How to catch Queen Ants INDOOR | plus 4 weeks Update

Summary

During the global pandemic lockdown, the video creator unexpectedly collects queen ants that are attracted to light in their home. Despite the restrictions, the hobbyist manages to start new ant colonies with various species, including tropical fire ants and a potential pharaoh ant. They share the process of setting up test tubes, observing the queens' egg-laying, and the arrival of the first worker ants. The video also covers catching other queen ants like polyrhachis and yellow crazy antellates, offering insights into ant keeping during quarantine.

Takeaways

• 🏠 During the pandemic lockdown, the video creator was able to collect queen ants from their home due to the insects being attracted to indoor light.
• 🐜 The creator caught multiple queen ants, including red tropical fire ants and other species, which entered through open windows.
• 👑 The first queen ant to lose her wings was chosen to start a new colony, and within weeks, she had laid eggs and produced larvae.
• 📈 The colony grew as more worker ants, or nanitics, joined, demonstrating the development of the ant colony over time.
• 🌙 The creator also caught other queen ants on different nights, including a polyrhachis queen and one that might be a pharaoh ant, though not certain of the identification.
• 🔍 Identification of the potentially pharaoh ant queen was sought from viewers, as her coloration differed from previously caught queens of the same species.
• 🐦 Two yellow crazy antellates were caught and placed together, showing no aggression and beginning to lay eggs, indicating they might be from the same colony or are a polygenous species.
• 👀 A black carpenter ant queen was also caught, but as of the script, she had not yet laid eggs and still had her wings.
• 🍽️ The influx of insects attracted to the light post provided additional food for the ant colonies, highlighting a beneficial side effect of the situation.
• 🌱 The video encourages viewers to try their luck at catching queen ants during their nuptial flights, suggesting that many species are active even during the pandemic.
• 📹 The creator promises to update viewers on the progress of the ant colonies and invites feedback and engagement from the ant-keeping and nature-loving community.

Q & A

How did the global pandemic affect the narrator's ability to collect queen ants?

The global pandemic led to a community quarantine that stopped most people from going outside, which is typically how queen ants are collected. However, the narrator was still able to collect queen ants during lockdown.

What did the narrator do when an insect flew by and landed on the floor?

The narrator was overjoyed to realize it was a queen ant and immediately covered it with a plastic cap, then set up a test tube for the queen.

How many queen ants did the narrator find in the living room?

The narrator found three queen ants in the living room, one on the floor and two more later on.

What type of ants did the narrator decide to keep in a fish tank?

The narrator decided to keep red tropical fire ants in a fish tank.

Which queen ant did the narrator choose to keep and why?

The narrator chose to keep the biggest queen ant with the most massive gaster, who was also the first to break off her wings.

How many weeks did it take for the chosen queen ant to lay eggs?

It took one week for the chosen queen ant to lay her first batch of eggs.

What did the narrator do when they caught two different queens on the same night?

The narrator set up separate test tubes for each queen and hoped for their success in founding their own colonies.

What was the narrator's strategy for dealing with the uninvited guests attracted to the light post?

The narrator considered the uninvited guests, which were mostly queen ants, as a source of extra food for their ant colonies.

What happened when the narrator caught two yellow crazy antellates?

The narrator put them together in the same test tube, and they did not fight but greeted each other, possibly being from the same colony.

What was the narrator's hope for the black carpenter ant queen caught on the same night as the twin yellow crazy ant queens?

The narrator hoped that the black carpenter ant queen was fertile and would lay her eggs in the following days.

What advice does the narrator give to those who are planning to become ant keepers?

The narrator advises potential ant keepers to try their luck at catching and having their own queen ants during the nuptial flights, without needing to travel.

Outlines

00:00

🐜 Collecting Queen Ants During Lockdown

Despite the global pandemic and community quarantine measures that have halted many industries, the narrator has managed to collect queen ants at home. The video documents the experience of catching queen ants that were attracted to the light in the narrator's living room. The narrator set up test tubes for the queen ants and eventually placed them in a fish tank, choosing to keep the first queen to break off her wings. The video progresses to show the queen's successful egg-laying and the birth of the colony's first worker ant, with more ants joining over time. The narrator also shares an encounter with a polyrhachis queen and an unidentified queen, which they hope will successfully establish their colonies.

