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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 22:33:30 GMT 1
I am, once again, hoping to capture a colony of Formica rufa this spring. I have read that, in the spring, queens often come out and stand on top of the nest to heat up in the mornings, so if I can collect queens then, I won't have to damage a nest. Has anyone kept this species before? If so, have you been successful? What are their requirements? The setup I had in mind was a tank half filled with soil, with plenty of pine needles available, perhaps with a half buried lump of rotten wood.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 22:39:17 GMT 1
I'll be honest here.
Formica rufa is one of the hardest species to keep. Why? They create nests that regulate heat to the degree, and the mounds are essential. Small colonies can start up fine, but once they hit the mark where the colony starts producing hundreds, the colony will begin to fail as they need the woodland environment to sustain themselves.
I really wouldn't waste my time trying (Though I couldn't even if I wanted to).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 22:41:49 GMT 1
Is it not possible to keep the colony relatively small?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 22:48:46 GMT 1
Well to keep it small I guess you could kill some the brood , or not give them much food.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 22:53:30 GMT 1
Is it not possible to keep the colony relatively small? Not really. :/ They are built to become massive colonies. I would suggest some red Camponotus or other Formica if you like them. Sorry.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 23:00:54 GMT 1
I would love to keep Formica rufa myself as well as you but it is so hard. The thing that Limes said about the heat regulation and also the fact that these ants are quite big and travel up to 3km in search of food and nesting materials. If the you do keep a colony and get it past the mark that Limes was talking about it would be like keeping a medium sized army ant colony, consuming at least a hundred insects a day may be more. But there might be a way around this; you could build a huge set-up for them running around your house or if you live next/near a forest with Formica rufra colonies near by you could lead a fairly large tube outside and the ants could go out foraging from there. Just my thoughts on this. Thanks
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 23:03:31 GMT 1
But then they may find a suitable place in the forest and escape from the house.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 23:04:30 GMT 1
They would, too.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 23:09:16 GMT 1
Put some sort of mesh on the end of the tube so that only workers could fit out and in?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 23:10:05 GMT 1
They carry massive insects into the nest..
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 23:13:16 GMT 1
They would learn that they cant fit the insects through the mesh so they will chop the insect up as if the insect is already inside the nest. Ive seen my ants do this even though they are not Formica rufra but im sure ant brains arnt to different.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2012 0:21:02 GMT 1
Thanks for your help everyone. I will reconsider collecting a colony.
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