education value. It is hosted by the President, Co-Founder/Owner, and Creative Director of The AntsCanada Ants Store and holds frequent contests, draws, and interactive videos for its subscribers.
ant farm - the common name for a formicarium. The first commercially-sold formicarium was introduced around 1929 and patented in 1931 by Frank Austin, an inventor and professor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Austin included painted or wooden scenes of palaces, farms, and other settings above the ground level, for a whimsical look. The creator of the company Uncle Milton Industries Inc took this concept and created the popular plastic ant farms incorporating the farm setting within it, which became a popular novelty product over many decades. Uncle Milton Industries Inc currently own the rights to the brand name "Ant Farm", and have since sold millions of ant farms worldwide. These ant farm educational toys have yet to be accepted in the world of serious pet ant keeping as suitable, healthy, long-term homes for ant colonies [See also ant farm and Uncle Milton Industries Inc].
ant love - coloquial term coined by The AntsCanada Ants Store describing myrmecophilia, i.e. the love of ants.
ant woodlouse - a tiny blind, eyeless white crustacean that lives in ant nests and feeds on ant droppings and fungus. Its scientific name is Platyarthrus hoffmannseggi and is also known as a 'white woodlouse'. They are only found in ant nests and rarely come above ground.
antenna (pl. antennae) - paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods
anterior - situated before or at the front of
AntsCanada - The commonly known nickname of the President/Co-Founder/Owner/Creative Director of The AntsCanada Ants Store, Mikey Bustos, and/or of The AntsCanada Ants Store and team that runs it
AntsCanada Ants Store (AntsCanada.com) - You're here! We are the world's #1 leading innovators of pro ant keeping equipment, providing quality pet ant keeping products to ant lovers all over the world. Our clients also include producers of The Discovery Channel, schools/educational instutes, and museums. We also provide ant keepers with up-to-date information on caring for ants, ant biology, ecology, and promote bioliteracy and conservation. See the ABOUT US section of this website for more info. The store is a division of Bustos Entertainment Inc.
Antstore - a German-based online ant keeping store [Antstore.net] which sells a variety of standard formicaria and ant keeping products, as well as live ant colonies to Europen countries. It also hosts an online ant-related forum for ant keepers of various European languages, including English.
Antweb - an online [Antweb.org] catalogue of the world's ant species organized regionally, and includes information, distribution data, and closeup photographs of preserved specimens. It is hosted by The California Academy of Sciences and is run by curator and biologist Dr. Brian Fisher. Antweb is based in San Francisco, California and is funded from private donations and from grants from the National Science Foundation.
Antworks - a formicarial product manufactured by Uncle Milton Industries Inc which consists of an upright plastic enclosure containing a gel medium which acts as a venue for ants to dig tunnels and also nourishes worker ants for a short term. They are also known as gelfarms. The formula for the gel is derived from a NASA experiment and contains electrolytes for workers to stay alive. These ant farms like those of other ant products released by Uncle Milton Industries allow for mail-in ants (usually a Pogonomyrmex or Messor species) which are sent to the purchaser (just workers and no queen), upon receipt of the coupon enclosed with the ant farm. These gelfarms are for observing worker ants and their effectiveness in serious ant propagation is limited. Uncle Milton ant products have yet to be accepted by the serious ant keeping community as a proper home for the healthy, long term rearing of ant colonies. [See also gelfarm and Uncle Milton Industries Inc]
aphidicole - an animal that lives among aggregations of aphids
aphidicolous - describes an animal that lives among aggregations of aphids
aphids - any of numerous tiny soft-bodied insects of the family Aphididae of worldwide distribution, that suck the sap from the stems and leaves of various plants, some developing wings when overcrowding occurs. Many species of ants farm aphids for the sweet secretions they excrete called honeydew.
Apocrita - the suborder of insects in the taxonomic order Hymenoptera that includes wasps, bees and ants, and consists of many families. This suborder includes the most advanced Hymenopterans and is distinguished from the Symphyta (another suborder within Hymenoptera) by the narrow "waist" (petiole) formed between the first two segments of the actual abdomen.
aposematism - most commonly known in the context of warning colouration, describes a family of anti-predator adaptations where a warning signal is associated with the unprofitability of a prey item to potential predators. The word originates from apo- meaning 'away' and sematic meaning 'sign/meaning'.
army ant - common name for over 200 ant species, in different lineages, due to their aggressive predatory foraging groups, known as "raids", in which huge numbers of ants forage simultaneously over a certain area, attacking prey en masse. They are nomadic, i.e. do not construct permanent nests and move almost incessantly over the time it exists. It is also known as the legionary ant or "Marabunta". Examples of army ants include those belonging to the genera Eciton in South America and Dorylus in Africa.
arthropod - an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton (external skeleton), a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda (from Greek arthron meaning "joint", and podos meaning "foot", which together mean "jointed feet"), and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others.
Arthropoda - Phylum of arthropods, which include insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others. [See also arthropod]
autoclaved aerated cement (AAC) - a porous, cement material which is water absorbent and is often used to create formicaria, by way of carving tunnels and chambers into the cement. AAC and smilar material, is also known under other names such as Ytong and hebel brick.
autotroph - any organism capable of self-nourishment by using inorganic materials as a source of nutrients and using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis as a source of energy, as most plants and certain bacteria and protists
BIFA - Black Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis richteri biologist - someone who studies the science of life or living matter in all its forms and phenomena, esp. with reference to origin, growth, reproduction, structure, and behavior.
biology - the science of life or living matter in all its forms and phenomena, esp. with reference to origin, growth, reproduction, structure, and behavior.
bivouac - in ants, it is an encampment made from improvised shelters, as seen in ants whose colonies are nomadic.
black ant - common name given to several dark-coloured ant species including Lasius niger and several other black species belonging to the genus Formica
bradymetabolism - refers to the lowered metabolic speed of an organism during a resting period, e.g. during hibernation or estivation.