05:01

👭 Encounters with Multiple Queen Ants

The narrator recounts catching two yellow crazy antellates, which are known for polygyny, the presence of multiple queens in one colony. They decided to place the queens together in the same test tube, where they greeted each other without conflict. The queens both shed their wings and began to lay eggs, with the narrator choosing not to film to reduce stress. Additionally, a black carpenter ant queen was caught but has not yet laid eggs. The narrator expresses hope for the queens' success in founding their colonies and encourages viewers to try their luck at catching queen ants, as many species are having their nuptial flights. The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to like, share, and subscribe for updates on the queens' progress.

Keywords

💡Queen ants

Queen ants are the reproductive females in an ant colony, responsible for laying eggs and starting new colonies. In the video, the creator catches queen ants during a lockdown, emphasizing their importance in the hobby of ant keeping. The script mentions catching various queen ants, such as red tropical fire ants and a polyrhachis queen, showcasing the diversity and the process of establishing new colonies.

💡Lockdown

Lockdown refers to the state of restricted movement or the confinement of people to their homes, usually due to a public health crisis like a pandemic. The video script discusses how the lockdown has affected the hobby of ant keeping, with the creator finding a way to collect queen ants despite the restrictions.

💡Ant keepers

Ant keepers are individuals who are engaged in the hobby of raising and observing ants. The video is targeted towards this audience, providing them with insights on how to collect queen ants during unusual circumstances like a lockdown.

💡Nuptial flights

Nuptial flights are the mating flights of certain ant species where winged males and queens fly out to mate. The script mentions that many ant species are having their nuptial flights, which is the opportune time for ant keepers to try and catch queen ants.

💡Test tube

In the context of ant keeping, a test tube is used as a temporary or initial housing for queen ants. The video script describes setting up test tubes for the caught queen ants, which is a common practice to start a new ant colony.

💡Polyrhachis queen

Polyrhachis is a genus of ants, and the script specifically mentions catching a Polyrhachis queen ant. This queen is significant as it is one of the species that the creator successfully caught and is hoping to establish a colony with.

💡Pharaoh ant

The pharaoh ant is a species of ant known for its reddish to orange color and is often a pest in human environments. The script mentions the creator's uncertainty about catching a pharaoh queen due to color differences, indicating the importance of species identification in ant keeping.

💡Red tropical fire ants

Red tropical fire ants are a specific type of ant species that the creator catches multiple of during the lockdown. The script describes how these queens were attracted to the light and were subsequently caught and kept in a fish tank, illustrating the process of collecting and housing queen ants.

💡Wingless queens

After mating, queen ants often break off their wings. The script mentions several queens becoming wingless, which is a natural part of their life cycle as they transition from mating to establishing a new colony.

💡Nanitics

Nanitics, or nanitics ants, are the smallest worker ants in a colony. The video script describes the arrival of the first nanitic, marking a significant milestone in the growth of the new ant colony.

💡Yellow crazy ant

Yellow crazy ants are another species mentioned in the script, known for being polygenous, meaning a colony can have multiple queens. The creator caught two of these queens and put them together, which is an interesting aspect of their social structure.

Highlights

During the global pandemic lockdown, the creator managed to collect queen ants without leaving home.

Queen ants were attracted to the bright light in the living room, leading to their collection.

A test tube was set up for the collected queen ants to initiate a new colony.

Multiple queen ants, specifically red tropical fire ants, were collected through open windows.

A fish tank was used to house the collected queen ants, with plans to keep only one.

The chosen queen ant was the first to break off her wings and began laying eggs within a week.

The queen ant's colony grew with more eggs and larvae in the second week.

The first worker ant, or nanitic, emerged in the third week, marking a significant milestone for the colony.

Additional worker ants joined the colony, demonstrating its growth and development.

The creator caught two different queen ants on one night, one of which was a polyrhachis queen.

A pharaoh ant queen was caught, though its identity was uncertain due to color differences.

The pharaoh ant queen laid eggs within two weeks of being caught.

Two yellow crazy antellates were caught and placed together, showing no aggression and beginning to lay eggs.

A black carpenter ant queen was caught, but no updates were provided as she had not yet laid eggs.

The creator encourages viewers to try their luck at catching queen ants during the nuptial flights.

