How To Raise An Ant Colony

A brief guide on how to look after a captive ant colony.
MY WEBSITE / SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Linktree - linktr.ee/jordandeanfilms
Watch More Ant Keeping Tutorials Here - • Ant Keeping Tutorials
VIDEO CREDITS
Written, narrated, filmed and edited by Jordan Dean.

[@oyshinabi1254]

I dont know how I found myself on this page, I had no idea this was a thing but now Im seriously contemplating having an ant colony.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Great to hear!

[@joshuahull9982]

@@JordanDeanFilms I raise my own feeder cockroaches because I also keep tarantulas and toads so feeding the ant colony I started won't be a problem. I breed dubia and red runners. I collected a pavement ant queen 3 weeks ago from a queen I captured after a nuptial flight. She already has a small brood. I think I'm gonna love keeping ants.

[@gamerseries5574]

Its fun just don't collect colony from the wild catch them in the nuptial flight season

[@GhostSquirell]

Check out @antscanada

[@alexvega5756]

Ants Australia are you partners with ants Canada?

[@raywalter8023]

Week 3 of quarantine, i’m now raising an ant colony

[@Ra-218]

Very cool. I have a few colonies too. One is a rare fungus from my spaghetti cans I didn't take to the bin as I wasn't sure if I was allowed out the front or not. The other is a fly colony. I started a cockroach breeding one too, but I can never find them until I turn the lights off for five minutes.

[@erockgoblue6295]

I have to say, how is the cockroach colony going? I am one of the many people who don’t like cockroaches so I’m curious; what do they do?

[@jordyboy7326]

Week 5 starting

[@joshuaralte8995]

Me too

[@RedMemesALot]

Same

[@DetectiveAlley]

No unnecessary background music, narration done in a tempered and natural manner, instructional value immense - sir, you have made an outstanding video and you should be very proud. Thank you from a new fan and ant colony enthusiast.

[@cayd.h]

wife: honey what are you boiling. Him: a spider

[@mrhd220]

D.B.A GAMING lol

[@ovicnagaliza5775]

Funny

[@asleenalee3643]

LEL LOL LOL LOL LOL

[@user-mb4df8pr8j]

Lol

[@francesshannon6051]

Lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol

[@Lem0nsquid]

how do I revolutionize them into the iron age?

[@tlc1111]

Lem0nsquid give them friggen swords

[@InexorableVideos]

Help my ants seem to be in the Nazi Germany era

[@twiguy4486]

@@InexorableVideos Inexorable Videos Place a bald eagle next to their nest, and the ants will progress to the information age.

[@calebunga7271]

Inexorable Videos steer them clear of any jewants

[@bencai760]

My ants seem to be killing other ants so i guess their are in the world wars since second i take off lid ants swarm in and are massacred.

[@_Dylanm]

Found this completely randomly. Didn't ever think this was a hobby people had... That being said, it looks really interesting. Probably something I'd have on a bucket list

[@jahanaraferdous3442]

Dy Mo check out ants canadas channel His website AntsCanada.com

[@piclesmcflubber]

“and here I’ve torn this spider apart” -Ants Australia- Awesome Quote

[@htchung7]

It's 4am and I was having a hard time falling asleep so I went on youtube, then I found this in my recommended. your voice is calming. good night...

[@saturndev]

BRUH SAME, TIME AND EVERYTHING

[@rakkerdehond489]

I gave my ants tacos. Now they keep playing Mexican hat dance and I can't sleep.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

lol

[@CnSins]

Lol

[@k.i.e1206]

Lol

[@doggylegend-tf5ro]

Lol 4

[@asleenalee3643]

Lol

[@duck8316]

Just watching this so I can raise an army and attack my sisters room.

[@leoxfactory5986]

You just put their favorite food in her bed

[@testiersteve]

same but with my brother

[@Beans-dweller]

ME XD

[@leanking3301]

Hahahahaha

[@mybackhurts7020]

It worked but she assimilated now she is one of them they are coming for you

[@weaboo_main6929]

it's been four years and I still think this is truly amazing of this person raising life

[@frey8836]

This is awesome. I'm going to teach my daughters how to care for ants; introducing them to biology and science at an early age.

