How to Raise an Ant Colony 101 | The Ultimate Guide to Keeping Pet Ants

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This is a full tutorial video on how to raise an ant colony from start to finish. Hope it helps you raise your own ant colony successfully. Ant keeping is a fun, educational, and rewarding hobby that inspires a love for nature, responsibility, and conservation. Ant love forever! This video was shot in 4K Ultra HD resolution. Special thanks to nature photographer and biologist Alex Wild for allowing his photos to be used in our videos. Check out his amazing nature photography and order some prints: www.alexanderwild.com #ants #antfarms #tutorial
Topics Covered:
2:12 - Getting Started in Ant Keeping
2:18 - What is a Good Beginner Ant Species?
3:17 - Ways to Get a Queen Ant
4:19 - Catching a Queen Ant During Nuptial Flight
5:38 - Test Tube Setup & Care
7:13 - How long until you get eggs/workers?
8:56 - Ant Diet
11:32 - Ant Farms
11:42 - The Dangers of Gelfarms
13:15 - Ant Barriers
13:42 - Ant Maintenance & Routine
14:44 - Ant Hibernation (for temperate ants)
15:29 - Why Keep Pet Ants?
Ant keeping gear featured in this video:
AC Hybrid Nest 2.0™ Camponotus: www.antscanada.com/shop/new-c...
AC Ant Tower™ Small: www.antscanada.com/shop/ant-t...
AC Test Tube Portal™: www.antscanada.com/shop/ac-te...
AC Outworld™: www.antscanada.com/shop/ac-ou...
AC Hybrid Nest™ Mini: www.antscanada.com/shop/new-h...
Basic AC Test Tube Pack™: www.antscanada.com/shop/ac-st...
AC Large Vinyl Tubing™: www.antscanada.com/shop/ac-la...
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Directed/Written/Filmed/Video Edited by AntsCanada
Executive Producer RJ Garcia
If you're new to the channel, catch up on your "AntsCanada Lore" with this playlist of the complete history of the ants of this channel: goo.gl/hVFxc2
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About AntsCanada.com: We believe ants are the most amazing creatures on the planet, and every new discovery about their micro world gives us some profound insights into the world around us and ourselves. Bringing the ant farm and love of ant keeping to a whole new level, we are dedicated to show the world the joys of keeping big and healthy pet ant colonies. Shipping worldwide since 2009, we are innovators of ant keeping products for ant lovers and museums alike.

[@AntsCanada]

Greetings, Ant Lovers/AC Family! Due to so many requests for tips on actual ant keeping, I decided that while I'm busy working on our Phoenix Empire's terrarium, I'd finally release this complete ant tutorial video to help you guys start your own epic ant colonies, so we can raise ants together! Anyone out there catch any queen ants this year? What ant species are you raising? Let us know!

[@Iconic00]

To the person reading this right now May all your dreams and wishes come true some day. Read my name

[@Iconic00]

Love the video

[@you1-hant]

Hi AC family! If you read this, i hope you have an really good day!

[@zeroglyph4979]

Im unlucky today, i cant find any ant queen today hahahaha

[@person5803]

Hey ac hope you see this but i just wanna say your vids are so good and keep up the work

[@myyboba4029]

others: *"Keeping up with the Kardashians"* me: *"Keep up with the Ants"*

[@chaitanyapendse6564]

Just Me true

[@DianeSturlinXX]

The Kardashians are non productive members of society, ants on the other hand... Are not only beneficial to our well-being but act as a community. Can't really say the same for the Kardashians!

[@noobi9768]

True

[@WetAdek]

Karda who?

[@kayoowi_7380]

@@DianeSturlinXX *My diamond earrings* 😭

[@samantharesma5775]

AntsCanada: **posts tutorial** Me: **aggressively grabs notebook**

[@thepenguin6429]

@@zacharyhay9896 who cares we watching ants

[@nightowlanimate7813]

ThePenguin64 Bruh i clicked the link and found out this "Zachary Hay" was just a bot

[@thepenguin6429]

@@nightowlanimate7813 really? I had that thought i have a idea comment test and see if he replies

[@jackiematanza2791]

@@zacharyhay9896 haha idiot bot made by idiot 6 yr old

[@Ave_Skye12]

Me to lol

[@Dexsting]

My 7 year old loves your videos. We got him a cheap ant farm to start and now will probably try to get something so it’s sustainable and not just 2 weeks digging.

