Queen Ant Hunting in Greece | Greek Ant Documentary 2

[@AntsVienna]

What are YOUR favorite ants in the video? Comment bellow!😃 💬 AntsVienna Discord Chat: discord.gg/PBw6BvU 🎬 Learn more about Ant Keeping: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5mTYYGkr8p3n7M

[@issifraser8212]

Heh do you happen to know who ant holleufers rival Is? Great vid btw

[@AntsVienna]

Did he mention anything specific? He and Esthetic ants have a friendly rivalry to my knowledge

[@issifraser8212]

@@AntsVienna Yeah, but I have never seen it in any vids so it cost me, sadly I was 3rd

[@AntsVienna]

EA released an Instagram Story about AH surpassing him in Subs ...around a month ago i think.

[@superhash_]

Πάμε ρε μπροοο❤

[@AntsVienna]

Se euxaristw! Ellada! ❤

[@an_ant_guy6649]

The surprise ant colony is colobopsis (most likely truncata as the queen has a white stripe in her gaster), they use the flat heads that queens and majors have to block the nest entrance. They are similar to camponotus but in my experience they are much harder to keep, 7 out of 7 queens I have kept died without having workers

[@AntsVienna]

Hello there. Thanks for Info on the ant species! Yes, she did take a while to lay eggs (I even thought she wasn't fertilized, since she had the wings still too) but she finally got her first workers and I'm happy about it. They seem to grow very slow though... I'll try giving them a cork/wood nest next year, since that might be more natural to them

[@dkkoh88]

I really love the crematogaster species. They are sooo cute😆

[@AntsVienna]

Crematogaster are not only cute but also very fast multiplying ants😅😂

[@dkkoh88]

@@AntsVienna also true😆😁

[@treeharltreeharl9232]

Hi AV, Usually your answers are found at the location itself :). What kind of substrate do these queens use and do they house in wood or in soil. The best tip I could give you is to carefully log the location and altitude of the location where these (C. Aethiops) queens have been found. Then you can check the climate data of that same location (bigger cities can be found on wikipedia!) This gives you answers about hibernation heatmats etc. In my case it would look like this: Eindhoven (Netherlands) Altitude 34 meters, F. Sanguinea. Mean temp January 3,4 degrees celcius. Mean temp July 18,4 degrees celcius. With this information I can figure out how to hibernate a given queen and whether I need a heatmat or not. Putting this information in your videos also help others deciding how to keep C. Aethiops. Anyway nice finds!

[@AntsVienna]

Hello again! Thanks for the tips. I found the Aethiops in the harbor, only few meters from the sea - on cement. Not how this should tell more about their nesting. I does about their hibernation/diapause however :)

[@goldenfreiza1035]

Finally! I was waiting for this for a long time! Μπράβο, καταπληκτικό βίντεο. Edit - Yes, I have 2 camponotus Aethiops queens.

[@AntsVienna]

Sorry to keep you waiting - this one turned out longer than last one😉

[@goldenfreiza1035]

There is no problem, but I have a question: My camponotus aethiopis have some yellowish traits in the gaster, and when their gaster becomes fat, you can see it a bit yellow. Are they camponotus Aethiopis or Formica Fusca?

[@AntsVienna]

The yellowish stripes you are talking about are called Physiongastry and become visible on most Queen when they are well fed. I can confirm the Queens I caught have these now too - along with some eggs😄

[@sifou0550]

@@AntsVienna yeah that's correct and also it could mean they have allot of eggs ready to be born

[@grexodus5493]

awesome video AV your editing style is becoming better with each video! 👍

[@AntsVienna]

Hello Grexodus! Thanks, I'm glad someone noticed the improvements😅

[@markmonster8748]

So good!! keep going AV PS: my favorite ants were cataglyphis :)

[@AntsVienna]

Thanks for the encouragement! Yeah those Cataglyphis were really cool in person🤩🐜

[@issifraser8212]

colobopsis truncata, that is what the queen is, I can tell by that stripe and the reddish brown coloration on her head, I can't wait for the majors!

