I want to observe a number of mound building wood ants (probably Formica aquilonia) this winter, I'm not too fussed about having a fully functional colony. What do I need?
Ideally, you should have an aquarium prepared; if you want to observe up to 50 ants, an aquarium 30cm x 15cm will suffice. As you are collecting a large species of ant (with almost all of the workers over 7mm), you shouldn't need to do any ant-proofing with most aquaria lids.
Add soil to the aquarium, create a mound at one end 5cm high occupying 1/3 of the aquarium. Provide only a thin covering (1cm) of soil to cover the remaining ground space. Plant some moss and other small plants into the soil, but not on the mound itself. Collect a few handfuls of fallen pine needles, at least enough to give the ground space a further 1cm of cover, avoiding the plants. A couple of Brandling worms (Eisenia fetida) for tank maintenance (clearing uneaten food and mouldy leaf litter) wouldn't go a miss.
Capture the ants on a sunny day in September, before they retreat underground for winter. If you've setup your formicarium to the specification described above, attempt to collect 20 worker ants, 40 pupa and whatever larva you can lay your hands on. Your winter observations will be most interesting if you collect the greatest range of life-cycle stages as possible.
Things would be a lot more interesting if you managed to secure a queen, but this isn't necessary for 6 months of casual observations.
Keeping the ants indoors and above 16°c throughout the colder months means they won't over-winter and should maintain a similar activity level that would be displayed in the warmer months outdoors.
Tags: Frequently Asked Question | aquilonia | Keeping Ants
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