Catching So Many Queen Ants
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of Ants Canada, the host shares the ups and downs of ant keeping, including the loss of colonies but also the excitement of catching new queen ants in Toronto. The video serves as a tutorial on identifying and capturing queen ants post-nuptial flight, offering tips for success. The host introduces a new Camponotus and Formica queen, discusses the importance of patience and proper eyewear, and highlights improved AC test tubes for nurturing new colonies. The episode ends with a special announcement of a Trap-Jaw queen ant and an interactive Q&A session for viewers.
Takeaways
- 🌳 The video discusses the importance of finding a location with greenery and water for queen ant collection.
- 🐜 The narrator shares personal experiences of ant keeping, emphasizing the joy of starting a colony from a single queen.
- 📹 The video is a tutorial on how to catch a new queen ant to start an ant colony, a fulfilling aspect of ant keeping according to the channel.
- 📅 The narrator explains the nuptial flight season for ants, when queens mate and then seek new places to start nests.
- 👀 The importance of patience and keen eyesight is highlighted for successfully spotting and catching queen ants.
- 📍 The video mentions that permits may be required for insect collection, and permission is necessary for public property.
- 🎙️ The Ants Canada channel started in Toronto, Canada, but the narrator now resides in the Philippines.
- 🔍 The narrator provides tips on distinguishing queen ants from other types of ants, directing viewers to tutorials for more information.
- 🏠 The video introduces improved AC test tubes for ant keeping, featuring longer tubes, notches for water filling, and stabilizing teeth.
- 🆕 A new Trap-Jaw queen ant is introduced, named 'Jawbreakers,' representing a new colony for the channel to nurture.
- 🎁 The video concludes with an announcement of a contest for viewers to win AC test tube packs and encourages participation in the comment section.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the video?
-The main theme of the video is about catching queen ants to start new ant colonies and the introduction of a new Trap-Jaw queen ant named Jawbreakers.
Why is the AntsCanada channel named so, even though the host is in the Philippines?
-The AntsCanada channel is named so because it started in Toronto, Canada, where the host lived before moving to the Philippines in 2011.
What is the best place to look for queen ants according to the video?
-The best place to look for queen ants is a location with a lot of greenery and a body of water nearby, such as a nature trail near a river.
What is a nuptial flight in the context of ants?
-A nuptial flight is an annual event where reproductive young virgin queens and males leave the nest to mate. After mating, the males die, and the fertilized queens drop to the ground, break off their wings, and seek places to start new nests.
Why are queen ants more likely to be found after a rainstorm?
-Queen ants are more likely to fly and be found after a rainstorm because the moisture and cooler temperatures can trigger mating flights.
What are some characteristics of Camponotus ants mentioned in the video?
-Camponotus ants are large, active, avid feeders who love sweets and insects. They do not sting but can spray formic acid. They are also known for taking a long time to grow to an impressive size.
What is special about the new AC test tubes introduced in the video?
-The new AC test tubes are longer, have a notch for filling water and cotton, come with a small blue sponge, have teeth to prevent rolling, and include transparent adapter pieces to control the opening size and attachment options.
What is the importance of not mixing different queen ants in one container?
-Different queen ants should not be mixed in one container because they can fight and use formic acid to harm each other, which is dangerous for the ants.
What is the GAM project mentioned in the video?
-The GAM project is a platform where queen ants caught by the host in Toronto will be kept and sold to prospective ant keepers in the area once they have their first set of workers.
What is the AC question of the week in the video?
-The AC question of the week asks for one reason why carpenter ants would make a great species for beginner ant keepers.
How often does the AntsCanada channel upload new videos?
