CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Do I need to put ants in the soil to raise them? (Do I need to put ants in the soil to raise them?)

1. How to raise ants at home?

Find a relatively large goldfish tank, put some loose soil in it, and then use a chopstick or something like that to poke a small vertical hole a few centimeters long to remind the queen ant to build a nest there.

The queen ant will not eat before the first batch of worker ants are born. She relies entirely on the muscles in her body. Therefore, if the worker ants have not been born when the queen ant reaches her physical limit, the queen ant will starve to death. At the same time, keep the soil moist, but not too much water, or the queen ant will drown! When the first batch of people in the ant kingdom are born, put more food.

2. How to keep ants caught outside?

You can use soil to grow them directly, but it is not recommended. Although soil is the closest to nature, it is difficult to control humidity and is prone to mold. The most important thing is that you can't see the ants and don't know whether they are dead or alive. So it is not recommended.

You can also use artificial new nests, which have the advantages of convenient observation, controllable humidity, and the materials used are closer to nature, but the price is not satisfactory. The rich can do whatever they want.

3. Is it better to use soil or sand to raise ants?

Sand is good for raising ants

If we raise ants, we must put soil first, and then sand. Because sand is relatively soft, it is better for ants to put it on top.

The sand should be special sand for ant nests. The natural sand is white sand, which is very suitable for raising ants.

In this way, no matter the humidity is high or low, the sand structure can always maintain stable strength and prevent collapse.

4. I want to keep an ant as a pet. Is that okay?

You can raise them, but you need to prepare simulated soil. Ants like to dig holes underground. As for food, just give them anything you want. But you need to provide an environment with suitable temperature and humidity, and ensure the number of ants. Ants live in groups, and they cannot be kept alive alone. Glass containers are best, because ants can crawl out of ordinary containers, so glass containers are more suitable for raising ants. You can use a small fish tank. Transparent silicone can be used to simulate soil. You can observe their hole-digging process every day, and you will think they are great and smart. Be patient.

5. Basic tutorial on raising ants?

The specific steps are as follows

1. Collect ants.

Ordinary ants will not reproduce unless you place a queen ant in your ant farm.

2A place where ants are raised.

Find a glass bottle of suitable size. Glass bottles are more convenient for observation. Remember to leave air holes on the bottle cap.

3Fill with soil.

Make sure the soil is loose so the ants can move around, and leave some space at the top to prevent the ants from climbing out of the jar.

4. Provide food and water.

Do not feed ants meat or other cooked foods, as this will attract pests to your enclosure.

5. Warmth.

Keep it in a room with a stable, comfortable temperature. Keep it out of direct sunlight, or the glass will overheat and kill the ants.

6Shake the bottle.

Shaking the bottle or handling it roughly can cause their tunnels to collapse, killing them. Be careful with ant farms.

7. Reduce light.

Ants like to be active at night, and they will dig ant holes at night. When you are not observing the ants, try to cover the black cloth.

6. How to raise ants in a transparent bottle?

Put some soil on it and let the ants dig holes in it. I suggest you use a test tube to raise it, which is clean and hygienic and not prone to mites.

7. What are the requirements for breeding soil in ant farms?

Feeding soil is a comfortable residence for ants, which can keep them warm in winter and cool in summer, and can also provide them with water and nutrients. Ants have the habit of building nests, living, laying eggs, hatching, and storing food and water deep in the soil or near the surface.

The breeding soil can be made of garden soil, humus soil, ditch mud, stove soil, sandy soil, clay, loam, etc. (do not use soil that has just been treated with pesticides or fertilizers), mixed with an appropriate amount (about 20%) of chicken manure, pig manure, burnt mud ash or rice husk ash. Such soil is fertile and loose, which can meet the living needs of ants.

When taking soil, turn it over and break it up, expose it to the sun for sterilization, and then sieve it with a sieve (2.6 mm x 2.6 mm) to remove lumps and impurities, making it loose and fine particles, which is convenient for ants to move in the soil (Figure 4-5). Soil with too much sand is easy to loosen, and the water evaporates quickly, which is not conducive to ants drilling into the soil to live and carrying mud to build nests. It is best to use rural soil that is rich in humus, loose and breathable, and rich in nutrients as the ant breeding soil.

When digging the garden soil, it is best to do it in winter, because there are fewer pests and bacteria in the soil in winter, which reduces the infection of ants. The water content of the breeding soil suitable for ants is 20% to 30%, the salt content cannot be higher than 0.7%, and the pH value is 6 to 8. The breeding soil with too high water content will stick together, which is not conducive to the ants to get in and out, affect the ants to build ant nests, and cause bacteria, mites, and fleas to breed, resulting in infection and mildew.

If the water content of the soil is less than 10%, the water in the insect body will be consumed too much, affecting the growth and development of the ants. The thickness of the soil varies according to the breeding method and season. It is generally 8 cm in spring, 5 cm in summer, and 10 to 15 cm in winter. When using breeding racks, a layer of plastic film is laid on each rack, and then 2 to 3 cm thick soil is laid on it, and artificial ant nests are placed on the soil.

The feeding surface is smoothed with cement, and a layer of plastic film is laid, and then a 10-15 cm thick layer of breeding soil is laid. The replacement time is determined according to the cleanliness of the breeding soil and the pollution of the breeding soil, generally every 3-6 months. In addition, the commonly used tools for collecting ants in the wild include wooden sticks, bamboo poles, shovels, machetes, etc.

8. Can ants survive without soil?

Ants cannot live without soil.

The dormant ants in ant nests on trees and underground begin to wake up after the Waking of Insects. However, the temperature in early spring is relatively low, with the monthly average temperature in Jiangsu and Zhejiang being 9.2℃. During this period, the focus of management is on cold prevention and heat preservation. After Qingming, the temperature gradually rises, with the monthly average temperature reaching 15.2℃, and the ants begin to leave their nests and crawl onto the ground and trees to move around and forage. At this time, if the soil in the forest is dry, water should be sprayed, and the escape-proof ditches should be filled with water. After the Beginning of Summer, the temperature continues to rise, and the ants enter the peak season for activity, foraging, growth and development. At this time, it is necessary to ensure the moisture of the forest, especially when the temperature exceeds 35℃ and the weather is dry. It is best to spray water once in the morning and evening.

9. Will ants die if buried in the soil?

Ants buried in the soil will not die

Ants are divided into ground-dwelling and arboreal ants. Most ants are ground-dwelling and build nests in the soil. Arboreal ants usually build nests in hollow bamboos, branches, tree trunks, grass stalks, etc. Some special arboreal ants, such as yellow ants and black spiny ants, can glue leaves together to form ant nests through silk spitting by their larvae. Some ants (Ishikari red ants, Beijing concave-headed ants, etc.) use branches and other materials to build nests above the ground.