[@splitfancycake9069]

Chad parents

[@ToEzKaIjUkInG]

@@splitfancycake9069fr

[@silkyzoid]

When I was 7, I started ant-keeping too, but I am german, so I wasn't able to understand these videos. Now that I understand englisch videos, I've found myself enjoying and rewatching those old videos I watched

[@ToEzKaIjUkInG]

@@silkyzoid I want an ant farm but my parents won’t let me bc they think the ants are gonna go every where

[@silkyzoid]

@@ToEzKaIjUkInG Tell them that you'll do your research and maybe wait 1 or two months and if you are still interestet by then, you'll get some ants

[@Scapularbore]

I have had my black crazy ants for 12 year's now and still going strong.

[@yesproductions5256]

Good for you!

[@grant8201]

How about you make a series lika ac

[@uncreativesammc7485]

Nice

[@anintrovert622]

How is the queen still alive? Correct me if I'm wrong but i thought queens only live a few years

[@mrkamater-kuner7296]

Good for you and i have a fire ant whos 2 weeks old and layed worker ants right now she just have 1 nanitic

[@remindertostayhydrated602]

Remember to stay hydrated today everyone!

[@nightowlanimate7813]

*slowly dying because of dehydration*

[@MWJ2003]

Ah yes, you earned a subscriber, I shall drink water until I get hyponatremia 👍

[@majorvonfertig1319]

Congrats you are an Meme

[@Old343]

Drinks water

[@dazaiswhore8789]

Tbh I do need to drink more water, I am now 10% more motivated

[@xzxplayz7741]

"The Secret World of Pets" Me: meh "The Secret World of Ants" Me: Oh yeah!

[@SeanNeedsTherapy]

Kool aid man: OH YEAHH

[@OliviaPlaysOffcial]

Me:umm ok

[@OliviaPlaysOffcial]

My little sister:i want to kill ants!!!!

[@OliviaPlaysOffcial]

Me:dont hurt ants!! Sis:but I want to:( Me:i said no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@nzreborn2365]

Hey sandy

[@jamesontheantkeeper7774]

You are the reason I love this hobby thanks 🙏

[@AntsCanada]

Thanks fot the support! #AntLoveForever

[@fiddlegaming402]

You deserve COEMS 🤑

[@jamesontheantkeeper7774]

@@AntsCanadaomg he responded

[@reptilekeepers.7848]

I remember the time from when the fire nation and golden empire was so young. So nice

[@mikeike3874]

Those were the days.

[@mrkamater-kuner7296]

Ye thos were the old times

[@socawarrior7994]

Who else thinks ants are so interesting.

[@undertalesans4932]

I do

[@jaelmatthew9354]

I just watch ants because it looks cool

[@pubggameplay8458]

I wouldn’t be watching ants Canada if I was fascinated by ants

[@Aki-kari]

Meee

[@hannahtan47]

I just watch him because it looks cool

[@theleader9180]

Me: *Interesting* Ants on my shoulder: 🤔Veryyy

[@itsgrey8135]

ant appears on my window *stares* *stares*

[@sonderapexie7602]

Ants on my leg 🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏿🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏽🏃🏽‍♂️🐜

[@edwardyeeto]

Ant foraging for the sugar I keep in the food cupboard: *guess I never had to do this anyways*

[@aliruida8642]

I bought nests from you a decade ago and outworlds. I love how pretty they were with the sand and pumice and glass frames. I understand the concept and cleanliness of the new nests but I miss how the old nests looked.

[@haruu9727]

The camera-ant is the real deal :>

[@rishikesh4117]

😱😱😱

[@alofii6106]

Me: **never gonna keep any ant colonies** Also me: **watches this**

[@respirez4472]

same i just learn

[@IceCubeNETWORK873]

You Should Start keeping ants! It’s very fun!

[@Draconfury1]

I doubt I will, at the moment I simply can't, but I love to watch his channel too

[@maxobakso123]

same ha

[@kiyoo3132]

Same

[@timeforacrusade9184]

Mikey: how to keep ants Me with 5 years of antkeeping experience still watching: hmm interesting.