-The AntsCanada channel uploads a new ant video every Saturday at 8 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Outlines
🌳 Antkeeping Challenges and Hope
The script begins by acknowledging the hardships faced by the Ants Canada community, including the loss of a Jawbreakers ant colony and the Titans' struggle in their new terrarium. Despite these setbacks, the narrator, known as 'Your Ant Man,' promises good news ahead and encourages viewers to watch the entire video. The channel's focus on tutorial videos is reintroduced, with an emphasis on the rewarding experience of starting an ant colony from a single queen. The narrator shares his location in Toronto, Canada, where the channel originated, and explains his strategy for finding queen ants in nature trails, particularly near greenery and water sources. He also discusses the importance of the nuptial flight season for ant reproduction and provides tips for identifying queen ants, suggesting that patience is key in this process.
🐜 The Joy of Catching Queen Ants
The second paragraph delves into the rewarding experience of catching queen ants and nurturing them to start new colonies. The narrator describes the process of observing the queen laying eggs and the development of the first worker ants, highlighting the emotional connection ant keepers form with their colonies. He also addresses viewers who enjoy watching the videos without keeping ants themselves, expressing gratitude for their support. The narrator then shares his successful discovery of a queen ant, a Camponotus species, and discusses the characteristics and benefits of Camponotus ants as a starter species for new ant keepers. He also emphasizes the importance of wearing proper eyewear when searching for ants and the need for permits or permissions when collecting insects in certain areas.
📦 Improved AC Test Tubes and New Queen Ant Introduction
In this paragraph, the narrator introduces improvements made to the AC test tubes, which are used for caring for queen ants and their first set of workers. The new design features a longer tube for more water, a notch for easier filling, a small blue sponge, and teeth to prevent rolling. The tubes now also include transparent adapter pieces to control the opening size and provide a more secure environment for the ants. The narrator then makes a special announcement, revealing a new Trap-Jaw queen ant that has been acquired and named 'Jawbreakers,' expressing excitement for the potential new colony. He also shares his success in catching more queen ants during the filming and the importance of separating them to avoid conflict.
🏆 Antkeeping Successes and Community Engagement
The final paragraph wraps up the video with a summary of the successful queen ant collection and a reminder of the upcoming return to Manila, Philippines. The narrator expresses his intention to keep the caught queen ants in Toronto and sell them through the GAP project for local ant keepers. He also encourages viewers to participate in the 'AC Question of the Week' for a chance to win a Deluxe AC Test Tube pack and thanks the viewers for their support. The video ends with a call to action for viewers to subscribe to the channel for more ant-related content and a reminder of the upload schedule.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Ant Colony
💡Nuptial Flight
💡Queen Ant
💡Trap-Jaw Ant
💡Formica
💡Camponotus
💡Test Tube Setup
💡Ant Keeping
💡Permits and Permissions
💡Ant Love
Highlights
In times of despair, hope often comes in unexpected ways for the AC ant diverse community.
A young Trap-jaw ant colony was tragically wiped out by wild black crazy ants.
The beloved Titans ant colony is struggling in their new terrarium due to an unknown condition.
Ants Canada Ant channel shares good news despite recent setbacks.
The channel's creator discusses the rewarding experience of starting an ant colony from a single queen.
A tutorial on catching a new queen ant to start an ant colony is presented.
The creator is based in Toronto, Canada, where the channel started, despite currently living in the Philippines.
The best places to find queen ants are areas with greenery and water sources nearby.
Queen ants are sought after during their nuptial flight season for starting new colonies.
A guide on how to distinguish queen ants from other types of ants is available on the channel.
Ants are more likely to fly after a rainstorm, increasing the chances of finding a queen.
The creator emphasizes the importance of patience and persistence in queen ant catching.
A new Camponotus queen ant is found and caught for the channel's viewers.
The creator explains that wing retention is not the best indicator of fertilization in queen ants.
Camponotus ants are recommended for beginners due to their size and feeding habits.
The creator finds a Formica queen ant, a common and fast-acting species.
The importance of proper eyewear when searching for queen ants is highlighted.
Permits may be required for insect collection, and permissions should be sought for public property.
Ants Canada introduces improved test tubes for queen ants, featuring a longer design and additional accessories.
A special announcement reveals a new Trap-Jaw queen ant, introducing a potential new colony named 'Jawbreakers'.
The creator successfully catches multiple queen ants, despite the risk of them fighting in the same container.
