Post Ayd3yBHezHjZP0NGca by futurebird@sauropods.win
(DIR) More posts by futurebird@sauropods.win
(DIR) Post #Ayd1ATakRfennOTR7g by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-27T10:15:37Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Book Review"The Ant Collective: Inside the World of an Ant Colony" by Armin Schieb If you love insects, nature or ants you should get this book. It's dense with diagrams and illustrations that cover every aspect of the lives of wood ants, the famous ants of temperate forests who build pine needle mountains and have massive colonies. Kids can enjoy the illustrations but this isn't a book made just for kids. The anatomy diagrams are some of the best I've seen.https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691255927/the-ant-collective?srsltid=AfmBOorRyGG8EJYejq5fD0dGgF2A4l5ZXWys2_zjzOMr1d3u6Nakl9ha
(DIR) Post #Ayd1bBZxWYzZkUqBns by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-27T10:20:26Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
The illustrations are carefully crafted digital drawings and very accurate. A lot of care went into making this book. I kind of wish I could have grown up with it, at first just enjoying the images, then reading more and more of the details and captions to discover the secrets of these very common but amazing ants. The ants features in the book are from the forests of Europe, but you can find similar species in the pacific northwest. Five Stars! Excellent Book!
(DIR) Post #Ayd1kQrU4aTdkmRmAi by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-27T10:22:06Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Would love to see another book like this about other charismatic species. Weaver ants?Leaf cutters?So many ways to expand on this idea.
(DIR) Post #Ayd2y76yOslsVXmOjA by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-27T10:35:47Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
This is a great gift. Get it for the kids you know, get it for your partner, get it for you mom. Buy ten and give them to everyone.
(DIR) Post #Ayd3VeIC3U3GyO1DM0 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-27T10:41:44Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@hi_cial If you mean the green "Uncle Milton" farms of mail order fame those were harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, specifically. These ants can be shipped without much issue as they are very hardy and they can live on seeds making them easier to feed than ants that require insect protein or live prey. They also have a nasty sting. But, you need to really ask for it to get stung (unlike fire ants who will just sting you by way of saying "how's it going?")
(DIR) Post #Ayd3gKnGtKGBgTeNhg by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-27T10:43:46Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@hi_cial But that was the age of mail order ants in the back of comic books. I think if you live in the US it's much for fun to keep carpenter ants. You do need to give them bugs to eat, which can be a deal-breaker for some, but they don't sting so you can interact with them more. It's possible to keep many other species. Learning about your local ants and how to raise them is part of the hobby!
(DIR) Post #Ayd3r49x4qX9HONNse by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-27T10:45:42Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@hi_cial Oh... I would NOT recommend trying to keep wood ants as pets. Generally speaking field ants do very poorly in captivity. They are creatures of the forest and have very complex needs (for example many antkeepers discovered their colonies of wood ants wouldn't thrive unless supplied with pine needles and resin)Also their colonies are massive. So unless you have an "ant room" you don't have enough space to really let them thrive.
(DIR) Post #Ayd3yBHezHjZP0NGca by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-27T10:46:54Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@hi_cial Some ants can sting, some cannot. All ants will try to bite, but only a few have a bite that would cause pain for a human.
(DIR) Post #Ayd43M0kWzwK7VvnKS by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-27T10:47:56Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@hi_cial The First Law of Antkeeping:"If you open a container that has ants in it then ants will come out of it."
(DIR) Post #Ayd4K7GcbOzXJcLdom by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-27T10:50:57Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@hi_cial Also some species of wood ants are protected species in many countries in Europe. It is illegal to keep them as pets. (not all species, so it is possible to legally keep wood ants, but it's "advanced antkeeping" in my book, and you'd get as much enjoyment from a carpenter ant species, and they'd be much happier)
(DIR) Post #Ayd4V2wB2ZUf4Xzt56 by beatricejess@masto.bike
2025-09-27T10:52:52Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Fabulous!!!Thanks for the job!
(DIR) Post #Ayd4X3MiQ6OsylMpf6 by freequaybuoy@mastodon.social
2025-09-27T10:53:17Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @hi_cial Presciant
(DIR) Post #Ayd66eCfY6lLJsCkam by babiak@fe.disroot.org
2025-09-27T10:55:56.780764Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird would you happen to have some advice for EU folks looking to get into this hobby? eastern europe if it matters.
(DIR) Post #Ayd66fV8iv8DLRr11M by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-27T11:10:54Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@babiak I always suggest by learning about the common ants in your area. Find out their species and see which ones interest you. There are some good ant shops in Europe (especially Germany for some reason) that have nest boxes and out-world and sometimes sell queens. But it's also possible to collect a wild queen once you know when they fly. Starting a colony from scratch gives you the best opportunity to observe interesting ant behaviors.
(DIR) Post #Ayd6M0KNZcakHT8LmS by futurebird@sauropods.win
2025-09-27T11:13:43Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@babiak Also when you start with a founding queen and watch her raise her first eggs you don't need a lot of supplies. For many species all you need are some glass test tubes, cotton balls and water. You don't even need food for the first weeks. Founding queens can fail so it's a good idea to get two or three and put each one in a test tube. Check that you have a "Fully Claustral" species. It's very important to know the species so you provide the right care.
(DIR) Post #Ayd6QQtcjbadq7jMky by Klara@drupal.community
2025-09-27T11:14:29Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @hi_cial the inverse is true too, if you have food in pharao ant country.Long ago we went camping and there were only 10 tents in a camping ground that should have had 100. We were lucky that we used 2 little tents, one for luggage and one for us, because by morning there were 5 dark highways from rather far away towards the other tent.The only type of container they never got in, was the choco pot and the jam jar. But opening it with hundreds under the rim 😏
(DIR) Post #Ayd86pA30aHDDFBrtY by Nobodyknows789@mastodon.social
2025-09-27T11:33:20Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Seriously, some ants have agriculture...how can you not be fascinated by them?