Q&A for How to Catch Ants for an Ant Farm

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Question

How do you lure ants?

Shweta Sharma
Biologist
Shweta Sharma is a Biologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With nearly ten years of experience, she specializes in insect management, integrated pest management, insect behavior, resistance management, ecology, and biological control. She earned her PhD in Urban Entomology and her MS in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida. She also holds a BS in Agriculture from the Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Nepal.

Shweta Sharma

Biologist

Expert Answer

Leave a sugary liquid bait in a container near an ant colony for several hours. When you have enough ants, close the lid and transfer it to the ant farm.

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Question

What does a queen look like?

Joe Ruhe

Community Answer

A queen ant for will always be larger than the average ant. Some signs to look for are wings (this means she may not have mated yet, but still catch her just in case). Also look for an enlarged thorax (also could be known as the middle section of the ant) because she will have a lot more muscle from her wings being there. That also brings up another topic of when she tears off her wings, there will be scars left (the scars are just straight lines and are usually black, they are from the wings and are found on the thorax or middle section), also you will notice that she has an enlarged abdomen as well for this may also mean that she is fertilized (but not always).

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Question

Why does putting the ants in the refrigerator slow them down?

Community Answer

Insects are cold blooded, which means that they rely on their environment to regulate their body temperature. Ants cannot regulate their own body temperatures like humans and other mammals can, so their metabolic functions slow down in the cold. If left in the cold ants will either enter a dormant state or die.

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Question

Can an ant colony survive without an ant queen?

Community Answer

No, not for long. The queen is the only ant capable of reproduction, and most other ants live for only a few months.

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Question

Do only queen ants have wings?

Kieran Roper

Community Answer

Alates and new queens have wings. Queens should rip their own wings off after they settle down and start a colony.

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Question

How do I collect ants from my backyard if they don't live in an ant hill, but they live in a plant?

Community Answer

Try to find and catch the queen. The workers will follow.

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Question

I have just collected some wild red ants for my ant farm, but had to tip in the eggs they were looking after as well. Will this be okay?

J Cat

Community Answer

The queen will either eat the eggs due to stress when the workers bring them to her, or she will continue to nurture them, so yes, it is okay.

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Question

I found some ants outside can I just use paper to pick it up?

Joe Ruhe

Community Answer

Yes, paper would work, but a more suitable solution would be to use a glove or a container that they will crawl into. But if you were to use paper, just be sure not to squeeze too hard.

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Question

Can I attract ants to me instead of looking for them?

Community Answer

Of course. Just place a sweet substance like honey in the spot where you want to attract the ants -- they'll come soon.

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Question

Where can I get ants if I don't have any in my yard?

Caeiia

Top Answerer

You can go to just about any park, forest, or place with dirt that can easily be dug up. If you really want ants but can't find any, ant farms can be found online.

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Question

How do I know if a queen is fertilized?

Kieran Roper

Community Answer

They will have an enlarged gastor (butt), wing scars, a large build, and, if freshly impregnated, they will be wondering around aimlessly.

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Question

Can I add ants from different colonies to my farm?

Gabe

Community Answer

No. Ants from different colonies will fight (even if they are the same species), and will eventually kill each other.

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Question

How do I know which ant is the queen ant?

J Cat

Community Answer

There are several differences between workers and queens, here are just a few: larger thorax (middle section), larger gastor (butt), wing scars from where she removed her wings (although not all queens remove their wings), and she is often bigger than workers.

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Question

Do ants dislike lemon? I tried luring them with it but it didn't work.

Community Answer

I would really use something sweet like honey or just try to pick it up using a leaf or a rock in emergencies.

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Question

Where can I get an ant farm?

Joe Ruhe

Community Answer

You can build your own ant farm or buy one. A great place to get them is at AntsCanada.com.

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Question

Do I need a queen for an ant farm?

Anthony Jiang

Community Answer

You will need a queen if you want to keep ants on a long-term basis.

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Question

Is there any way to lure a queen ant out of its nest?

Community Answer

No, but you can catch a mated queen (looking for a nest) after their summer Nuptial Flights. They just need to be put in a test tube setup and left alone in the dark for awhile, and they will lay some eggs!

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Question

How do I keep from being bit?

Community Answer

Wear gloves. Not all species will bite or sting, but you should avoid red ants.

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Question

How do you find honey ants?

Community Answer

Honey ants can be found in Western America, Mexico, Australia, South Africa and New Guinea. When it comes to habitat, they are normally found in hot dry areas such as the edges of deserts. Honey ants mostly eat on desert flowers for the sugary nectar during the rainy seasons. They will also eat small insects.

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Question

I can't find ants no matter where I look. What should I do?

Andreaslag

Community Answer

Go to a nearby park and put ant food (bread, honey, chips) down. Wait 5-60 minutes. You should have ants then.

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Question

If the queen dies in my ant colony, will there be a new queen?

Community Answer

No. The queen ant has but one function in the colony: to reproduce. When the queen ant dies, the colony dies. The death of the colony will not be immediate, but it will slowly die off over time, as no new members will be added.

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Question

Can ants be found when it is raining?

Community Answer

No, they retreat into their homes and block up the entrance holes to stop the water from entering. They will come out when it is no longer raining, unless it's too cold, in which case they'll stay underground until it warms up enough.

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Question

Can I start an ant colony with just one queen?

AMRI LEONG LORONO Moe

Community Answer

Yes, you can, but it will take a month for the first colony of ants to mature.

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Question

If I find eggs and workers but no queen, will the eggs hatch?

𓆉

Community Answer

Yes. If there are ants, the eggs are likely fertile. Even if the queen wasn't mated, the egg would hatch into a male.

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