brood - the young of an animal or a family of young, especially the young (as of a bird or insect) hatched or cared for at one time. In ants, it includes a colony's eggs, larvae, and pupae.brood boosting - a strategy used by ant keepers in which pupae (and sometimes eggs and larvae) are obtained from a mature colony (usually in the wild) and given to a queen in the founding stage of her colony in captivity. It is thought to increase the chances of captive colony success, but it involves the risk of introducing disease between colonies and it sometimes is unsuccessful at helping queens along, resulting in cannibalism or death of the pupae. Brood boosting is often carrried out for queens that have trouble founding their first set of workers, but is also often used to have a fledging colony grow much quicker. Brood boosting is done using young from the same species as the queen/colony being boosted, or at least within the same genus.
camouflage - concealment by some means that alters or obscures the appearance, in insects by way of exoskeleton markings, body shapes, and movements
carnivore - animal which eats meat or invertebrates
carpenter ants - common name for a number of species of ants that create nests in wood, belonging to the genus Camponotus. They are often regarded as domestic pests for this reason. These ants do not eat the wood like termites, but rather excavate by tearing away small pieces of wood fibre. They are a relatively larger species of ant and polymorphic.
caste - a specialized level in a colony of social insects, such as ants, in which the members (such as the queen, majors, media, and minors) carry out a specific function.
cf. - abbreviation of the Latin "confer" meaning "compare to". This is used to refer a specimen to a known species even though it may not be of that species. It is most often used when an identification is not confirmed.
chitin - a main component in the exoskeleton of arthropods. Its chemical formula is (C8H13O5N)n and it is a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose, and is found in many places throughout the natural world.
citronella ant - common name for a yellow-coloured ant species that generally belong to the genera Acanthomyops or Lasius (e.g. Lasius claviger), that emit a citronella-smelling odour. They are generally a social parasitic species [See also social parasite]
claustral cell - the fully or partially enclosed living quarters assumed by a newly mated queen ant, where a young colony of first-born workers (nanitics) is reared by the queen. In fully-claustral species of ants it is a chamber (usually underground or in wood) that is completely sealed off, and the queen never leaves this chamber. As the colony expands, the workers pioneer and extend the living space of the claustral cell by excavating tunnels, which eventually gives rise to a full ant nest.
cocoon - a pupal casing made by moths, caterpillars and other insect larvae. In ants, the cocoon is created through silk from the larva. In some species the spinning of a cocoon is facilitated by the workers who provide the larvae debris as a framework for the pupating larvae to spin their cocoon. Ants belonging to the genus Formica are known to bury the mature larvae with grains of dirt until the larvae have spun their cocoon. Not all ant species spin cocoons for pupation, and instead have naked pupae, as seen in ants belonging to the genera Myrmica, Pogonomyrmex, and Tetramorium, for instance.
colony - a group of the same type of animal or plant living or growing together, esp in large numbers; a family of ants living together in a nest or set of nests
compound eye - an arthropod eye subdivided into many individual, light-receptive elements, each including a lens, a transmitting apparatus, and retinal cells
cork nest - a type of formicarium with pre-made tunnels and chambers carved out of cork which absorbs water for nest hydration
cosmopolitan - in ecology, describes growing or occurring in many parts of the world; widely distributed.
coxa (pl. coxae) - the segment that connects the leg to the thorax
crop - social stomach where food is initially stored and processed before being fed to other members of the colony via mouth-to-mouth transfer [See also trophallaxis]
cryptic - fitted for concealing; serving to camouflage
cuticula - the invertebrate cuticle, a multi-layered structure outside the epidermis of many invertebrates, notably roundworms and arthropods, in which it forms an exoskeleton. The main structural component of arthropod cuticle is chitin, a polysaccharide composed of N-acetylglucosamine units, together with proteins, lipids, and catecholamines.
dearth - an inadequate amount, esp of food; scarcity
decomposer - any organism in a community, such as a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down dead tissue enabling the constituents to be recycled to the environment
dichthadiiform queen - the unique type of queen of army ants belonging to the subfamilies Aenictinae, Ecitoninae, and Dorylinae.
dimorphism - in biology occurs when there are two phenotypes that exist in the same population of a species, i.e. the occurrence of two clear forms or morphs. In ants it is usually more confined to the worker cast in this way: A polymorphic species in which the minors and majors still exist but the medias disappeared. E.g. most Pheidole species. Some Pheidole species have a supermajor cast alongside a major and a minor caste and are called trimorphic.
diploid - A cell or an organism having two sets of chromosomes in somatic cells. In ants, all female ants are diploid, containing twice the number of chromosomes of males ants. The number of chromosomes determines ant sex, therefore an unmated queen can actually give birth to young, but because she would lack a male's sperm to complete the full number of chromosomes and create diploid females, the young would all be haploid, and be males.
dirt nest - formicarium containing soil, sand, or other similar medium for digging
ditritivore - also known as detritus feeders or saprophages, are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing organic matter). By doing so, they contribute to decomposition and the nutrient cycles [See also decomposer, heterotroph, and saprophagy].
Dolichoderinae - subfamily of ants with genera that use chemical warfare to their advantage. They are either odorous or spraying venom as a projectile weapon. They also all have one waist segment, and lack any hairs along the tip of their gaster.
dorsal - of, pertaining to, or situated at the back, or dorsum.
dulosis - the process of stealing slave-pupae and the whole way of life that accompanies it. When the pupae eclose in the nest they are "used" as slaves for the upkeeping of the nest, care of the larvae, nest construction, defence, etc. Dulosis can be observed in species like Polyergus rufescens, Strongylognathus alpinus, and Harpagoxenus sublaevis.
eclose - the act of emerging from the pupal stage [See also pupa]
ectoparasite - a parasite that lives on or in the skin but not within the body. Ants have a variety of known ectoparasites, most of which are mites. Infestation with an ectoparasite is called an ectoparasitosis.