The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to like, share, and subscribe for updates on the ant colonies.

Transcripts

while this video is in the making most

of you are staying at home for weeks

or months now because of the global

pandemic

majority of industries and businesses

has been shut down

but who would have thought that even

kovid 19 can't stop me from collecting

queen ants

let me show you how and how many queen

ants i've caught during lockdown

welcome to d colony

[Music]

community quarantine literally stops me

and most of us from going outside

to hunt for queen ants that's really a

bad news for ant keepers

and those who plans to be in the hobby

this season

but let me tell you a good news

one night while i'm watching tv an

insect fly by my sight and landed on the

floor

i'm overjoyed when i realized that it's

a queen and

looking for an ant keeper so i

immediately volunteered myself

just kidding i think she's just

attracted by the bright light in our

living room

i immediately cover her with a plastic

cap then proceeded to set up a test tube

for this queen

after setting up the test tube i

returned to the living room and spotted

another queen ant in the floor

and another one at the wall

hours had passed more and more queen

entered our open windows since these

queens

are all red tropical fire ants i decided

to put them together in a fish tank

i plan to just keep one of them the one

who first break off her wings

and set the others free

[Music]

the next day four of them became

wingless queens already

so i just choose the biggest queen who

have the most massive gaster than the

others

and after a week here she is with her

very own

pile of eggs in her second week

more batch of eggs and lavas

[Music]

and in the third week i can't explain

the feeling as we welcomed her nanitic

yes the first worker of the colony has

arrived

him too excited and forgot to film their

first meal

and before going to the colony's fourth

week

an additional two nanitics joined them

time really flies

[Music]

another night comes hundreds or maybe

thousands of insects

are flying outside attracted to the

light post

some of them are queen elites opening

the windows this time

will not only let queen ants in but some

uninvited guests

not some really because 99

of insects entering the window will be

them

not a problem because this insects also

provides extra food to my ant colonies

moving on in catching queen ants

tonight i caught two different queens

the first one was a polyrhachis queen

it's not the same queen

i featured on my previous video they're

both polyrhachis indeed

but this queen is still alive

and has three eggs on her second week im

hoping this polyrhachis queen now

will be successful in founding her own

colony

about the second queen i caught tonight

i think she's a pharaoh

until it in size but not really sure

because previously i caught pharaoh and

queens but they're reddish to orange in

color

and her stripes in their gasters but

this one was not similar to them in

terms of color

she is black to dark brown and about

eight to ten millimeters in

size if any one of you guys are familiar

with this gorgeous queen here

you can share it in the comments that

would be a great help

anyway this queen is also on her second

week now

with the pile of her tiny eggs i think

she has more than 10.

she break off her wings two days after i

caught her

but what's interesting on her is she

left one of them

i just wonder why she didn't remove all

of them maybe she'll remove it in the

future

other than that i also hope she makes it

[Music]

another night another queens yes

you hear it right queens i caught this

two yellow crazy antellates with almost

three hours gap but because they are the

same

species and known of being polygenous

or having multiple queens on one colony

i put them together in the same test

tube

luckily they didn't fight but greet each

other the first time they met

housewit or maybe they're just from the

same colony after all

the next day both of them break off

their wings

so i proceed cleaning their detached

wings on their test tube setup

on their fourth day i've seen some eggs

that being taken care by these twin

queens but decided not to take a video

to lessen their stress same night

when i caught the twin yellow crazy ant

queens

i also caught a landing camp on a

tisolat

a black carpenter ant queen no updates

for her now

because since i caught her four days ago

she's still with her wings

and no eggs at the present i just hope

she's fertile

and will lay her eggs in the following

days

i wish these queens to be successful in

founding their colonies

so this is it for this video guys

i will make updates about these queens

soon

and if you're planning to be an ant

keeper you can catch and have

your own queen ants now like what i did

in an open window or in your own

backyard

no need to travel for your dream queen

ants

many ant species is having their nuptial

flights now

why not try your luck well good luck on

our journey as ant keepers

but if you just love ants and nature

thank you for tuning in and watching

till the end

i just hope you have learned something

from this video guys

be a genie for the first time by

granting my wish in tapping the like and

share button

that would help a lot this is d colony

saying goodbye for now but hoping to see

you on my next

[Music]

videos