[@g-ants7547]

same lol im only watching cuz hes my fav youtuber

[@shadowmario228]

Its so true

[@kahliaelijah]

@@zacharyhay9896 lol no

[@EpicGamer-zv3ck]

Zachary Hay bot

[@Shaepworick]

I just found 8 QUEENS! This is my first starting this hobby so I need to gather everything but I am so pumped! You’ve inspired me so much!

[@Henryfordisright]

I just found one so excited

[@440hurtz4]

Still at it at year 3. Im happy for ya.

[@italiaansekrab1902]

Good luck, normally cuz I do this for over 3 years I would give you some advice. But this video already did it 😅 I hope you're queens survive

[@channdpets8279]

When I was a kid I used to keep ants too. Very relaxing

[@Material_GrL]

Instead, i just deliver food to the colony near my yard, and sometimes, look for the queen to see the food and brood.

[@mariabria2671]

@@Material_GrL Me too I deliver food to ants everyday So cute

[@mrkrakychen5325]

AC: so every spring and summer... me: laughs in tropical country

[@mrfakharuddin4386]

yeah im in tropical country

[@IceCubeNETWORK873]

Me To! I’m from tropical Country!!!

[@dwayne7201]

Laughs in Floridian

[@Velvezz]

Me: laugh in indonesian

[@RainbowFlowerCrow]

Me: Cries in Canadian 😭

[@dumbsheep1134]

Me: **subscribed** Also me: **hopes he posts a tutorial** Antscanda: **posts a tutorial** Me: *_YESSSSSSSSSSSSS_* **flips table and grabs desk and aggressively takes notes**

[@volkano6991]

Hahah

[@williamoneswhannell1060]

Why are you taking notes when you can watch the video as many times as you like

[@_menacing]

Comments are so dramatic these days smh

[@towelmonki899]

Why did you flip a table then get a desk

[@dumbsheep1134]

Floof Flff Because it’s ant tutorial school, *duh.*

[@Waffles9255]

Thanks so much! I have been planning to have an ant colony for a long time. This will help a lot!

[@milliethechicken5725]

I did the hardest option finding a queen from a different company but it was extremely easy I found a very small colony with around maybe 50 or 30 ants i’m actually put them in a small chest tube set up and I talked at all of the workers and they are doing good right now!❤❤❤

[@levipowell6873]

"Start with whatever ants live around you" *me only seeing fire ants* ah yes, so it is agni kai

[@realskeppy3628]

Underated Comment

[@eyemoisturizer]

i don’t live near ants.

[@jacobi316]

Fire ant stings hurt

[@eyemoisturizer]

@@last.atlantean i am not kidding. there are absolutely no colonies

[@Just_Poncho]

Same

[@rounaksingh0]

I saw your one video recommended on 16th November and now today I made a ant colony home with a aquarium and decorated it with eggs rocks drift wood etc.... And placed it near by ant colony and from now I will regularly disturb those ant colony with lemon water so than they can migrate to their new colony .❤️👍 Tomorrow I will give update .... Thanks 🇮🇳 love from India Jharkhand.

[@JennTN411]

Did you stay with it? How are your ants?

[@armanzeminizadshahadi198]

me:founding a queen with wings me: still thinking that maybe that its just a flying ant =( Edit: its been 2 years I forgot I sent this comment and uh. I have a thriving colony of fire ants now :D

[@Arialovessyou]

Remeber queens have wings

[@trafalgarq805]

@@Arialovessyou queens might not have wings if they have mated and male alates also have wings

[@GlitchyfrogMusic]

There are only a couple flying ants on the world. Never miss a queen ;p

[@chonkos]

I thought a black queen was a gly, and killed it, now theres a hole on my heart.

[@chonkos]

@vercenary Ant workers

[@antivien8272]

I’m not first I’m not last When antscanada post I click fast

[@crazywitchbitch3334]

Same

[@EZ-D-FIANT]

I'm always here within an hour, like theirs some pheromone controling me 🤔.......