A reminder that the creator will not be bringing the caught queen ants to the Philippines but will sell them locally.
The Ants Canada channel concludes with a call to action for viewers to share their queen ant catching experiences.
Transcripts
In times of despair
Hope often comes knocking on your door in the most unexpected ways
It's been a little tough for us these past few days here in the AC ant diverse
With an ant colony that had died our Jawbreakers
A young Trap-jaw, ant Colony which was massacred by some wild black crazy ant savages
And as we saw in last week's video
Our cherished Titans seemed to not be doing so well in their new terrarium
they to seem to be dying do to mysterious force or condition
But it isn't all bad news here on this channel for today
I. Your ant man come bearing good news Ac family
Trust me keep on watching until the end
Welcome to the Ants Canada Ant channel
Please subscibe to my channel
And hit the bell icon
Welcome to AC family
Enjoy !
What's up, AC family welcome to the Ants Canada Ant channel now,
I wanted to take a break from our ordinary ant videos to create a video
That's more in line with the tutorial videos that I used to upload on this channel
I wanted to create a video on catching a new queen ant to start your ant colony. Now
I've always said on this channel that the most fulfilling part about ant keeping is starting your colony from just a single caught queen ant
So I'm here actually in Toronto Canada
Where this channel started actually it's the reason why it's called Ants
Canada a lot of you have been asking why the channels called Ants Canada when I'm living in the Philippines
Well I moved to the Philippines
In 2011
But the Ants Canada channel started here in Toronto Canada when I was living here now. I'm here in
My favorite place to look for queen ants if I can't find queen ants in my neighborhood
I'll usually find one here in this nature trail a
Lot of people have been asking me
You know where should I go to find queen ants and I always tell them look for a place that has a lot of
Greenery
Perhaps a body of water nearby
Here there is actually a river just not too far from here, please excuse the airplanes guys
This is more of a blog style Ants Canada video now what I'm looking for are
Queen ants that have
Just engaged in their nuptial flight
So for those of you who are new to the world of ants every year and have a nuptial flight where the
Reproductive young Virgin Queens and males who have been waiting around the nest all year
Take to the air and that's when they mate and the male's die, but the females now impregnated with
The male sperm drop to the ground and break their wings off and
They go and seek other places to start their and
Their nests
And so we as the ant keeper we go out during the seasons of nuptial flights
and we look for these queen ants that are kind of walking around having just mated and
Looking for areas to start their new nests
So what you have to do is you got to keep your eyes peeled essentially and keep them to the ground to look for Queens?
We have tutorials on how to
Distinguish Queens from other workers and Major workers because it can be tricky if you're not used to seeing what Queens look like
So check out those tutorials on this channel another tip is ants are more likely to fly after a rainstorm
So yesterday here in Toronto. There was a big thunderstorm
So today, we should be able to find some queen late
Walking around
Now it's the beginning of august so species that I'm looking for right now are
Those that belong to
Formica Glacia S-- and
Kempen audits they should be around so those are what I'm looking for at the moment?
For those of you who are in North America, and in Europe as well as Northern Asia
We are well into our nuptial flight season, so this video is for you guys. I'm going to Scour the ground here
Looking for any kind of movement
When looking for ants you have to really be patient
You can't be frustrated if you don't find
Queens right away
Because sometimes they're quite elusive
Mmm, not finding any yet here a lot of people write to us saying oh
We can't find queens anywhere where I live well to that. I say unless you're living in Iceland or the antarctic where?
There are no ants
Then sure you won't find any any queens, but if you live in any other part of the world
There should be an surround you just have to know where to look and when to look and believe me
It's a rewarding experience when you finally catch one and
Place her in a test Tube setup and
Realize she's laying eggs for you and the eggs eventually develop into her first scientific workers
and then watching young colony feed for the first time and you know transfer that food mouth-to-mouth to the queen who had
Fasted for over a month raising her nana tics. It's really such an awesome and really moving
Experience that
Ant Keepers really love and I hope you guys get to also experience that kind of
Joy and fulfillment of watching your ant colony start and for those of you who don't want to keep ants
And you're just subscribed here to simply watch and videos that's fine too. Thank you for watching this and bearing with us
We will definitely keep you updated on the colonies back home in Manila okay, so I'm going to turn around and
Go back on my tracks to see if I am missing or queen ant scurrying by oh
What is this? We just found a queen ant guys see that?