[@kianalvizo6407]

that's great! just make sure to not force them to learn the subjects

[@tomnovy3476]

Feck

[@eh.440]

You're a good parent, teaching them important subjects

[@princesssunrays]

I hope you and your daughter are doing well

[@aecawwna5497]

It's almost like Sims...... ant version

[@DutchSimmer1]

Yass😂

[@caezero2072]

Theres an old SNES game called SIMANT, play it using emulator .. pretty relaxing and cool when I'm tired of typical nowadays games

[@ShreddedShredder0]

+Juan Caezero SimAnt was released for DOS and Mac OS too. The computer versions have mouse support.

[@jamesdown5064]

What anime is your pic? Berserk?

[@Dumb-Comment]

we are just bigger ant with a very dirty mind :D

[@whiteeyofficial7381]

I like people who do stuff like this , not harming animals and creatures and promoting growth. Good Job :)

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks! :)

[@davidpavel5017]

So boiling spiders doesnt harm them?

[@nekonip8473]

Dávid Pável there's plenty more :/

[@davidpavel5017]

@@nekonip8473 there's plenty of humans aswell as dogs, yet i haven't boiled a single one of them

[@robelhabib4821]

@@davidpavel5017 its an insect with several billion other individuals 💀

[@rogieblasco]

hello Jordan Dean, it's been a year and three months since i watch this video, i just want you to know that because of this video i became the first ant keeper in my area... it encourage me to try this new hobby... but sadly, tonight my very first ant queen and her workers (colony) manage to brake loose... i'm getting a hard time to keep them now (solenopsis geminata), and i am thinking just to let them go on the wild, i am feeling down because of it... and suddenly this video was recommended again to me... reminding me the first thing who introduce me in this ant keeping thing... thank you Jordan Dean... i will not loose hope for them...!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Great to hear I've inspired you to give ant keeping a go! Hope things work out for your colony!

[@holyse7en]

Proteins and carbs are important, but I'd juice up their diet with some HGH and creatine. Gotta make them gains bruh

[@bonsaibaum3898]

Dont forget post workout BCAAs and the shake

[@sumio1580]

I would love to watch a time lapse of one of your ant colonies.

[@UltraGaming0117]

YES

[@blazedwookie7367]

YES

[@jrgamer2695]

YES

[@vachonpiton113]

YES

[@gammoth7998]

yes

[@SoulBane]

i dont have any suggestions but ant keeping videos of any kind are just super relaxing to me. its a nice change of pace from busy everyday life, so i really appreciate the calm, steady pace of the video.

[@shaunbarnett2972]

"Honey have you fed the ants tonight?"

[@Unknown-wu5wg]

No a have not

[@saturndev]

Don’t count on her, she’s terrified of the things

[@sarah-jaynebrown4121]

This is so calming to watch

[@piturnah4972]

I really like this guy. It's like AC but waaay less patronising.

[@brunomoreira6416]

True, but antscanada is still very good too!

[@antsbc8684]

Ya

[@piturnah4972]

+SoulSlicer 9000 I prefer this guy but I wish he uploaded more

[@piturnah4972]

+raptorjp4 *depressing

[@mortuzaali5304]

+raptorjp4 stfu

[@vinh_diesel]

If there are ant queens, would your status be "ant god"?

[@krisbrownawt9977]

hell yeah!!!

[@vittoriospaziorossi]

+Berthold Von Zahringen VI lol

[@jonathangabriel194]

So real God would be the ant creator's ant creator... Interesting.

[@samtheviking7080]

yes

[@enricomartin8583]

Lol or your king tho and your ant is your slave

[@akosijonelbelmonte]

"...just take care not to cut yourself," has been said in the sweetest way I've ever heard in my life ever 😍

[@wb8047]

i always loved the antworld since i was kid, and now that im like 27, im thinking about finding a queen in my area and starting a colony. your videos rock, im sure theyll be quiding my adventure! thanks for all your efforts and informative videos

[@ellenl.5581]

Watch Dave's Beastie Room to see what one ant can become. Spiders or Ants just a name.