ectothermy - the process of active thermoregulation (the regulation of body temperature) by an organism by moving to areas of varying temperatures, e.g. a lizard basking in the sun to warm up or retreating to shade or water to cool off
endoparasite - A parasite, such as a tapeworm, that lives within another organism. Though largely unexplored, ants do have some known endoparasites, including a type of tachinid Strongygaster globula the maggot of which lives inside a young Lasius queen host, stops her egg laying, and eventually exits the queen without killing her. Here the maggot is cared for by the queen while it pupates. The queen dies shortly after and the adult fly emerges from the cocoon approximately 15 days after pupation, exiting the nest. In fact, The AntsCanada Ants Store is one of the first to document this entire process (in a YouTube video). Infestation with an endoparasite is called an endoparasitosis.
entomologist - someone who studies insects
entomology - the scientific study of insects
epicuticle - the waxy film that coats the bodies of ants
epinotum - former term for propodeum
ergate - a worker
ergatoid - refers to a worker-like individual that can be either a male or a female
eudulosis - the process where a social parasite colony adopts a slave colony in total, i.e. the slave queen is killed in the process. Eudulosis can be observed in Formica (Coptoformica) naefi with its host Formica (Serviformica) sp..
estivation - a state of dormancy acheived by organisms in most cases in response to low food/water availability and high temperature.
exoskeleton - an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body
exterior - pertaining to or connected with what is outside
extreme workerless inquiline - workerless inquiline (permanent social parasite without workers) that has undergone severe morphological adaptations like pupoïd males, degeneration of the mouthparts and some glands, development of some glands used for attracting host-workers. Examples of extreme workerless inquilines include the species Anergates atratulus aka Anergates friedlandi, Tetramorium microgyna, Tetramorium parasiticum, Pheidole neokohli, Pheidole acutidens, and Pheidole argentina. The species of Teleutomyrmex falls under this category but they also fall under thr group of 'social ectoparasites'. [See also inquiline, workerless inquiline, and social ectoparasite]
flagellum (pl. flagella) - the part of the antenna beyond the elongated basal segment, or scape. Primitively, it has 11 segments in females and 12 in males, but in many ant genera these numbers of segments are reduced in at least the females.
fluon - a chemical known as Polytetrafluoroethylene. In ant keeping, the liquid form is used as a barrier keeping ants from escaping open top outworlds. It is sometimes refered to as PTFE or the brand name 'insect-a-slip'.
fire ant - a variety of stinging ants with over 280 species worldwide belonging to the genus Solenopsis. Also, another stinging species native to Europe (but invasive in other parts of the world) Myrmica rubra is sometimes referred to as the European fire ant.
forage - to wander in search of food or provisions
formic acid - also called methanoic acid, it is the simplest carboxylic acid. Its formula is HCOOH or HCO2H. It is an important intermediate in chemical synthesis and occurs naturally, most notably in bee and ant venom, used primarily for attacking and defense. There are some species which lack the ability to spray it, however these species usually have stingers.
formicarium (pl. formicaria) - the technical term for an enclosure that acts as a nest for an ant colony, designed for housing ants for the purposes of observation or study. The first commercially-sold formicarium was introduced around 1929 and patented in 1931 by Frank Austin, an inventor and professor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Austin included painted or wooden scenes of palaces, farms, and other settings above the ground level, for a whimsical look. They are more commonly called ant farms [See also ant farm].
Formicidae - the taxonomic family to which ants belong
Formicinae - a subfamily of ants with genera whose members have only one waist segment, and produce chemicals like formic acid. They lack a stinger.
founding chamber - the fully or partially enclosed living quarters assumed by a newly mated queen ant, where a young colony of first-born workers (nanitics) is reared by the queen. In fully-claustral species of ants it is a chamber (usually underground or in wood) that is completely sealed off, and the queen never leaves this chamber. As the colony expands, the workers pioneer and extend the living space of the founding chamber by excavating tunnels, which eventually gives rise to a full ant nest. [See also claustral cell]
fully-claustral - describes a queen who seals herself up entirely in a chamber during the initial stages of colony founding. She fasts and lives off energy stored in her wing muscles until her first workers arrive.
fungal grower - ant species which specialize on feeding from fungus grown in their nest reared from organic material, e.g. pieces of plant matter as seen in leaf-cutter ants belonging to the genera Atta and Acromyrmex. The type of material gathered above ground to culture their fungal gardens depends on the species. There is even a fungal grower species which cultures fungal gardens from collected caterpillar droppings.
fungivore - animal which eats fungus
ganglion (pl. ganglia) - a mass of nerve tissue that controls various functions like movement. In insects, it typically runs down the center of the body, which is why many insects are still capable of movement even if they are physically split in half or decapitated.
gaster - the metasoma or sometimes called abdomen. However, because ants along with wasps and bees are distinguished from other insects including those belonging to the other suborder (Symphyta) within Hymenoptera, by the narrow "waist" (petiole) formed between the first two segments of the actual abdomen (the first abdominal segment is fused to the thorax, and is called the propodeum), it is general practice, when discussing the body of an ant, wasp, or bee in a technical sense, to refer to the mesosoma and metasoma (or "gaster") rather than the "thorax" and "abdomen," respectively.
gelfarm - a toy antfarm which uses a gel medium for the ants to dig and also provides worker ants sustenance. The formula for the gel is derived from a NASA experiment and contains electrolytes for workers to stay alive. It was released by a company called Uncle Milton Industries Inc. under the product name Antworks. The gelfarms are sold commercially worldwide as a novelty product, but have yet to be accepted in the pro-ant keeping global community as a long-term, healthy habitat for housing whole ant colonies. Its design caters to keeping worker ants belonging to Pogonomyrmex or Messor (which can be ordered in the mail from the company) alive and housed for the length of their lifespans. [See also Antworks and Uncle Milton Industries Inc]
gemmae (sing. gemma) - defined by Holldobler and Wilson in The Superorganism 2009 as a pair of small, club-like thoracic appendages covered with sensory hairs richly endowed with exocrine cells. The function of these glands is not known, but it is likely that they secrete chemical functions inducing the mutilation process. These glandular organs are located approximately where wings would be in an alate queen. They are found on Diacamma ponerine ants. In these ants, when workers eclose in a nest with an established and fertile reproductive female (known as the gamergate), their nestmates immediately sever the gemmae. Amputation of the gemmae evidently causes phychological and morphological changes in the central nervous system that directs the transition from aggressive to timid behavior. [See also gamergate]
genotype - the genetic constitution of a cell, an organism, or an individual (i.e. the specific allele makeup of the individual) usually with reference to a specific character under consideration.
