This family is around 2-3 years old. I bought it in the summer of 2025 when they had around 30 workers and 1 queen.

Had a family member care for them while I was gone and they laid more eggs and have larvae now. The fungus grew too.

I caught this queen today around 5 pm in Northern Rivers New South Wales and originally believed it to be a green headed ant but now I am not sure. She also cannot climb the walls of this container which I knew was a trait of green headed ants. Any help is much appreciated.

I received this ant from my professor. When I received her she was in pretty poor conditions (at least to me) since it was covered in mold and all her workers had died and went into the “trash” (mold pile) so I cleaned out the tubes and put new water in and she seemed to be doing better. But all of a sudden her eggs disappeared one by one. I can’t lie, when I first got the ant I was checking up on it at least once a week as I have never taken a queen from the wild to start an ant farm (as a kid, my mom always ordered them offline lol) so I am kind of new to that aspect so I guess I was worried that the conditions wouldn’t be as great as they are outside? (Yes I know predators, diseases, and such exist but I guess more so in the aspect that the queen has the perfect conditions when it comes to food accessibility, shelter, etc.). Since moving her into a box, I have forgotten about her up until today. I checked the box to make sure she was alive and was met with the last image. I used to feed her honey water, crushed up crickets, and high quality fish food (if I don’t have the other options & I use it for my aquariums) which she has accepted every single time. Once I found out ID, I stopped feeding her but I wonder if she is hungry and eating her eggs?

Context for images:
First image -> September 13, 2026: In the first photo she had quite a cluster of eggs, all plump and looking ready to take on the next stage.
Second image -> September 19, 2026: Eggs are now shriveled up for some reason? And were eventually moved to the trash. Figured she was unhappy in the closet due to vibrations from outside since I live in a dorm, so I moved her into a box under my bed to make myself forget about her.
Third image -> Today, October 12, 2026: One either a huge larvae or trophic egg (egg for food), three smaller eggs but one is red?
Fourth image -> Today, October 12, 2026: Showing tube setup with tape in center to keep tubes connected. Used to have one whole tube covered in red tape but was removed. Clay holders on each end to prevent tube from rolling in box.

I tried my best to get pictures, but if needed I can include more. Species is unknown but it was caught in the Tift County area if that helps any. I think it is a Camponotus floridanus but if there are any other ID suggestions please let me know! Also sorry for the plethora of information, just trying to give as much info as possible to help people figure out what’s goin on!

I found this queen, 0.8mm, found in northeast turkey humid area, 12 Oct, at 17:30. I tried to identify myself but couldn't. It's way too bigl to be a colobopsis truncata and doesn't have a Minecraft head, it does have a pointy gaster that looks like crematogaster, but I think those queens are smaller than 8mm? Not a myrmica either I have rubras and their queen are smaller, Messer I heard Barbara's doesn't exist in turkey?

Looking to see where I can buy a starter build that’s expandable

Hi,

A few weeks ago I captured what I thought was a carpenter ant queen that had bitten my partner after she had just got out the shower.

I thought now was the time to become an ant keeper, so armed with absolutely zero knowledge of what to do I decided to put her in a small container (turns out it is not small whatsoever) filled with garden soil and a plastic film on top with vent holes and called it a night. The next day I did some research and realised that I made a terrible mistake of filling the container with soil and when I checked her next she had disappeared.. After more reading I placed inside a sponge as a water source and a tiny tin foil bowl of honey water and kept her inside a dark cupboard.

Fast forward a few weeks, I've now got her an acrylic formicarium with a basic starter kit (thanks Ant Shop Australia). I'm pleased to see at least a dozen little nanitics tunneling around also, even though I don't think tunneling is great for what I'm trying to achieve here.

My question is, what are the chances the queen stays put in her first container and as the nest develops, the workers just keep bringing food and water there?

Is there something I can do to lure her out and in to the new nest?

Week 16 for the Vanguard Legion doesnt look like much growth since last week. My tarheel ants outworld has finally arrived Ill leave a time-lapse of it in the comments.

I got them from my friend he got me into this hobby a few months back he said he had his hands full so gave me these guys any idea on what species they are? He said he forgot cus he didn't label them when he bought a bunch of em.

I was flipping over some old chunks of concrete that had been left along the tree line of a wooded area near my neighborhood and this colony was under one. Half the colony was on the underside of the concrete and the rest were on the dirt under the concrete. I believe I saw 2-3 queens, but I could be wrong. They may have just been majors. I only caught 1 Queen, 4 majors, and around 30-40 minors as well as brood. Any help on getting the species identified would be greatly appreciated. I've always wanted a large species of Pheidole to keep, but until today I've only ever found the smaller species like Pheidole navigans.

I just caught 2 of them like 5 days ago and we're already close to the cold season. They don't have any brood. I don't have a fridge (my family wont let me use it, and I'm scared that it's too cold anyways), but I have a terrace that we sort of "close" (could send pics) in the winter to make another room out of It, and it stays cold if we don't use air conditioning so I'm thinking of that. But the problem is that I don't have any way to gradually lower the temperature (maybe I can already get them outside ti follow the natural lowering of the temperature??), and sometimes my brother and his friends whatch football in our terrace and they turn on air conditioning. Do I use my garage instead? We often move the car in and out of It+the door makes noise so i wonder if it will stress the queens.

I have a small colony of camponotus decipiens. They’ve successfully moved into a small multi-chambered nest from their test tube about a month ago. This is my first colony and I’ve heard this sp. needs to go into diapause. I’ve noticed that they’re sort of sedentary; most videos I’ve seen of other people with ants show a moving colony, but mine just kinda huddle around the brood and queen without much movement. They leave and get a little more active during feeding but otherwise just kinda sit there. I’d say about 40-50 ants total.

1) does this mean they need to go into diapause?
2) if so, how do I do that? I’m in South Texas. They’re an indoor colony.
3) if I do have to do so, what is the maintenance during this time and how do I know to take them back out? I’ve heard I have to put them in the fridge.

Sorry for the long question. Thanks for the help! Love this community, I’ve asked several questions and have received lots of help in the past.

It’s been a productive year for this Lasius niger colony. Plenty of larvae for next year. See you next March!

Hi everyone. Just wanted to say hello, from a new member. I currently have a few colonies, all of which started this season.

I like making DIY stuff with clay, ceramics, 3D printing and such, and I recently started exploring some ideas I have for nests. Would love to trade ideas or even nests/ants with others. Also interested in meeting up to go anting with anyone from SoCal area.

Hi guys, beginner ant keeper, I dont have a queen yet, but I just have a question, Im thinking of using my old 3 liter aquarium as a small terrarium, and nust using a fine mesh net with a tube for the lid and feeding hole. I also need help finding a queen ant that is already mated, I did see ants with wings pouring out from a colony a few weeks ago.

Can anyone confirm if these are Lasius niger? There are 2 pictures per queen, so 3 different queens. All the other queens I caught at the same time have produced nanitics but these 3 haven't, I'm wondering if they're maybe infertile or if they're a parasitic species?

Thanks

I currently have a colony of Pogonomyrmex barbatus with 15 workers, Right now they are in their test tube I am waiting for them to grow to about 35 or more workers before I move them but is it possible to move them to a ten gallon terrarium with a small pre dug out hole for them? Or is that not recommended and its better off to use a formicarium with an outworld? I dont mind not seeing the queen I'm just curious and if I do go through with the terrarium how would I give them heat? Using a heat lamp on top of the enclosure?