[@reynaldoray7539]

You’re thirst Still not first Remember that You should eat ants today

[@reynaldoray7539]

MrRabbit 👀👁👄👁👀

[@EZ-D-FIANT]

@•ΔMaskeΔ• "nice, it rhymes" says the mask In Replies "I'm not first" sounds rehursed And "I'm not last" Is way to fast But when its antscanidas post We all expect the most Of what any ant has to offer Because we all love Mikey And all his lil ant brother Whether we like to rhyme (y) Or just arrogantly dismiss It's all for the love of Ants, And maybe taking the piss.... 🐜😝👌👍👌😘

[@hulkplate3100]

AC: Any Ant Species outside your home is a good beginner ant! Me: **Solenopsis Geminata everywhere**

[@franksarmiento1399]

Me too selonopsis geminata everywhere!!

[@alexanderlambert295]

*Looks at bull ants around my house.* Yeah... about that....

[@alexleclaire2051]

@@alexanderlambert295 bullet ants

[@unga_bunga6004]

Fire ants

[@user-gr2wy8no3v]

It seems like all we have in Texas are these damn fire ants!

[@studentwork3522]

The resources quality they have Shows Self Respect, hard work.

[@donnosp3002]

I wanted an ant farm for probably over a year now and today fsm houndreds of ant queens were wandering over the streets ( and also in front of the house my house ) so i just caught one with a very spontanious test tube setup 😅 i hope everything will go well with my queen. Thanks for your cotent! Its ant love forever.

[@ziggyl5634]

*Me watching this even though I won’t get any pet ants anytime soon:* Hmmm, interesting...

[@zacharyhay9896]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKu6loB9rLtlp9U

[@indecisiveire1746]

Same

[@arandomcommenter6759]

Same

[@antivien8272]

Same till me 22 plus

[@chaitanyapendse6564]

Zachary Hay which website is this

[@oogway9895]

YES!!! just as I found a queen 2 weeks ago I needed this so much thank you

[@2_joshdaveterneda894]

Sad, i found one and i left it

[@oogway9895]

@@d0mb75 I'm sure you will find one some day :)

[@Hp-xk2dw]

What did you do to it in those 2 weeks???

[@oogway9895]

@@Hp-xk2dw test tube setup and left her alone, she has eggs already!!

[@dark____7391]

u should record it

[@normanschlongdongovic4124]

Ants is a good example of working hand in hand and honesty

[@reismw]

Congratulations, VERY well done video, thanks for sharing

[@paulnash6944]

Belle Delphine: I have the most simps! Pokimane: No, I have the most simps! *Amateurs...* What was that, punk? Every queen ant: AMATEURS!!!

[@mrfakharuddin4386]

this is THE BEST MEME EVER!

[@mrfakharuddin4386]

well it make me happy at least

[@IceCubeNETWORK873]

Kiryu Type3 no The Male ants During Nuptial Flights!

[@traumatizedcrabwithasombre419]

Kiryu Type3 it’s a joke way to ruin it

[@chisoltestation7560]

I have found a certain type of 🐜... I have s small video of it. She looks like a cross between a 🐝 and a Queen Black Crazy Ant. She has a sort of reddish or deep orange exoskeleton, like armor and stripped on her booty, lol. She looks lol. she could make herself more intimidating by stretching her legs to keep from being in danger. I want to know whatkind of Ghostrider babe she is... Help???? I wish i could post the video!!!

[@finneganmondaysmith9055]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, I need this for my friend!

[@johndee8760]

Hey antscanada! I love your channel and am here from the beginning! At i first saw you i got a colony of monomorium subobacum when i was in holiday in thailand. It was just 1 queen. I now have hundreds of thousands ants. ANTLOVE FOREVER!!!

[@dalamarhobbs]

Awesome! Thanks so much for all your knowledge!

[@kaiserxyozni4786]

Me who just got my ant queen: *furiously taking notes*

[@boop3550]

I've found around 20 and didn't keep them I just put then in different areas of garden.

[@gigglingsociopathh2911]

So, so, excited for you! My husband has told me I can't have any ant for any reason. He is fine with idea of spiders or anything else. Best of luck!