genus (pl. genera) - a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. In a scientific name it precedes the species. Examples of genera are Camponotus, Crematogaster, Myrmica, Lasius, and Formica.
granivore - animal that feeds on grains, nuts, and seeds
gynandromorph - an organism that contains both male and female characteristics. The term gynandromorph, from Greek "gyne" female and "andro" male, is mainly used in the field of Lepidopterology (butterfly/moth study) or entomology (all insects). Gynandromorphism has been observed in ant species like Myrmica rubra where very isolated ants appeared to have both male and female parts.
gyne - a queen ant
Habitat Nest - the signature nest of The AntsCanada Ants Store, it is an original formicarial product pioneered, engineered, and invented by The AntsCanada Ants Store in 2009. The Habitat Nest's solid, cement-type base contains pre-excavated chambers and tunnels. The inside of the Habitat Nests possess properties of soil, lined with a gravel layer as well as a state-of-the-art water absorbent layer developed by The AntsCanada Ants Store known as Soakstone ©. This dual layer within the habitat nests allows the colonies to be completely hydrated while allowing the ants to customize their living space without being able to burrow away from the glass. It is 100% mold resistant and is the most naturalistic formicarium available in the pet trade today. In 2010, The AntsCanada Habitat Nests were used to film a nature documentary with ants for The Discovery Channel.
hamulus (pl. hamuli) - hooks on the front side of the hind-wing between the fore and hind wings of an adult ant alate, wasp, bee, or similar insect.
haploid - A cell or an organism having half the number of chromosomes in somatic cells. In ants, all male ants are haploid, containing half the number of chromosomes of females ants (i.e. workers and queens). The number of chromosomes determines ant sex, therefore an unmated queen can actually give birth to young, but because she would lack a male's sperm to complete the full number of chromosomes and create diploid females, the young would all be haploid, and be males.
harvester ant - common name given to ant species that gather grains and seeds (i.e. granivorous), typically belonging to genera like Pogonomyrmex and Messor
hebel brick - a porous, cement material which is water absorbent and is often used to create formicaria, by way of carving tunnels and chambers into the cement. Hebel brick, and smilar material, is also known under other names such as autoclaved aerated cement (AAC) and Ytong.
hemolymph - a fluid in the body cavities and tissues of invertebrates, in arthropods functioning as blood.
heterotroph - an organism requiring organic compounds for its principal source of food, e.g. animals and fungi
herbivore - animal which eats plants or plant matter
hibernation - a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food is short, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate.
histogenesis - the process of growth by the remaining cells in the transforming insect within a pupa, using the nutrients from the broken down larva that resulted from histolysis. [See also histolysis]
histolysis - the process of excreting digestive juices while inside the pupa, to destroy much of the larva's body, leaving a few cells intact and providing the nutrients needed for histogenesis [See also histogenesis]. It also is the process where the flight-muscles of a colony-founding queen are broken down to be converted to larval food (or food for the founding queen herself!).
holometabolism - the type of metamorphosis where the larvae differ markedly from the adults. Insects which undergo holometabolism pass through a larval stage, then enter an inactive state called pupa, or chrysalis, and finally emerge as adults. Holometabolism is also known as "complete" and "complex" metamorphosis. Ants are insects which undergo holometabolism.
honeydew - a sugary material secreted by aphids, leafhoppers, scale insects, psyllids, and other homopterous insects, which are often relished by ants
honeypot ant - common name for ant species within five different genera most notably Myrmecocystus known for their repletes, which are gorged with food by workers, to the point that their abdomens swell enormously, a condition called plerergate. Other ants then extract nourishment from them. They function essentially as living larders.
host - In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a parasite (that is, a virus, a bacterium, a protozoan, or a fungus), or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment, support, and/or shelter. In botany, a host plant is one that supplies food resources and substrate for certain insects or other fauna. In ants, it typically refers to a species whose colony is the target of social parasitic or slave-making ants, however it can also refer to the species inside/outside the body of which a parasite receives nourishment and shelter. [See also social parasite and slavery]
hydric - describes a habitat or soil that is formed under conditions of saturation, flooding, or ponding long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part. It is one of a triad of terms to describe the amount of water in a habitat. The others are xeric and mesic. [See also xeric and mesic]
hydrostone - brand name given to a plaster product very similar to plaster of paris but more mold resistant. Hydrostone is sometimes used to create formicaria, however, like plaster of paris, also grows mold in time.
Hymenoptera - one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. There are over 130,000 recognised species, with many more remaining to be described. The name refers to the heavy wings of the insects, and is derived from the Ancient Greek humen meaning 'membrane' and pteron meaning 'wing'. The hindwings are connected to the forewings by a series of hooks called hamuli.
hyperparasite - a parasite whose host is a parasite. An example of a hyperparasitic ant species is Lasius fuliginosus, which parasitizes the social parasitic species Lasius umbratus, which parasitizes the host species Lasius niger. [See also social parasite]
inferior - in anatomy, describes being lower in place or position; situated below another
inquiline - a permanent social parasite
inquilinism - the relationship where a social parasite is dependent on a host species for as long as the colony exsists. Without the host-species' workers, the colony will disappear. Inquilinism can be observed in species like Polyergus rufescens (employs dulosis.), Strongylognathus alpinus (also employs dulosis.), Strongylognathus testaceus (no dulosis; the workers are useless; when the host-workers die, the colony disappears.), Myrmoxenus kraussei (no dulosis; the workers are useless; when the host-workers die, the colony disappears.), Myrmoxenus stumperi (employs dulosis.). [See also dulosis]
insect - animals within the class Insecta [See Insecta]
insect-a-slip - brand name given to the liquid form of the chemical known as Polytetrafluoroethylene. In ant keeping, it is used as a barrier keeping ants from escaping open top outworlds. It is sometimes refered to as PTFE or fluon.