Patience pays off this here is a Camponotus queen she still has her wings
But if you've been following the channel for a while, it doesn't mean she hasn't made it
Sometimes we keep their wings
And sometimes not mated queens break off their wings, so wing retention is not the best and most reliable indicator
of
Fertilization
Alright, so I'm going to put this queen into my container. This is great
We caught one
Another thing you have to be aware of it people will often pass by so you kind of have to have no shame sometimes
Catching a queen for me is worth it
If you've seen my speedos video you know that I don't have shamed
Oh the queen drop and she's now trying to break off her wings now this species here. I believe is Camponotus
Pensylvanicus
It's completely jet wat but sometimes we can have red markings
All right
So now we're off to look for More Queens
Now Camponotus ants like that queen that we just call it is a great starter speakings
They're great because they're large so you can really see them in a for material you can see they're young
They're also very active and avid feeders. They love their sweets. They love their insects
They don't sting which is great, but the only thing about Camponotus
is that they do take a long time to grow you usually see them get to an impressive size by
Year, two or three
Aaaand
Sometimes that can be quite a long wait for ant keepers be sure to check out our Camponotus
Tutorial on this channel if you are planning on Keeping Camponotus or if you caught a camponotus queen this year
But otherwise Camponotus is a great genius to get started on now one of the tips that I give people is
You really need to be able to see properly
Like if you oh, wait, I found another queen you see this here this here
Is
a Formica
Alright this here's a formica Queen okay, so this is I believe Formica Fusca very common
Formica Species now, I'm going to catch her, but we found this great
Also, love them, they're so fast in Act events
All right, easy family. We caught her sorry
I don't have any snap cap piles with me, so I'm just kind of improvising with stuff
I have right now
But I will be transferring them to test tubes later on so anyways as I was saying
It's good to wear proper eyewear
You need glasses if you need glasses wear your contacts because that can make all the difference in the world
Before I ever got lasik surgery I used to sometimes go
Looking for clean hands, and I would forget to wear my glasses and Lo and behold those were the days. I couldn't find any queens
Another thing you should keep in mind
Is that a lot of places require a permit to collect insects so it's best to really check the
Out of your area, and of course if you're on public property you must get permission first all right and so now
While I'm going to continue looking for Queens here we have a special announcement
Ac family that I think you guys will be very pleased to hear
And here it is all right while I continue looking for Queen Ants in Toronto
We've got some great news for those of you who have been lucky enough to catch Queen ants this year real quick
We totally improved our Ac test Tube's check out some of the awesome changes
We've made to them to help you better care for your queen ants while they are raising their nana ticks their first set of workers
First our
Ac test tubes are now longer so you can fill them up with more water than most ordinary test tubes
Which help make your water reservoir of your queens test Tube last longer our ac test tubes now also come with a little notch to
Help guide you with filling the water and pushing your cotton in but what's also cool is
The Ac test Tube even comes with a small blue sponge that can be pushed all the way to that knotch
One of the coolest new features are these little teeth ever hate how test Tubes roll around in a drawer
These teeth hold your test tube still so your queen doesn't get jostled around all the time which is important during this key period When?