[@AntsVienna]

Yes, it will be really fun when the first major is born :) I'm curious how much it will differ (in real life) from normal workers

[@FamTech.]

Hey nice video! Ceep going

[@den_exw_onoma5043]

Keep*

[@antsvfood]

Good video, thanks!

[@AntsVienna]

Thanks. You are welcome! PS: Next video should be ready in a few days time. :)

[@cityants1166]

Awesome video

[@AntsVienna]

Thank you City Ants! What was your favorite colony of the video? :)

[@ΒάιοςΤσοποτός]

1:27 Σχεδόν σίγουρα Camponotus ionius -οπλίτης (χαρακτηριστικός ο τρόπος που σηκώνει την κοιλιά όπως κα και τα κοικκινωπά πόδια) 8:43 Πιθανόν Messor hellenius 9:50 Η βασίλισσα αυτή έχει κοκκινωπά πόδια? Αν ναι, το πιθανότερο είναι Camponotus ionius (είχα θεμελιώσει μία αποικία) 5:46 Επίσης Camponotus ionius (κατά πάσα πιθανότητα). Οι εργάτριες/ οπλίτες σηκώνουν την κοιλιά τους όταν περπατάνε? Αν ναι, μάλλον κατασταλάζουμε στο C. ionius. Υπήρχαν πεύκα εκεί κοντά? Γενικά το κύριο ενδιαίτημα του είδους είναι τα πευκοδάση.

[@AntsVienna]

Se euxaristw gia to tip Camp. Ionius.👍🐜 8a deixei kai me ton kairo - otan bgoune oi prwtes ergatries

[@Weylandyutaniexecutive]

I love the ants you caught their so pretty

[@AntsVienna]

Thanks! Which one? The Camponotus or the one at the very end? :)

[@kristijanveljaca1687]

The Pheidole can be balcanica, pallidula or koshewnikovi they are difficult to differentiate I have caught a Camponotus aehtiops queen this June, it took her a week and a half to lay her first eggs and she still does not have workers

[@AntsVienna]

Thanks for more Pheidole suggestions! Ohh... I hope my Aethiops Queens get going faster than that then 😅😂

[@alichansen_05.8]

Kennst du gute Läden wo man sich Ameisen kaufen kann? Und hast du einen Tipp wir man sich ein Terratiorium billig kaufen kann oder selber bastelt. Mit freundlichen Grüßen :)

[@AntsVienna]

Hallo! Ich bin gerade dabei einige Ameisenläden zu Testen, kann aber soweit keine Empfehlung abgeben. Am günstigsten (und besten) ist es ein Formicarium für deine Ameisen selber zu basteln --> Ich habe schon einiges ausprobiert. Hier findest meine Build Tutorials dazu: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKGpfaOlppWrZ5o

[@alichansen_05.8]

@@AntsVienna Danke :)

[@alichansen_05.8]

Hast du einen Hot Spot in Wien wo man viele Ameisenkönniginen findet hatte bis jetzt nur Kolonien mit Arbeitern gefunden und wollte die nicht alle töten

[@Finley-xb1ht]

How did you manage to take the queens home from Greece 🇬🇷 to Austria 🇦🇹?

[@AntsVienna]

That's a secret🤫🤫🤫

[@thedutchant5395]

Great video! It looks like you edited the camponotus worker in because it was so black!

[@AntsVienna]

haha! It sure looks like it, but they were truly there and it was fun to watch them and compare with the poor little pheidole😂🐜

[@thedutchant5395]

@@AntsVienna Hahaha I know....just joking 😉 The Pheidole soldiers look amazing and so cool with its big head! By the way, it's kinda difficult to choose which ant is my favorite....they are all beautiful! Love all of them! Thank you for sharing!

[@thedutchant5395]

@@AntsVienna Lastly, I guess that's Colobopsis ant colony? They have a cute plug heads and they are such cool looking ants too!