Insecta - a taxonomic class within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax, and abdomen), three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae. They are among the most diverse group of animals on the planet and include more than a million described species and represent more than half of all known living organisms. The number of extant species is estimated at between six and ten million, and potentially represent over 90% of the differing metazoan life forms on Earth. Insects may be found in nearly all environments, although only a small number of species occur in the oceans, a habitat dominated by another arthropod group, the crustaceans.
insectivore - animal which eats insects
instar - the stage in the development of an arthropod between any two moults. Ants have 3 - 5 larval instar stages. The shed skin is chewed into a small pellet and fed to the larva that shed it or to another larva.
interior - of or pertaining to that which is within
invasive - desribes being not native to, and also tending to spread widely in a habitat or environment. Invasive species often have few natural predators or other biological controls in their new environment. Although not always considered harmful to an environment, invasive species can become agricultural or ecological pests and can displace native species from their habitats. Invasive species are often introduced to an environment unintentionally. An examples of invasive species include Solenopsis invicta (also known as RIFA or Red Imported Fire Ants) and Linepithema humile (also known as Argentine ants).
invertebrate - an animal without a backbone. The group includes 95% of all animal species, and include all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata which encompass fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
jerdon's jumping ant - common name for the species Harpegnathos saltator
kinopsis - the alarm communication or recruitment mediated by the sight of categories of kin
LD50 - a standardized measure for expressing and comparing the toxicity of chemicals. The LD 50 or LC 50 is the dose that kills half (50%) of the animals tested. LD = "lethal dose".
leaf-cutter ant - fungal grower species which specialize on feeding from fungus grown in their nest cultured from chewed up pieces of plant matter. Examples of leaf-cutter ants include those belonging to the genera Atta and Acromyrmex. [See also fungal-grower]
legionary ant - army ant [See also army ant]
mandibles - sometimes refered to as jaws, a pair of appendages near an insect’s mouth, and the most anterior of the three pairs of oral appendages. Their function is typically to grasp, crush, or cut the insect’s food, or to defend against predators or rivals. Insect mandibles, which appear to be evolutionarily derived from legs, move in the horizontal plane unlike those of vertebrates, which appear to be derived from gill arches and move vertically.
Marabunta - South American name for army ant [See also army ant]
maxillary palp - appendages under the head
meconium - the fecal pellet excreted by a mature larva right before pupation. Larvae only deficate once in their entire life and it is when the meconium is expelled. This happens inside the cocoon and appears as a visible black dot on the cocoon tip.
media - the middle-sized caste of worker ant in polymorphic ant species, possessing characteristics of an ordinary worker ant. They are smaller than majors but larger than minors. [See also polymorphism]
mesic - In ecology, describes a type of habitat with a moderate or well-balanced supply of moisture. Mesic is one of a triad of terms to describe the amount of water in a habitat. The others are xeric and hydric. [See also xeric and hydric]
mesonotum - second segment of the mesosoma
mesosoma - the middle part of the body, or tagma, of arthropods whose body is composed of three parts, the other two being the prosoma and the metasoma. It bears the legs, and, in the case of winged insects, the wings. In Apocrita Hymenoptera (wasps, bees and ants), it consists of the three thoracic segments and the first abdominal segment (the propodeum). For historical reasons, in ants it is commonly referred to by the alternative name alitrunk.
metamorphosis - a biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. There are two main types of metamorphosis in insects, hemimetabolism (also called incomplete metamophosis) and holometabolism (complete metamorphosis). [See also holometabolism]
metanotum - the third mesonotal segment. The metanotum is visible in winged ants, and as a narrow, transverse sclerite in many workers [See mesonotum].
metasoma - the gaster or abdomen portion of an ant, bee, or wasp. [see also gaster]
microhabitat - small-scale localized environment of a particular organism or population. A microhabitat is often a smaller habitat within a larger one. For example, a fallen log inside a forest can provide microhabitat for insects that are not found in the wider forest habitat outside such logs. A microhabitait can be big or small depending on how much it varies.
midden - the room or rooms of an ant colony where the trash is taken
mimicry - the close external resemblance of an organism, the mimic, to some different organism, the model, such that the mimic benefits from the mistaken identity, as seeming to be unpalatable or harmful. One form of mimicry, where the mimic lacks the defensive capabilities of its 'model', is known as Batesian mimicry (e.g. a harmless aegeria moth which is a mimic of the stinging yellow jacket wasp). A second form of mimicry, known as Mullerian mimicry, occurs when two organisms share the same anti-predation defence and mimic each other, to the benefit of both species (e.g. honeybees and yellow jacket wasps are Mullerian mimics, both of which display the black and yellow stripes which many predators may know to avoid). There exist a family of jumping spiders belonging to the genus Myrmarachne which mimic ants by waving their front legs in the air to simulate antennae. Some species also look strikingly like an ant.
minor - the smallest caste of worker ant in polymorphic ant species. Characterized by its tiny size, it specializes in handling and caring for the young, the queen, and simple nest duties.
monogynous - describes a species that only sustains one queen in a single colony. Examples of monogynous species include Pogonomyrmex californicus and Camponotus pennsylvanicus.
monogyny - the behavioural trait of a species to sustain only one queen in a single colony. Examples of monogynous species include Pogonomyrmex californicus and Camponotus pennsylvanicus.
monomorphism - in biology occurs when there is only one phenotype that exist in the same population of a species, i.e. the occurrence of one form or morph. In ants, it describes one existing form, particularly of the worker caste. Examples of this include species belonging to the genera Myrmica, Tetramorium, and Formica. Holldobler and Wilson in The Superorganism describe monomorphism as the existence in a colony of only a single worker subcaste. An entire species can be monomorphic, as well. Examples of monomorphic ant species include the species Pristomyrmex pugens which lacks a queen caste, where all the members of the colony look the same and every worker is capable of laying eggs even without mating with a male (via a process known as 'parthenogenesis'). Species belonging to the genus Dinoponera is also an entirely monomorphic spcies lacking a queen caste. Also, ants belonging to the genera Diacamma are monomorphic as they do have a queen caste but she looks exactly like the workers.