[@es4655]

I had no idea this was a hobby, that's so interesting though I don't think I'll ever get into it myself 😅

[@shawnwilliams2659]

do this with a friend

[@KnuxSD]

I just recently started watching videos from antCanada and i have no idea why this is so interesting :o I would really like to do this myself but i dont really have money for that stuff. Also i am really Lazy ._.

[@livsedits]

first you have to go outside and catch a queen so i'll pass

[@maxknight3637]

The idea seems really fun, but I'm terrified of them escaping...

[@sambarton4284]

KnuxSD Actually it cost barely anything all you need is cotton and a test tube witch can last over a year for some ants also food witch is easy get some mealworms and raise them also sugars like honey or apple it is really cheap

[@ode-blu]

This video series just popped out on my KZbin recommended videos and I got hypnotized through all the three videos. Save that I don't have the patience nor space for such hobby, I am really amazed in seen such carefulness in all of this. Great job, man.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks Leandro!

[@JuanCarlos-bn5vo]

felt the same way couldn't explain it any better good video wanna start one

[@GeoJo1137]

+Juan Carlos yeah! I'm so interested all of a sudden!

[@claraj8258]

Me too! I just got hypnotized by this hobby! It's super interesting!

[@Kim_Plays_Games]

Same

[@siixsiix3903]

New to your channel, first video. I just wanted to tell you how very impressed I am with your video. I dont even have ants, i was just curious to learn some things about them and THAT I DID!! Very informative, great angles and clear shots, its edited very professionally.👏

[@43sunray]

Thanks for sharing your own experience in ant farming.

[@RiskyNights]

I can really tell that you care for your ants. You value and respect each of their individual lives.

[@like2review4u60]

Wow! So helpful and interesting! I saw this in the "recommended for you" and I thought, "why not?" I then watched ALL the ant colony videos. You sir, have not only gained my interest and respect, but a new sub! Now I want to make my own ant colony! Great video and keep it up! :D

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks so much! Glad you've developed some interest :)

[@Antsant]

The video that helped me get into ant keeping properly. Thanks Jordan for helping me out. Now I'm 5 years into keeping ants and I'm loving it!

[@Shalometh]

Ive been raising a wild caught queen for a few weeks and her larvae are getting pretty big. This seems like a perfectly informative video. Exactly what I needed to see.

[@1stsana]

I was just surfing youtube and the previous video popef up on the side. I live in Florida and never knew ant-keeping was a thing! But I've sat here fascinated by this. I'd personally never keep a nest, but love the fact that people love ants enough to do so. Thanks for new information.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@Adiox121z]

To be honest I have no idea how I got to this video but I still watched all 3 parts and even considered starting colony myself. Great work on your videos, they are very professional and interesting!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks a lot! It's great to hear you've developed some interest.

[@SamuelHauptmannvanDam]

This youtube community has to be the most fascinating I've ever seen. xD It's really amazing how helpful while specific these videos are.

[@samsyxie5382]

I just found 10 queen ants yesterday, and today. One queen ant shedded it’s wings off and started laying some eggs. (Before the queen ant layed some eggs I switched it to a clean test tube.) The other 9 is on a Natural setup (Moist soil, and I also put it on a plastic container, it’s not air tight, and I also poked some holes, and added a little bit of cotton buds so that they could have oxygen.)

[@strawberryjam3247]

You make really lovely videos. You show great care in your words, both delivery and how you really care for every aspect of things. Really made me more caring of ants and insects alike just by watching your queens videos~

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks! That's really great to hear.

[@ekmaJ]

can i feed them humans eventually

[@CnSins]

Yup just make sure you slice it onto small pieces so they can eat it quickly

[@ink1929]

Children are best. Boil them for a short time and prepare them with eggs.

[@fortifiedaccount5936]

Be careful though, since most children carries diseases that can be harmful to the ants

[@tsewell5731]

+Ren thank you! I tried that method and after the first child i fed it it grew to the size of a dog! Now it knows how to catch the food!!

[@Seebbbs]

Anytime!

