Ant Keeping 101

Okay, so I'm going to learn how to keep ants.

Why?

• They are interesting - they operate on a different level to most life forms on earth - each hive behaving almost as a single entity - endlessly specialised into some of the most bizarre creatures you have ever seen
• Ants are incredibly low maintenance  - once per week you should check on them - remove any debris from their rubbish dump - feed a tiny amount of honey, a tiny bit of protein (minuscule amounts) - to be removed after 2-3 days if they aren't eating it - check water levels in the test tube and offer an alternative home if it's getting hard to keep it clean
• It's a cheap hobby to get into - a couple of test tubes and a plastic takeaway box will get you started

Species/difficulty

• For your first try - pick a species that thrives outside your window - that way you don't have to worry about finding wild food or managing humidity or temperature - they should be perfectly adapted to your normal household conditions - I have chosen the black pavement/garden ant - lasius niger - they are omnivores, and they also evolved a symbiotic relationship with aphids which is incredible to watch
• If a disaster happens - (being a UK species) the colony stands a good chance if you have to release them into the wild - nobody likes genocide

Initial living arrangements

• Turns out - It's a test tube, either wrapped in tin foil, or red cellophane (which allows you to observe the nest but keeps the hive in the dark) - once the hive hits 30+ workers you can think about a move to a small nest - but a test tube is perfect for the early laying phase
• A second test tube, in case the first one gets messy or we start to see some white mould should be standing by so the colony can relocate if they feel the need

Expected Time frames

• Incredibly - Queen ants have been known to live for 30+ years - meaning they can easily outlive a domestic dog, typical workers can live for 2 years
• Growth is exponential - starting incredibly slowly the hive standing and falling on a handful of workers for what seems like forever - once the hive takes off though - its a freight train 

Consumables/Basic Needs

• Water (and some sort of medium for the water to be available - a cotton wool bung half way up the test tube is fine)
• Honey - 79p from the co-op for a big jar
• Protein - I bought a bag of meal worms for £6 which should last decades
• Some fine grained sand 

Equipment

• Long tweezers - for addition of food and removal of waste
• A miniature feeding tray for honey/nectar
• Pipettes - for addition of water/honey
• Some anti-trespass paint - ants can't cling on - to paint around access ports

Expectations

• UK ants are currently hibernating (if they are sensible) as it is winter time  - so I shouldn't expect too much activity until the ambient temperatures pick up a bit - during this time they don't like being disturbed (understandably)
• When the queen is laying the initial brood - she will occasionally drink but won't require any food for several months as she carries plenty of resources - and usually this food will be supplied by the workers while the queen gets on with queen things
• New queens like incredibly small living spaces - they are actually stressed out if they have too much available ground to worry about and will naturally limit their own access to any "outworld" until there are 30+ workers
• I've watched hundreds of - "How to ant" videos on Youtube - I'm forewarned and forearmed for basic issues - checking too often - providing too much space - over feeding - mould - I think I'm ready?
• I'm expecting colony failure - therefore I'm going to try two different modular systems - and two different queens simultaneously to maximise my chances while still minimising cost while I'm figuring out if this hobby is for me

More when I have some equipment to show you.

What I don't know - how the hives decide when it's time for different kinds of ants to appear, when to expand etc. - presumably levels of pheromones in the hive?  More research required.