Myrmarachne - a genus of jumping spiders which imitate an ant by waving their front legs in the air to simulate antennae. Some species also look strikingly like an ant. Spiders in this genus are commonly called "antmimicking spiders", although there are many other spiders that mimic ants.
myrmecochory - the process of plant seed dispersal by ants.
myrmecologist - someone who studies ants
myrmecology - the scientific study of ants
myrmecophilia - the love of ants; 'ant love' as coined by The AntsCanada Ants Store in 2009.
myrmecophobia - the irrational fear of ants
Myrmecos Blog - a popular blog [Myrmecos.net] by acclaimed biologist, researcher and photographer Alexander Wild
Myrmicinae - a subfamily of ants with genera whose members have two waist segments. They possess a stinger.
necrophagy - a carnivorous feeding behaviour in which a predator consumes corpses or carrion that were not killed to be eaten by the predator or others of its species [See also scavenger]
nest - a place or structure in which birds, fishes, insects, reptiles, mice, etc, lay eggs or give birth to young; a number of animals of the same species and their young occupying a common habitat
nest cycling - the AntsCanada-recommended routine but infrequent (e.g. once a year or once every two years) replacement of a colony's formicarium, for the purpose of colony hygiene
nomadic - the characteristic of tending to relocate living area. An example of nomadic ants include ants belonging to the genus Dorylus, the colonies of which are constantly moving and are set up in very temporary nest sites before moving to a new location.
nomadic phase - A phase in which a colony moves almost every day from one bivouac to another one. The queen's gaster is contracted to protect the delicate intersegmental membranes during the moves. No egg-laying. During this phase there are big dayly raids to collect lots of food for the developing larvae. This is common in ants belonging to the genus Dorylus, for instance.
nuptial flight - a special time period when alates (or the reproductive males and females who are born with wings) engage in mating. For every species it takes place at a specific time every year. Some species fly twice a year (e.g. Spring and Fall). The male alates die shortly after mating and female alates break off their wings and venture off to seek a suitable location to found her colony as the queen.
nursemaid - the smallest caste of worker in polymorphic ant species, synonymous to the word 'minor', which specialize in caring for the young and queen [see also minor and polymorphism]
oligogyny -The living together of a very small number of queens in an ant nest. These are spaced out throughout the nest because the queens are hostile to each other. [See also pleometrosis]
outworld - an enclosure separate from the main nest area which is designed to create a living area for a captive ant colony for foraging and hunting. It provides the ants with an outer world or environment outside of the main nest where workers forage for food. It is usually connected to a formicarium through tubing or other means and may or may not be completely sealed. Some refer to it as the basin [See also formicarium]
patrollers - ants that travel restlessly throughout the colony switching tasks as needed
pavement ant - common name given to ants belonging to the genus Tetramorium known for nesting under and around pavements and sidewalks in an urban environment
permanent social parasite - known as an inquiline or inquiline parasite, it is a social parasite that is dependent on a slave species for as long as the colony exists. Without the slave-species' workers, the colony will disappear. Inquilinism can be observed in species like Polyergus rufescens (employs dulosis.), Strongylognathus alpinus (also employs dulosis.), Strongylognathus testaceus (no dulosis; the workers are useless; when the slave-workers die, the colony disappears.), Myrmoxenus kraussei (no dulosis; the workers are useless; when the slave-workers die, the colony disappears.), Myrmoxenus stumperi (employs dulosis.). [See also dulosis and inquilinism]
petiole - the stem formed by a restricted abdominal segment which connects the thorax with the gaster (the remaining abdominal segments often referred to as simply 'abdomen') in ants and some bees and wasps.
phenotype - any observable characteristic or trait of an organism: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior (such as a bird's nest). Phenotypes result from the expression of an organism's genes as well as the influence of environmental factors and the interactions between the two.
pheromone - secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual. It is the primary mode of communiation in ants and other insects.
physogastrism (adj. physogastric) - the condition of a queen's gaster enlarging and becoming extremely swollen with eggs, i.e. 'termite gaster' [See also termite gaster]
plaster nest - formicarium made from plaster of paris. In the past it was a common method for housing ant colonies, however the disadvantage with using plaster of paris for a nest is its propensity to grow mold. Many use hydrostone which is similar to plaster of paris but more mold resistant. Hydrostone, however, also grows mold in time.
pleometrosis - the process of one or more queens banding together to raise a colony specifically during the founding stage. The advantage of this is that it increases the chance of colony success. In many pleometrotic ants, when the first set of workers arrive the queens fight, resulting in death of all but one queen, until one dominant queen is left. [See also oligogyny].
plerergate - a condition in repletes (i.e. living storage worker ants) where their abdomens swell enormously [See also honeypot ant and replete]
poikilothermy - the characteristic of having a body temperature that varies with the temperature of the surroundings. It is often referred to in laymen's terms as 'cold-bloodedness'. Examples of poikilothermic organisms include reptiles, amphibians, and insects, which of course includes ants.
Ponerinae - subfamily of ants that possess an ill-defined postpetiole that connects to the gaster with a large surface area. They also tend to be either specialized predators and or almost completely subterranean.
polygynous - describes a species that harmoniously sustain more than one queen in a single colony. Examples of polygynous species include Solenopsis invicta and Camponotus vicinus.
polygyny - the trait of a species to harmoniously sustain more than one queen in a single colony. Examples of polygynous species include Solenopsis invicta and Camponotus vicinus.
polymorphism - in biology occurs when two or more clearly different phenotypes exist in the same population of a species, i.e. the occurrence of more than one form or morph. In ants, it describes the various existing forms, particularly of the worker caste. Examples of polymorphic ant species include ants belonging to the genera Camponotus and Pheidole which possess varying sizes and shapes of workers that specialize in various tasks.
polyphyletic - relating to or characterized by development from more than one ancestral type.
post-petiole - body part that is present in some ants; it is a constricted third abdominal segment
posterior - situated behind or at the rear of
pronotum - the first segment of the mesosoma [See mesosoma]
propodeum - the first abdominal segment in wasps, bees and ants. It is fused with the thorax to form the mesosoma. It is a single large sclerite, not subdivided, and bears a pair of spiracles. It is strongly constricted posteriorly to form the articulation of the petiole, and gives ants, bees, and wasps their distinctive shape.
prosoma - a term which means the head of an insect, but also refers to the first (anterior) major body section in arachnids and malacostracan crustaceans.