[@AntsVienna]

Yes, from what I've been told from greek ant keepers, Colobopsis seems to be a rare find in our staying area. Funny fact: I fished the colobopsis queen out of my girlfriends hair😂

[@thedutchant5395]

@@AntsVienna I did some research on Camponotus. Maybe I have an old book but in my ant book you can't find Camponotus cruentatus in Greece...this is then a great development 👍

[@MR-en6cq]

Hey let's go new video

[@AntsVienna]

Hello there. Yes, I was about to let you know over discord, but you were faster :)

[@MR-en6cq]

@@AntsVienna Hehe

[@MR-en6cq]

@@AntsVienna Keep up the great work Road to 10k

[@MR-en6cq]

@@AntsVienna You have come so far

[@AntsVienna]

This is just the beginning... My goal is to make ant keeping an enjoyable hobby for everyone - including the ant colonies that are kept captive. It is on us youtubers to inform people, since information on the web is scarce and not everyone wants to go through the pain of reading literature. So ant videos containing the most useful information for everyday ant keeping, packaged in a compact and enjoyable format (yt video) is the way to go in my opinion :)

[@englishfishkeeper2007]

are you sure those larger cataglyphis were majors, personally i think they are just larger workers. if you take a look at another species such as cataglyphis bombicyna, the majors are very noticable and different...scary too lol.

[@AntsVienna]

True. Since Majors are just larger workers it is hard to tell. The largest ones were double the size of smaller ones though

[@antsnetherlands20]

Polymorphism and castes are all about allometry in morphology, not just about size AntsVienna. While Cataglyphis bombycina is an extreme exception in the genus, most other Cataglyphis species are also polymorphic but not to such an extent. I would say it's comparable polymorphism to the Formica rufa group, in which some workers are small and others are thrice as big. It may seem difficult to define minors and majors in Cataglyphis nodus but if you were to scale up a minor worker, it would not match a major worker's body proportions - especially the head of a major is proportionally bigger to its body! Edit: A species being size variable does not mean it is polymorphic! Lasius niger can be size variable while it is monomorphic. This is because big workers are just scaled up versions of small workers. This is not the case for Cataglyphis nodus ;)

[@Valkyrie04]

Is the last queen, Colobopsis? of some sort? Some call them the " Cork Head" ant.

[@AntsVienna]

Hello there Beth. Yes, they are Cobopsis Truncata - well guessed👍

[@den_exw_onoma5043]

Τα messor που βρήκες τα μαύρα είναι στο group messor wasmanni θα μπορούσα να σου δώσω μια βασίλισσα του ίδιου group με μερικούς εργάτες αν θες.

[@AntsVienna]

8elw na ksekinisw kai me messor alla den exw polu xwro twra. Prepei prwta na metakomisoume😅😂

[@AntsVienna]

Euxaristw gia thn prosfora pantws😃👍

[@Editer38738]

So cool I'm 11 and have 4 queens

[@AntsVienna]

Hello there, that's nice! What Ant species are your 4 queens? :)

[@Editer38738]

@@AntsVienna 1 crematogaster ceraci ,1 formica subsericea, 1 tetromorium immigrants, 1 lasius niger

[@AntsVienna]

That is a very diverse setting - cool! 👍

[@Editer38738]

@@AntsVienna thank you can you pls sub to my BFF at Ants bennett

[@antsarts]

Ants ❤️❤️

[@AntsVienna]

Yes, lots of them 🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜

[@daniilxyz]

how do you attract queen ants?

[@AntsVienna]

Hello there. I've heard from people using black light, but that never worked for me. I found the Queens in the video the old-fashioned way: by looking everywhere😅😂🐜

[@AntsVienna]

Also here are some tips when looking for Queen Ants: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYrEZ2aHnZaoqdk

[@daniilxyz]

@@AntsVienna Me too! I bought a black light and the past 2 nights have only brought mosquitos and moths where I live, I haven't found any ants by looking around and the queen ant that I am raising currently was found by my little brother. I will be sure to check the video you linked Thank You!