[@srinidhipadmanabhan]

Good luck starting your ant family

[@crazywitchbitch3334]

Relatable: 200%

[@oomska8946]

I got mine yesterday lol

[@ice-wu3bk]

My brain : you're not gonna keep ants right? Me:ye My brain: watch this Me: why My brain : cuz you like AC Me: k

[@liam_er]

Me

[@olivinebalili6138]

You play minecraft

[@ice-wu3bk]

@@olivinebalili6138 i like your cut ,g

[@silaibunaididi5037]

Thank you AC family for this vedio this was very helpful to raise my ant colony I am just a beginner .So this vedio help not only me but to also many other ant colony beginner like me .Thank you so much for the vedio I really liked it 👍👍👍😀

[@tommidrab83]

Oh wow your website/store sounds like a great idea !!! ❤❤❤

[@shakmp4]

Watching this in 4K is just PERFECT

[@TheSucram729]

I live in Australia and I’m thinking of keeping green headed ants when I’m older. They can’t climb up smooth surfaces but they have painful stings and many aussies watching this can probably relate to the pain we felt in primary school when we were outside and one crawled on your leg

[@WalnutAnimations]

Most harmless animal in Australia

[@heisenburger1899]

I suggest keeping bull ants since they’re very common there

[@TheSucram729]

@@heisenburger1899 yeah bull ants are cool I’ve been thinking of those too

[@colinsgarage9301]

I’m waiting for August to get Black Garden Ants, this is so nice!

[@Rip_D._One]

Thx so much ants Canada! I need skills on ant keeping! This video really helped! I'm buying a colony to raise! You deserve a great subscription rate!

[@themustardman3801]

No one: Literally everyone when ants Canada uploads: To the Comments!!

[@Person-rz1ur]

People who don’t but look at the comments after the video: Um yeah about that...

[@atlas1924]

Actually not that many people do that

[@Avang9705]

AntsCanada: **Bumps Table** **Tank Of Ants Falls** Ants: WERE FREE!!

[@plasticmotion578]

I have ordered a suger ant queen don’t worry it’s from my country and when it’s there I might already be in love with it thanks for the tips It really helped out a lot

[@siroglethorpe311]

I was in my backyard when I saw an ant hill. I sat down and literally spent 2 hours watching them. It was about 2 and a half hours ago. I want to keep ants now

[@brem5096]

The noptual flight is when all the virgin queens fly out followed by males to get their new colony started. The queen will come down and find the perfect spot , the male however sadly dies. I recognize this when i see loads of them flying around followed by birds trying to catch them. I managed to get a queen now (finally) and now got about 5-7 worker ants helping her! So excited 🙌

[@reptilecare5394]

I think it’s interesting to see new behaviors in North American ants, where I live in northern Ontario I watched a colony of ants start tending to a sun flower in a sun flower patch I planted near by, I saw them making little rooms drinking sap or what ever comes from the stem of a sun flower, aswell it seemed to improve the plants growth rate as it was the only flower to successfully bloom but not seed, after blooming the ants kept one room for taking the liquid from them stem and then collecting pollen(I think among other tasks), and I have never seen this behavior again, sadly before being able to document what I’ve seen we got hit with a few frosts and they went into hibernation, however I’m going to try and plant sun flowers in the same location and see if they repeat this behaviour or if they were taking advantage of how this sunflower grew, aswell as another behavior change I’ve noticed is the presence of 2 or more queens, aswell as two environmental changes I think might play a part aswell, over the last couple years it’s been significantly hotter during the summer and the arrival of an ant species I’ve never seen until a few years ago, I’m not sure what it is but it’s very small and is clearish brown in colour, and seem to either have a massive nest or just hundreds of nests around in the sandy soil

[@OfficialDiscoStudios]

My goodness all that typing for 1 like and no replies

[@fortnitebattlepass723]

I just got a ant colony because of you!! You are a big inspiration!!

[@shanefrancisslade9538]

yoo ac I just got a ant queen and bought some of your strucures for ants love your work

[@davidnorton8747]

This video blessed me with luck. I found a queen the day after I watched

[@anonymoususer4412]

How is your colony doing?