The queen should be as at ease and stress-free as possible
Finally the coolest part about our improved Ac test tubes is this you can now get them with these three
Transparent adapter pieces which fit onto the test Tube openings
Check out this piece here we found that leaving the test Tube open in a set up
sometimes causes queen ants and young colonies to feel too exposed
Usually the ants end up dragging their garbage or Debris to clog up the end of their test Tube in
Attempts to constrict the opening to minimize micro drafts which can endanger and dry out an ant colony and the Brood
But now with this piece here you can constrict the opening of the test tube so the inside of the test Tube isn't so exposed
To the air if you've raised young and colonies before you know that this feature is super helpful
The hole is approximately four millimeters in size which allows for most species magnetic workers to fit through
with this adapter piece you can then attach the entire test Tube to any of our hybrid nests or Ac test Tube portals
and as for the other adapter pieces
this one allows you to connect the test-Tube to our hybrid nest or Ac test to portal with a
Larger opening and this adapter piece to our large ac vinyl tubing for links to all these items
Described plus more info I placed them in the description box
So an keepers do check them out and so the very first ant in the entire world to enjoy this setup is
The big Surprise I've been itching to tell you about a couple of weeks ago shortly after the titans moved into the terrarium
Something caught my eye in my condo building Ac family. I am happy to introduce to you our newest
Queen Ant
Behold our new Trap-Jaw, Queen ant and addons of Maca species
She is a beauty although
I won't be able to bring the queen s that I catch in Toronto back with me to manila
This new queen ant which is currently in the dark in my drawer of my ant room is
Ours to care for and nurtured let's hope she's fertilized and gives us a column I also hope you don't mind me making this executive
Decision to call her future colony should they arise?
the Jawbreakers and now back to Toronto Canada
All right, easy family surprise
I am super excited to raise that queen so guys be sure to leave in the comment section
What do you think we should call this queen?
I hope you guys are okay with us calling them the Jawbreakers once they turn into a colony and hopefully they do oh
And I found another queen right here. Awesome. They are just popping out of everywhere
Got it, and what's cool is while I was telling you the news I was able to catch
More queen ants look at how many look at that
Normally, it's best. Oh no. Oh, no
They're fighting see this is why it's best to not mix them, but I have no choice
I don't have oh, no let it go okay. I don't have another container
So they'll just have to be together for now
This is dangerous because they can formic acid spray each other even though they don't sting they could just formic acid each other and then
Really hurt each other, but I'm going to separate them as soon as I get home. Oh, no leave her alone
And I absolutely will not keep different general of ants together in one container
So I have the formica Queen here and the Camponotus Queens here
So all right I would consider today on and collecting success
Now what I'm going to do is I'm going to put each of these in their own test tube setup
And then hopefully one of them will successfully gain a colony, and that does it Ac family
Thank you so much for watching another episode of the ants Canada and channel by next weekend
I should be back in Manila Philippines
And we'll be updating you on the status of our ant colonies remember guys. It's ant love forever
Thank you for watching Ac family
Did you manage to catch a queen ant yet for this nuptial flight season tell me about it in the comments section guys
If you haven't yet?
Don't worry
There is still plenty of time to catch queen ants if you are in the Northern hemisphere
Be sure to watch our various tutorials on this channel
If you need help catching a queen ant by the way as
Mentioned I will not be bringing the beautiful queen ants home with me back to the philippines
But I will be keeping them here in Toronto and put them up for sale through the gam project for prospective and keepers in Toronto
Once they have their first set of workers
So just a reminder to check out the gap project if you are looking to buy queen ants from your area
Wherever in the world you may be linked in the description box
Asean our colony. I've left a hidden cookie for you here
If you would just like to see a step by step tutorial video of these queen ants being placed in test-Tube
And now it's time for the Ac question of the week in last week's Ac question of the week we asked
What is the name of Mark Moffitt's best-selling book?
Congratulations to
Jesse Morgan who correctly answered
Adventures among eggs
Congratulations, jesse you just won a free ap test to portal from our shop in this week's Ac question of the week we asked what?
Is one reason why carpenter ants would make a great species for beginner and keepers?
Leave your answer in the comment section and you could win our Deluxe Ac test Tube pack I've seen in this video from awesome
Hope you can subscribe to the channel as we upload a new ant video every Saturday at 8 a.m.
Eastern Standard time
Please remember to like comment share and subscribe if you enjoyed this video so we can keep thinking you ethic and videos like this
It's ant love forever
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