[@AMBActual]

I’m glad I found this. The voice is much calmer than ants Canada and doesn’t sound like constant Clickbait. To the point and informative with no filler or suspense. I could sleep to this

[@XslashburnsX]

Thanks for these videos! You really do make the best ant keeping vids that I have found on KZbin, and I have watched a load of them. I hope your schedule allows you to produce many more. Thanks again!

[@dermy6333]

Really great video series, one of if not the best on KZbin, very professional and easy to follow :)

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks so much!

[@alisandifer3173]

+Ants Australia you are better than Ants Canada but u need more enthusiasm

[@shermanlacost6322]

+Ants Australia I found a fire red ant, fire engine red. I don't even know what it is.

[@shermanlacost6322]

+ShermanB LaCost My dad said it was one of the ants from Indian Jonas the one that eats large things whole .

[@TheMysticProphecies]

I have no plans to start housing ants in my home but I love watching your videos they are very relaxing!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Glad to hear that :)

[@lanebuente6014]

I was going to say the same thing, I don't plan on start a colony at the moment but after a stressful day of college classes your videos are calming. I never would have thought watching ants could be so relaxing.

[@brendongyde]

Not supersized this has so many views. You give all the info in a way people like my self can understand. thank you for making these videos.

[@SuMtOnE]

I was watching how to kill ants colony and not sure how I ended up here to raising an ant colony.

[@cheebs1525]

SuMtOnE lel

[@isawadelapradera6490]

Step one to killing an entire ant colony: Raising an ant colony.

[@calebunga7271]

Isawa De La Pradera raise your colony for war against the outsiders

[@aaronhodkinson]

SuMtOnE yeah didn’t u know ants fight other colony’s so u raises a colony and reach them that ur boss and put a mini bomb in them like in Star Wars phantom menace then if they leave boom boom!!! 💥 💥 💀 💥 💥 but they will guard ur house and protect it just make sure any elites that are made don’t get a fancy for ur wife and end up impregnating her or maybe u want a half ant half human as a step son idk but yeah that’s how I thought everyone knew that

[@zachpowell8653]

So you already have your queen

[@ieatyou8479]

By the title I thought you meant by training, like training them to obey you and have them carry grapes to you and something lmao

[@unsubme2157]

just watch antman

[@Hca.brandon]

same

[@rabbit6845]

yes, of course. eventually you can release them into the wild and can begin conquering the planet.

[@gerbi3778]

+Hugh Mungus I literally just saw that feminist video lmao.

[@frootyloopsy2695]

lol.

[@evehellod9776]

I saw a queen in my bathroom yesterday. But I didn't have time to catch her.. She went up onto the roof of my bathroom.. Now she's somewhere in my house.. But next year I'll get a queen.

[@NinjasUseGlocks]

you really should think about calling am exterminator. you DON'T want an ant colony living in your ceiling/walls

[@evehellod9776]

+Pvt. Jenkins I recently found the queen, she was in the attic. I searched around and I saw some ants. I moved her and the ants into the forest. So yeah. I fixed the problem.. I did want to keep them though..

[@moprolackofuploads1674]

+Eve Hello :D queens are still flying :D

[@evehellod9776]

+MoPro Uploads They are??

[@moprolackofuploads1674]

+Eve Hello :D at least in North America yes

[@vivianeb90]

A very informative series. Well done. (Better than the cliffhangers in Ants Canada)

[@grungepants]

This must be how god feels.

[@thefishisraw117]

Yep

[@Bbfdrgvhjhrdcgyg]

Niceeeee

[@harrisonblake928]

Just as a warning to everyone interested in keeping mealworms as a food source make sure you keep the oats fairly dry and sterilise them beforehand other wise you could get grain mites which are no fun at all

[@miaposamarie226]

I can't see this being my hobby after watching you videos but I really enjoyed it. its clear you know / like what you do and it was quite productive. :)

[@robertlocklear6674]

There's a lot more work in raising ants than I thought there was. Very useful information.

[@Stevewar12000]

Hey Jordan, just thought i''d let you know that a couple months back i caught a couple queens here in Melbourne as well and one of the queens has already had her first generation of workers come in.. Iv'e constantly been re watching this video to make sure i can raise them well.. Keep up the videos they're great!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks! Glad to be of help.