[@christhegreek6812]

Q1: most likely it is nodus because they are very comon in greece Q2 : i would add the possibility of them being pheidolie pallidula but i am not 100% sure Q3: i think that these camponotus are ionius or laconicus witch both are common in greece and especialy in pine forests 8:55 i believe that these are messor wasmanni beecause they have a very bright red mesosoma and are mostly active in the morning and for the last queen, im pretty sure it is colobopsis trucanta! id say it is a quite uncommon ant. these are my guesses! really like the videos keep up the good work

[@AntsVienna]

Hello Chris! Cool to have greek people commenting😃 Q2: Not sure if Palidula gets soldiers. If yes that is a possibility Q3: I caught them in a harbor - 10m next to the sea. Is there any profile page for ionius or laconicus? these greek species are not really good documented on the web. Messor were mostly active morning and evening, yes. colobopsis is correct - however Camponotus truncatus would also count as correct😉 No worries...it sometimes takes longer to produce videos because I have lots of things to do, but I will keep making videos and more stuff for you guys is in the works

[@christhegreek6812]

@@AntsVienna pheidolie do infact have majors. AntWiki has some pictures of camponotus ionius and laconicus,they are quite similar in appearance. also we all appreciate the hard work you put on these videos! slow and steady is always better👍

[@AntsVienna]

Thank you for the support! I am in the middle of moving to a new house (spoiler: with ant room/studio). So it will take a few months, but once I'm done moving I'll be able to pump out not only videos, but other good stuff for you guys too😉

[@withergamin8005]

Hey its me antsveinna the one who asks questions back from jail hehe anyways is it okay? To put ant colonys in emty bullpen set ups just like a test tube one but smaller

[@dhiarrheaexplosion5054]

how did you get arrested to jail

[@AntsVienna]

hello there. I just caught the Queens in those little containers and moved them to a proper Test tubes setup within 2 hours

[@withergamin8005]

Hmmm ok but where do i find test tubes. also can we also watch you take care of bald faced hornets they nuptial fliet when it gets near winter i think also i dont know where they native search i guees i dont have wifi

[@Connor_312]

AntsVienna what is your opinion on having ants that are not from your region?

[@AntsVienna]

Hello Conor! If you are a beginner I advise against it for multiple reasons - like easier to grow native ants and you can release them in the wild again if you decide you don't want to antkeep any more, without harming the local ecosystem. On the other hand IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCED here is my opinion: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o5WvkGevnqyNZ6s

[@den_exw_onoma5043]

Τα Pheidole είναι pallidula πιστεύω είναι πολύ ανοιχτόχρωμα για να είναι κάποιο άλλο είδος

[@AntsVienna]

Den apoklietai. Exoun soldiers ta pallidulla?

[@den_exw_onoma5043]

@@AntsVienna ναι

[@justlukla]

Try making a cheap diy nest

[@AntsVienna]

Hello there. Well, most of my DIY Projects are low cost, BUT for all intends and purposes this is THE cheapest one kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z16Wi6iwhaiFias

[@KC-mw9hg]

At the end there is a flat head ant

[@AntsVienna]

Yes, there are quite a few variations of flat head ants though

[@antsnetherlands20]

Camponotus cruentatus does not exist in Greece (it is strictly native to southwest Europe and parts of northwest Africa), it has a different colour scheme plus the species in your video of the subgenus Tanaemyrmex, not Myrmosericus. I believe the big black Camponotus next to the Pheidole sp. of the pallidula species complex is C. laconicus.

[@AntsVienna]

Thanks for the Info! Do C. Laconicus have 15mm + workers?

[@NageBoy]

In Finland I fot 8 lasius niger and 1 flavus queen

[@AntsVienna]

Cool! Are those the first Queens you found? :)

[@leonidasisidorou5492]

Hi AV I speak greek to εχω και εγω το δικω μου τσανελ

[@AntsVienna]

Geia sou Leonida! Oraia👍

[@Juant.]