[@davidnorton8747]

@@anonymoususer4412 i think I did something wrong cuz the queen died before she could start a brood

[@Leomaxv]

I find one before but think it was a soldier ant because in a movie soldier have wings

[@trickyman3242]

Same

[@trickyman3242]

My queen is just kinda broke her wings off now so I think she’ll lay her eggs

[@osmosisjones4912]

Has anyone tried communicating with them giving a series of taps or lights to associate with things

[@chicken5761]

No and I don’t think I shall

[@antivien8272]

Osmosis Jones no

[@Person-rz1ur]

Sounds potentially dangerous

[@rommdan2716]

The gods shouldn't never reveal our existence

[@TuffyDK]

Very nice video - Thanks man, Love it 🙂

[@wabrules345]

That was really helpful. Thanks.

[@Tristan____]

Been waiting for this!

[@jamespackham7874]

thank you this helped so much just realised all the mistakes i made when i was starting up

[@JJ-kd5xp]

Thsi is the best channel i have ever seen love your viedeos you make everything so interresting that you just want to start such a hobby

[@UDimwit]

Thanks for the heads up and info.. sounds like it could be interesting since ants can be seasonal, which would make it easier for me in australia.. though i would be looking at a small farm.. nothing overly grown and dont want ants to get out of control in the area...

[@seanoleary1095]

I think ants are so cool!! Thank you so much for introducing me to the world of any keeping!!

[@Shemwow]

This is so helpful, I have two queens and am not sure when to expect the eggs to become workers and how to feed them. Can I feed them nuts of any kind?

[@thegremlinz4214]

Hey! Because of your channel I have bought my own ant queen, two weeks ago and she just arrived two days ago and she’s already laying her brood. I will be starting a KZbin channel aswell, as this interests me beyond measure. Thanks for the inspiration

[@kitsuneWC]

You never made any vids 😞

[@riverthomas3032]

Definitely gonna try and start a colony. Also checked your site and I knew my local exotic store started selling ants in the last few months. I didnt know you sourced them though!! Definitely gonna stop by there

[@AntsVienna]

Finally an ant keeping tutorial - thank you for coming back to the basics! :)

[@grexodus5493]

Yes, been waiting a long time for this... a high quality tutorial like your own! that is it!

[@markmonster8748]

Totally, back to the roots

[@AntsVienna]

@@grexodus5493 Thank you. Well many of us have been inspired by him, so was I, to a certain extent :)

[@AntsVienna]

@@markmonster8748 This will surely help a lot of ant keepres all over the globe out ;)

[@IceCubeNETWORK873]

What a Surprise! I Was just scrolling through the comments then spotted you! I’m Subscribed to you!

[@carolinebrett8816]

Me: watching ant videos in bed Also me: why is my back itchy?!

[@SargentJhonsen]

Thank you for sharing you're information on how to take care of my ants. I'm currently doing research on how to keep my ant alive and happy, feeding, the whole thing. I'm most likely going with 3 choices of ants in my area witch are the black carpenter ant, fire ants, black garden ants. Thank you for making all you're videos and guides it has helped me a lot!!!

[@karuneshmehta9161]

Kill fire ants!!!!!

[@momstealer1123]

Is it going well

[@thehobbist5544]

If you like low mantience ants and dont mind waiting, go for a black carpenter queen. If you want to see the colony grow to a huge size quickly, while also needing maintance almost every other day, fire ants. And if your looking to budget/not spend alot on formacariums and such then go for those garden ants.

[@ecvid]

Thank you for your help!

[@K_I_S_G]

Nuptial flight: Is when a colony is mature and new male and female larvae start to develop wings to seek out ants from other colonies to mate with. Virgin queens (alates) will then mate with males from other colonies to start a new one of there own. It is the key phase of the ants life cycle and there survival. Mature ant colonies will repeat this cycle at the right time of the year, this would also include the correct weather (rain ect..). Really love your videos keep up the good work.

[@mohb.4728]

AC question of the week: A nuptial flight is a flight, where Virgin queen alates mate with multiple male alates before landing to start a new colony.

[@ProCreeper-wu2do]

:( my comment didn't even get a like ;(

[@pugsondrugsl2720]

I just subscribed and i have a BIG bug phobia but watching these videos has really made me want an ant farm so i think I'm going to try..... Thanks

[@reddyvariswaroopa2983]

Ants canada : Do not disturb the queen for 3 to 4 DAYS. Me : me to my queen everyday👀 peek a boo! ANT LOVE FOREVER! 🐜

[@cedgamingph]

hahaha, me too, I just can't help it!