[@doombine2012]

Absolutely great videos! Very relaxing and interesting. Keep it up!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks!

[@metchill1]

Thanks !! your videos help me a lot to take care of my own colonies. greetings from the Netherlands.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Happy to help :)

[@aliviamacpherson8945]

thank you your videos have been a great help in studying before i do this with my daughter.

[@ant.invasion]

WOWJordan! you managed to catch a technomyrmex queen! any further updates on her in the future? i would LOVE to see how she goes!

[@biggamer6040]

Ant Invasion i love yout vids keep it up

[@cheffon]

Ant Invasion I agree

[@floyd4611]

Flexer

[@nekonip8473]

GojiDooM oh no this is my other acc. Wait this was only a year ago? God damn I was a brat not to long ago. Tf.

[@flovd77]

@@floyd4611 lmao I found myself

[@anaveragedayinthelifeof3133]

So the spider was boiled for safety!

[@genesis210]

GMM

[@mrpeanutbutter9882]

Everything should be boiled for safety

[@saturndev]

@@mrpeanutbutter9882 besides the ants ofc

[@cwelica4781]

Now I'm really interested about ants after watching ur vids keep up the great work cuz I want to see more about them!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

That's great to hear! More ant videos coming soon :)

[@cwelica4781]

+Ants Australia Great!

[@CrowSyndicate]

These videos are really soothing to watch, they really help me to destress

[@yasmeenalpasain760]

thank you for teaching us how to raise an ant colony :)

[@kiforcekhan]

This video was really well put together, good job!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks Isaac!

[@roadcasted]

I have no idea how I managed to get to this video, but I'm now seriously considering starting an ant colony, thanks for the vid!

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Great to hear!

[@tmagz6622]

maizing. i would like to start a colony but i'm short on space. any advice?

[@gaia3637]

Me Too!

[@adumelial]

Facinating!! I will be sharing this with with family and friends. So much new info on ant farming :)

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks! :)

[@me4015]

I think it would be cool to see a video of you actually putting something like your natural terarrium-type of habitat together. Also, a suggestion is showing your daily/weekly/monthly routine with the ants? Love the videos! Keep up the good work :)

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thank you! Really glad you like the videos. Planning on doing a "How to build a nest" guide, covering naturalistic setups eventually. Also was planning a routine video too :) Right now, it's a twice a week schedule. Although, it may become a daily routine soon, thanks to the warm weather here, I'm seeing rapid growth.

[@thenameofxavier]

video quality is really good. great job

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks!

[@wakaka2waka]

+Ants Australia Where did you get random dead spiders?

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Just from my garden. I capture them live and then kill them.

[@friendlyanthobbyist6677]

+Ants Australia that is great! good source of protein for your ants in an unlimited amount.

[@CiderDivider]

Stunning work! What amazing shots with the insects. Ants are incredibly fascinating

[@missmeow7576]

I love how you include other KZbin’s in your videos ❤️ keep it up. 😉

[@corbyndelong9374]

Your voice is insurmountably calming.

[@clivebaarnes968]

Playing "Empires Of The Undergrowth" on Steam brought me here. Ants FTW!

[@floyd4611]

That game is amazing

[@electrobot9871]

@@johnathanmcarthur459 u need help

[@thawinthinwongmom3998]

I like it too!

[@peter16gaminggaming15]

I've always wanted to start my own ant colony, but my family and others say that would be gross.

[@Zach-hq3qi]

Follow your dreams

[@peter16gaminggaming15]

K m8 ill do it

[@grugerkaarme4898]

+Martinez portuc Macola Remember to boil and dry them first to reduce the risk of mold growth

[@peter16gaminggaming15]

+John Snake Guys thanks for the suggestion I have my own ant colony now!

[@DARKSHADOW-dx2cm]

What type of ants?

[@chebrofan]

Instructions unclear, I accidentally installed Age of Empires

[@Housing_Crisis]

Nice

[@tomnovy3476]

what is that pls tell me im s t o o p i d

[@DK-mq9np]

Ok. You are stupid.