PTFE - a chemical known as Polytetrafluoroethylene. In ant keeping, the liquid form is used as a barrier keeping ants from escaping open top outworlds. It is sometimes refered to as fluon or the brand name 'insect-a-slip'.
pumice nest - original formicarium pioneered, engineered, and invented by The AntsCanada Ants Store in 2009 created from pumice stone, which is fashioned from volcanic rock. It contains pre-excavated tunnels and chambers and possesses a watering system. which keeps the entire nest humid, even though the pumice material itself is not particularly water absorbent. It is perfectly non-reactive and 100% mold resistant.
pupa (pl. pupae) - the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago. In ants pupae may further be enclosed in cocoons as seen in ants belonging to the subfamily Formicinae.
pupation - the process where a larva becomes a pupa
pupate - the act of pupation where a larva becomes a pupa
repletes - designated worker ants that act as living storage vessels, and store food in their crop, resulting in an engorged abdomen. Honeypot ants belonging to the genus Myrmecocystus are notorious for their large repletes which hang from the nest ceilings and provide the colony sustenance during periods of short food supply.
RIFA - acronym for "Red Imported Fire Ant" which refers to the invasive species Solenopsis invicta [See also invasive]
rugae - wrinkles, folds. Examples include rugae of the stomach and rugae of the forehead.
satellite nest - an additional established nest location separate from the main nest
scape - the elongated basal segment of an ant's antenna
scavenger - an animal, such as a bird or insect, that feeds on dead or decaying matter
semi-claustral - describes a queen who does not seal herself up entirely in a chamber during the initial stages of colony founding. The queens still lays her eggs and rears her young in a private chamber, but also continues to forage or hunt for food above ground throughout the process until her first workers arrive. An example of semi-claustral ants include queens belonging to Pogonomyrmex, Myrmica, and Myrmecia.
semi-nomadic - describes the characteristic of tending to relocate living area on a regular basis. Examples of semi-nomadic ants include ants belonging to the genera Myrmica and Pheidologeton which set up temporary nest sites before moving the entire colony to a new location
slave-making species - a species that uses workers of a host slave ant species to perform everyday tasks of the mixed colony, e.g. nest construction, caring for the young, hunting, defense, etc. Slave species workers mature from brood, usually pupae, gathered by the slave-making species during brood-robbing raids.
slave species - a species whose workers are used as host for a slave-making ant species. Slave species workers mature from brood, usually pupae, gathered by the slave-making species during brood-robbing raids. Slave species perform everyday tasks of the mixed colony, e.g. nest construction, caring for the young, hunting, defense, etc.
slavery - the use of a slave species for the survival of the colony.
soakstone - a material engineered and devloped by The AntsCanada Ants Store found in AntsCanada Habitat Nests. It is a cement-like material which is water absorbent, 100% mold resistant, safe for ants, and is the cutting-edge component to all products of the AntsCanada Habitat series. [See also Habitat Nest]
social ectoparasite - an extreme, workerless inquiline (permanent social parasite that has undergone specific morphological changes) that are totaly adapted to be carried by the host-queens (or host-workers.). They have great difficulty walking. Examples of social ectoparasites include the species Teleutomyrmex schneideri and Teleutomyrmex kutteri. [See also extreme workerless inquiline]
social parasite - describes a queen who does not begin her colony on her own but rather specializes in taking over a host colony, killing the resident queen, and taking the initial queen's place as the colony queen. Her biological young eventually make up the colony as her foster workers die away. Many social parasites have a specific host species. An example of a social parasitic ant is Lasius claviger.
social stomach - also known as the 'crop' where food is initially stored and processed before being fed to other members of the colony via mouth-to-mouth transfer [See also trophallaxis]
soldier - the larger caste of worker in polymorphic ant species, synonymous to the word 'major', which specialize in defense and duties requiring greater mandible power [see also major and polymorphism]
sp. (pl. spp.)- abbreviation used when the actual specific scientific species name cannot or need not be specified. The abbreviation "spp." (plural) indicates "several species". These are not italicised (or underlined). For example, "Camponotus sp." means "an unspecified species of the genus Camponotus", while "Camponotus spp." means "two or more species of the genus Camponotus".
species (pl. species) - one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are often used, such as similarity of DNA, morphology or ecological niche. Presence of specific locally adapted traits may further subdivide species into subspecies. In standard biological nomenclature, in the name Camponotus noveboracensis, "noveboracensis" is considered the species, while "Camponotus" is the genus, although when stating the scientific name of a species, it is a rule to state both the genus and the species and to italicize when in writing. [See also subspecies]
spermatheca - the organ where the queen stores sperm.
spiracles - openings in the body of many arthropods that allow for breathing. In ants, they are found on the propodeum, petiole, postpetiole and gastral segments.
ssp. (pl. sspp.) - abbreviation used to indicate an unspecified subspecies. Same as subsp. [See also subsp.]
stationary phase - a phase in which a colony rests in a fixed bivouac. The queen's gaster expands so she can lay a lot of eggs in a very short period. The brood is in the pupal stage. When the eggs hatch and the callow workers emerge, a new nomadic phase starts. This is commonly onbserved in ants belonging to the genus Dorylus, for instance.
stridulation - the production of sound in insects typically through the rapid rubbing together of body parts, e.g. wings in crickets
subsp. (pl. subspp.) - abbreviation used to indicate an unspecified subspecies. Same as ssp. [See also ssp.]
subspecies - (commonly abbreviated subsp. or ssp.) in biological classification, it is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, or a taxonomic unit in that rank. A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation. In other words, a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one. The differences between subspecies are usually less distinct than the differences between species, but more distinct than the differences between races or breeds. The characteristics attributed to subspecies generally have evolved as a result of geographical distribution or isolation. [See also species]
submajor - a caste of major worker ant in polymorphic ant species that is larger than an ordinary worker but smaller than an ordinary major. They are characterized by their large major-like heads. [See also major and polymorphism].