[@holaluna7363]

Please try. Ants can die by stress and Queen can kill the eggs because of stress. This is very important.

[@jdzaznimate730]

14 min ahhh Me:*sweat aggressively* 334 *comment* Me: How da hell are u so quick

[@arandomcommenter6759]

Bruh just hit the notification bell

[@antivien8272]

Same

[@copperhead5858]

sound a bit like you wanted to be _first_

[@advancedbeing5407]

I keep finding Solenopsis Invicta queens and they are everywhere

[@TheSleepyPP]

Kill them all

[@joger3562]

Lol not worth keeping them they grow to fats and they sting unless you have money and you can afford to keep adding more space the Sure keep them but you will have to freeze them eventually because they are invasive if your in any part of the world except South America you can keep them

[@etrnlygr8tful]

Advanced Being why not capture them, grow a colony and sell them through AntsCanada's GAN program

[@TheSleepyPP]

@@etrnlygr8tful cause they are highly invasive and have wiped out millions of native ant colonies

[@prayingmantis4948]

@@TheSleepyPP good point. I was about to say don’t kill them they are important

[@HenryDaly-mz1gj]

Hi just got a new colony and this is helpful

[@Alex1A547]

i caught a messor structor queen while i was ant hunting near a lake and this tutorial really helped me i found my queen in february 28th.

[@thehobbist5544]

How did the colony turn out?

[@Alex1A547]

@@thehobbist5544 dead, a year later, infertile, somewhere in the world being a dead queen

[@thehobbist5544]

@@Alex1A547 aww, sorry bro. I hope you catch a fertile one this year!

[@Alex1A547]

@@thehobbist5544 im actually suceeding alot now!, i have 1 tetramorium caespitum colony and 2 tapinoma colonys with 1 camponotus cecconi colony and i have a bunch of messor queens that all layed egges, no big colonys yet but hopefully this summer, happy nuptial flight season by the way!

[@ryewwe]

The Nuptial flight is a super important phase in the life cycle of a Queen Ant. It’s the period of time that the Queen leaves the nest and mates with males in order to found a new Colony or in some cases to continue an already existing one. Keep calm and Ant on!

[@KyleKaiser7]

Answer to AC Question: When male and female ants, known as alates, leave their colonies in search of mates. After the mating process has occurred, the male will pass away and the female will start a new colony.

[@madhumishra2329]

Bruh

[@mrkamater-kuner7296]

Bruh i know that

[@ben-lu4jk]

I hav question i want atta species (leafcutter) colony but their queen its huge its better me to create then in a pot or in a common test tube in the start?

[@icamehomewiththemilkson3618]

@@ben-lu4jk they dont need a test tube since it wont really work for their fungus gardens just a small square glass with soil and a nice place to nest is good

[@ben-lu4jk]

@@icamehomewiththemilkson3618 ok tysm

[@joshuaveigar9230]

Im going to make my ant colony. Thank you so much. From Philippines.

[@antshawaii9755]

Thank you antscanada you really helped me take care of my queen and also now I have my KZbin channel

[@antsnz6241]

You are my inspiration of keeping ants! I have a possible ant colony at my park across the street. I have finally managed to convince my parents to let me keep ants as pets. Thanks for the inspiration and ideas/tips!

[@OllyAv89]

I've always wanted ants now I know how thanks!

[@Joseperez-oz7to]

I am sitting outside in my backyard and I saw some aunts right next to me, I felt some tingling in my right hand and just blew on it and blew an aunt away….. then I realized how interesting those little creatures are. The ones in my backyard are so chill

[@torisworld428]

Wow! What a cool little animal! Im going through some kind of mental metamorphosis where every animal that used to scare me is becoming more and more fascinating everyday snake discovery has helped me conquer my fear of snakes and now I'm all about bugs, I plan to keep many different animals one day, but not until I can provide perfect care to each one and I'll get them one at a time, I think maybe the 2nd animal I'll be getting is gonna be a red ant colony super beautiful ants!

[@Kaylee-Bear]

I really want to get into ant keeping at some point. Luckily, I have enough patience and empathy to just let ants crawl on me, so I'd probably easily get a queen once I identify her. Fun story: in elementary, I often got put in time out during recess. I'd just sit there and let ants crawl on me. Most of them were black ants, but some were fire ants! They didn't even bite/sting me! So yea, I now love ants.