[@weaponless8616]

This guy has the most relaxing voice ever

[@laneslash6639]

So I get a most poisonous ant trailer. #1: Yellow Harvester Ant. Me: Where's it located??? Trailer: That's okay, it's only found in one place in the world. ARIZONA! Me:... WELL THANKS BUDDY! I FEEL SO MUCH SAFER KNOWING THE MOST POISONOUS ANT IN THE WORLD IS IN MY BACKYARD!!!

[@erikhendrych190]

Hi Jordan, in your video there is a lot of different kinds of ants within one colony. I know there is the queen, workers, eggs, larvae, soldiers and males (maybe more?). I'd like to see the video where you'd show different kinds of ants, describe what they do and film them in action if possible. I know there are many books which show all the kinds of ants but seeing them live inside the colony is completely different level of experience.

[@EdwardTyndall]

you are awesome i love the way you go into such detail on everything we need to know about ants thanks i subed

[@fentafox]

i love this guy! his voice is so soft and he is so nice to his ants

[@DescendDab]

Thanks! I have my ant colony for litterally 1 day and now i know how to treat my ants good :) you just saved a lot of ant lives (not that im bad at treating any living creature)!

[@allensu360]

Love your videos! Keep them coming mate! So far I've captured 2 queen ants, waiting for eggs to hatch!!!! P.S Test tubes are the best.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks!

[@heatherhaze3680]

such a mellow relaxing voice...its like an unintentional asmr.

[@Brad-oq6ln]

Thanks for the videos. It's awesome to see an Australian ant channel.

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thanks for watching! Glad you like them :)

[@ishaanjassat]

The real Ant Man

[@MCPaddyB]

This video was fascinating. I learnt so much. Thank you.

[@syazaba5022]

thats very gentle of you feeding them the right food ...my new asmr haha

[@theodoremita936]

Perhaps you could create a video showing the transition from pupa to adult. Although this may take quite a lot of patience, I"ve found it fascinating to watch in real time.

[@yashgaikwad3669]

dude, your great.... really passionate abt what you do!:-) keep doing

[@JordanDeanFilms]

Thank you. Will do!

[@heetman5925]

Thanks! Currently in the Stone Age. Pretty late in the game but yea. I used all my evelution points into intelligence and power. I should start making lightning so they discover fire now.

[@yesproductions5256]

Yes.

[@saturndev]

@@yesproductions5256 your name makes it funnier

[@jayyura8661]

His voice is really soothing and makes the video interesting to watch and listen what he has to say

[@WeirdHousePlants]

Super cool! A bit off topic maybe, but which video editing software did you use to put this all together? Looks great!

[@GamemakerworldDotCom]

I found a random antkeeping video 2h ago and have been watching one after the other since... so addicting O_O

[@olavgiil]

Omg love ur vids keep this up. I would never think that ants were so intresting

[@MeysamShojaeeNejad]

Good job man! It was awesome! I am really impressed!

[@Jessicajil]

Another very useful and helpful video, nicely delivered ....

[@WedersonWinchester]

In Brazil, where I live, queen ants are sometimes greater than you show. Require larger environments.

[@reedlockwood4989]

This is a weird request, but do you think you could upload a long (1 hour or so) video of closeup nest footage similar to 12:50 in this video? Maybe accompanied by some calming ambient or classical music? I just find it very calming to watch, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

[@suicidalcunt9651]

That's probably somewhere on the Internet

[@TeperzRae]

His voice is like ASMR hahaha, so calming! Love these videos!

[@yohancesalvador9330]

this was my first video i have watched from you

[@crustythesnowman596]

Can you do a video on how to water the ant nests

[@JordanDeanFilms]

How you water really depends on the type of nest you have and the way it's designed. The nests I featured in this video have small hydration ports where you can inject water via a syringe.

[@zvonemanduric4905]

my God does he make these vids look profesional

[@arshansanati8387]

There are professional lol

[@395203502]

I don't know why your videos came up in my recommendations and I don't care at all about ant colonies.. but your voice is quite soothing and I can't stop watching. o.o

[@geareduptiger6538]

just listening to you and watching the ants is soothing, makes me sleepy, like joe pera