The big queen i think Camponotus ionius

[@AntsVienna]

Yes, that is a possibility, but data on the net (especially pictures to compare to) is scarce

[@sifou0550]

I got 2 camponotus ionius. They have orange on the legs and under the gaster

[@Lordiisback]

i cept crueantatus and i doesnt look like 1, bust maybe ist bcs of the bacground

[@AntsVienna]

Yes, it was evening and that messed a bit with the light/contrast of the footage. They were rather large (15mm) and matt. I don't remember if they had any red accent to them (for cruentatus) and the footage doesn't make it any clearer either. Thanks for helping though👍

[@qaisa.336]

The species is Colobopsis 11:40

[@AntsVienna]

Well guessed! Just half of their name though😜

[@englishfishkeeper2007]

camponotus laconicus seems likely, they are indemic to greece

[@AntsVienna]

Yes, laconicus would also be possible👍😃

[@withergamin8005]

Im surprised that componotus are native to my area atleast they are very rare tho one time i had took care of one before but she wasent mated i looked too cute to helplessl let her go on her on and the other one she was mated then i let her go

[@AntsVienna]

So, do you keep any ants now?

[@withergamin8005]

Nope i try waiting until 10 on nuptial flights i wake up 5 in the morning and try find some queens but i usualy only found like 6 or 4 queens but only 2 of them layed eggs then they all died out😔

[@AntsVienna]

Sorry to hear that! I hope it does not keep you away from giving ant keeping another chance

[@englishfishkeeper2007]

my guess for the colobopsis is colobopsis imitans

[@AntsVienna]

hey there. colobopsis truncata is probably more accurate, because of the golden ring on the queens abdomen

[@IraklisKoniaris]

Ελλάδα μόνο όποιος είναι Έλληνας like

[@AntsVienna]

Ennoeitai 👍

[@antsireland1261]

Koshewnikovi and pallidula are virtually indistinguishable it's one of those The campo should be laoconicus or ionus The Two messor are the same both being cf. Wasmanni sunlight just makes em look redder

[@AntsVienna]

Ah... Ok, didn't know that Wasmanni have that red in them. About Campos - I thought of laoconicus or ionus too, but it's really hard to tell imo. Maybe when they get workers?

[@den_exw_onoma5043]

I don't think the queen is ionius

[@antsireland1261]

@@den_exw_onoma5043 nah she's not but the workers might be

[@AntsVienna]

That was o good one 😂😂😂

[@Shadowdrawingofficial]

Your flat head ant is colobopsis sp it's just like a camponotus but flater head😅

[@AntsVienna]

Yes, meanwhile they were identified as colobipsis truncata in fact. Thanks for commenting on it! 👍

[@Dragon-Slay3r]

Queen sindel? 😂

[@AntsVienna]

just an ant queen.

[@campo6462]

my guess: Colobopsis

[@AntsVienna]

sounds good to me! though that's only half of their name😜

[@gdsoundniceMan]

Door head ants

[@AntsVienna]

Thanks for info!

[@oofpokemon5275]

Qeeun is colobopsis

[@AntsVienna]

very good😄👍

[@Noah2Game]

U said youll read and answer every comment so answer this 😈

[@AntsVienna]

Hello there. You may as well ask me something next time😉

[@Noah2Game]

@@AntsViennaHOOOOOOOWWW THIS VID IS 1 YEAR AGO BUT U MAKE GREAT CONTENT :D

[@AntsVienna]

Thank you again Noah 👍

[@samaraswad8332]

Ist colebobsis

[@AntsVienna]

Thnak you Samar! Yes, Colobopsis Truncata 👍

[@Godzilla-fan-r1]

Feeding videos.

[@AntsVienna]

Will do 😉👍

[@KC-mw9hg]

Flat head ants

[@AntsVienna]

👍

[@den_exw_onoma5043]

Αυτά είναι σίγουρα c. nodus

[@AntsVienna]

Ok, thanks. Prwth fora eida. Dustixws den brhka basilissa :(