superior - in anatomy, describes being higher in place or position; situated above another
supermajor - the largest caste of worker ant in polymophic ant species that is larger than an ordinary major, characterized by its great size and extra large head. [see also major and polymorphism]
symbiosis - close and often long-term interactions between different biological species. In ants, an example of a symbiotic relationship include ants and ant woodlice, a small white crustacean found in ant nests. The ants benefit from the ant woodlice because the ant woodlice feed on ant feces and nest fungus, while the ants provide the ant woodlice shelter and protection. This example of symbiosis is known as mutualism, where both parties involved benefit form each other's existence. Commensalism is a symbiotic relationship where only one party benefits from the other's existence and the other party is unaffected or isn't significantly helped (e.g. the relationship between dung beetles and the elephants that excrete the dung). Parasitism is a symbiotic relationship where one party benefits from the other's existence while the other is negavtively impacted or loses (e.g. the relationship between dog and dog fleas).
taxonomy - the practice and science of classification. In biology, it refers to the scientific classification of organisms by biological type, e.g. genus or species.
Tenebrio molitor - the scientific name of the species of flour beetle whose larvae (known as the mealworm) is a common feeder insect for pet reptiles and birds. Many ant keepers feed them to ants.
termite gaster - a condition, coined by The AntsCanada Ants Store, describing a greatly bloated gaster of a queen ant due to being filled with eggs, especially during the founding stage. For ant keepers with a freshly caught dealate, it is a good sign that a queen has been successfully inseminated during nuptial flight. The technical term to describe a queen with termite gaster is 'physogastrism' [See also physogastrism].
test tube portal - original product invented, manufactured, and sold at The AntsCanada Ants Store which allows for the connection between two test tubes or between a test tube and a formicarium, outworld, or flexible tubing. The product allows for breathing due to a cotton plug.
test tube setup - housing commonly used by ant keepers to house captive dealates (young queens) in the founding stage of colony development. It consists of a test tube with a water portion sectioned off to the end of the test tube by a cotton ball, and the opening plugged with another cotton ball. When the cotton molds or the water runs out, then the queen and colony is moved to a new setup.
thermoregulation - the maintenance or regulation of temperature, specifically, the maintenance of a particular temperature of the living body. Ants thermoregulate by relocating themselves and the young to warmer areas when they are too cold and cooler areas when they are too hot, a process known as ectothermy [See also ectothermy].
tibia - the single segment connecting the femur to the tarsus on an insect's leg [See also femur and tarsus]
trachea - in invertebrates, refers to the open respiratory system composed of spiracles, tracheae, and tracheoles that terrestrial arthropods have evolved to transport metabolic gases to and from tissues. [See also spiracles and tracheole]
tracheole - a fine respiratory tube of the trachea of an insect [See also trachea]
trimorphic - in ants, describes a species that has a minor, major, and supermajor caste, e.g. Pheidole species
trochanter - the single segment connecting the coxa to the femur on an insect's leg [See also coxa and femur]
trophallaxis - the process of exchanging food, often in a liquid form, that is stored in the social stomach (crop), via mouth to mouth regurgitation and transfer between members of a colony.
trophic egg - egg that is mainly produced for food
trophic level - any class of organisms that occupy the same position in a food chain, as primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, etc
Uncle Milton Industries Inc - a company which manufactures and distributes a large line of toys and novelty products for housing living things. They are the creators of "Uncle Milton's Ant Farm", for which ants (usually a Pogonomyrmex or Messor species) are sent to the purchaser through the mail (just workers and no queen), upon receipt of the coupon enclosed with the ant farm. They also manufacture gelfarms under the product name "Antworks". Uncle Milton Industries Inc is based in Westlake Village, California, and has sold over 20 million ant farms since 1956 and which owns the brand name "Ant Farm". These types of formicaria are for observing worker ants and their effectiveness in serious ant propagation is limited. Uncle Milton ant products have yet to be accepted by the serious ant keeping community as a proper home for the healthy, long term rearing of ant colonies. [See also Antworks and gelfarm]
unfertilized - in ant keeping, describes being unmated or unsuccessfully inseminated
ventral - situated on or toward the lower, abdominal plane of the body; equivalent to the front, or anterior, in humans; of or pertaining to the venter or belly
white woodlouse - a tiny blind, eyeless white crustacean that lives in ant nests and feeds on ant droppings and fungus. Its scientific name is Platyarthrus hoffmannseggi and is also known as an ant woodlouse. They are only found in ant nests and rarely come above ground.
worker - caste of ant which are infertile daughters to the queen of a colony. They make up the majority of the colony and may or may not specialize in specific tasks including hunting/foraging, nest maintenance, nest contruction, dfense, nursing of young, etc
workerless inquiline - a permanent social parasite (known as an inquiline) without workers. When all the host-workers die, the colony disappears, e.g. observable in the species Myrmoxenus corsicus and Myrmoxenus adlerzi [See also inquiline].
xeric - of, relating to, or growing in dry conditions. Deserts are xeric environments. Xeric is one of a triad of terms to describe the amount of water in a habitat. The others are mesic and hydric. [See also mesic and hydric]
xerophilic - describes flourishing in or adapted to a hot dry environment. Cataglyphis bombycinus is among the most xerophilic of insects. [See also xerophilous]
xerophilous - describes flourishing in or adapted to a hot dry environment. Cataglyphis bombycinus is among the most xerophilous of insects. [See also xerophilic]
zoology - the scientific study of animals
Zoophobas morio - the scientific name of the species of darkling beetle, whose larvae are known by the common name 'superworm' or 'zophobas'. Superworms are common in the reptile pet industry. In the search for easy to raise insects to use as food for captive reptiles and amphibians, superworms quickly moved into the spotlight, and have been a staple feeder insect ever since. Many ant keepers feed superworms to their ant colonies.