[@something6141]

Nice I feed near by colonies, but I used to use mainly bread now it's sweet stuff and sometimes steak left overs

[@whitepride9153]

when u were in elementary i sneeked up to ur bed and secretly smelled ur feet while u were asleep

[@diegoepicgamer3108]

Same ant keeping is sounds so much fun

[@SpitfireKitty]

I have a some questions still that you touched on, but need more clarification. 1. In the test tube state, so I need to change out the cotton ball that holds back the water so it doesn't mold, and how would I so that without stressing the colony? 2. Is overcrowding an issue? Like if I have too many ants in the test tube in the beginning, would they having little space to move hurt them? 3. I think for my first colony, when they're pretty big, I want to have a terrarium connected to a no dig nest, so that the terrarium is like the outside and the no dig is the nest. But would they move their nest to the terrarium if I did that? 4. What's the best jelly to feed them? 5. Are black carpenter ants native to Texas, and what are their nuptial flight times? I forgot my last question, but if I remember, I will edit.

[@HarpieSummers]

He mentions you can setup another test tube with a watered cotton ball and attach it with tape, but it’s important to let fresh air in daily. I get that it seems stressful for the colony but it seems like that’s mostly an issue during the brood phase and once the queen has viable worker ants they’re probably a lot stronger and more comfortable. Idk tho, I’m just going off my interpretation of the video. I’m actually about to do this to my first colony tonight, so if anyone thinks I’m wrong plz lmk

[@sammy_sand_utubeyt6901]

1. A little bit of mold is fine but you need to swap it out if roughly the whole surface area of the cotton is moldy 2. Probably not much of an issue, as they typically have a small founding chamber at the start of the colony. He recommends moving them to an actual ant nest at around 50-100 workers. 3. They probably would move into the terrarium if it's moist/wet, heavily decorated, and diggable. 4. He did a test on favorite flavors of jelly, if that's what you're asking. I can't remember the result. 5. Yes black carpenter ants are native, and have nuptial flights in late spring/early summer Hopefully you see this lol

[@danielmacadamia5010]

Hi I am a new subscriber I love your vids this one really helped my queen ant thanks 😊💗

[@Jennywren-wh4yp]

I love learning about this kinda thing I can't do it because of my pup but its still really cool .

[@jloucherry9169]

I have actually been inspired to raise beetles, after watching your Beetle videos! I have been doing a ton of reading in to it, and am planning on attending the local Exotic and reptile expo, and see if I can't find some grubs :)

[@mrhydration7066]

The OG antscanada tutorials are back 😁

[@chrisbammer8679]

I caught a camponotus queen a few nights ago and I checked on her today and she's laid about 6-8 eggs, I'm so exited!

[@joseangelortiz6088]

Really cool I always wanted to start an ant farm as a child but never had the resources now me and my nephew get to do this together

[@American-Plague]

Same here. Pre- internet I would try to dig an ant nest up and find the queen. This is much more simple! Lol!

[@jengapiece9266]

What a nuptial flight is, is when virgin queens and males from different colonies fly out and mate with other virgin males and queens of the same species.

[@jessegrove5456]

Add Antlions to the terrarium as a natural, slow feeding, awesome predator.

[@freerider8737]

Slow feeding?? My ant lions are nuts 😂

[@coffee8413]

Hi I love your video so much! And pls never give up❤️❤️❤️

[@cedgamingph]

I finally got my hands on a big Red Crazy Ant queen, though, I need to check on her often, because the house is infested with Ghost Ants that might raid my test tube, maybe I'll buy a test tube set up from your store in the future, that one you're using on the Woodland Warriors, Ant Love Forever!

[@JenB1210]

I clicked right on the notification

[@rickvangraan6325]

yay

[@ZombieFeathers]

AC Question: A nuptial flight is when male and female alates emerge from their nest to fly and mate

[@hazaelalvarado9550]

Thanks for all the cool videos

[@Inverts4Introverts]

Just giving my first cologne ifs fist drop of syrup and they seem so happy to have it! With only 4 workers I thought it was too early but one was determined to tunnel through the cotton stopper so I fed them.